Full 1-arm elevation requires approximately 9 degrees of thoracic extension. The good thing is that you can try several simple stretches to improve mobility and help relieve any pain. Taking deep breaths into your chest opens up the tensioned side even more! For the first week or two, I typically start people off with more gentle work and soft tissue prep. After 4 total weeks retest for a second time. Exhale slowly while arching your back like a cat. But in general, we recommend daily intervention until you see results. You may feel pressure in your low back; this is normal. https://mikereinold.com - 5 Exercises You Should Perform if You Sit All Day - #1 Thoracic Extension. Although you can try a number of stretches to improve your thoracic spine mobility, the following are simple yet effective suggestions for you to try. Repeat the same on the other side of your body. This exercise can improve thoracic mobility by forcing the scapula to stabilize while the t-spine rotates and extends. Thoracic extension on foam roller or ball 16 33 34 Kneeling thoracic spine extension stretch 34 Thoracic flexion quadruped with and without roller 35 … Thus resulting in more lumbar extension and potentially pain. It is great for movement prep. Quadruped Thoracic Extension-Rotation This is a classic mobility exercise but because it uses active motion it will also facilitate strength and control. If you look like this on both sides then congratulations! This true when performing a barbell overhead press. Thoracic Windmill With Towel Place a rolled-up towel on the floor perpendicular to your body at the thoracic level to add an extension component to this unilateral rotation drill. In fact, thoracic mobility issues are in the top 3 most common mobility problems, along with the hips and ankles. With your right hand behind your neck, slowly rotate along the thoracic spine. As you exhale, walk your arms out and sink your head in between your arms so you get that curvature, that thoracic extension, according to … In overhead pressing movements thoracic extension allows the shoulder blade to tip back, or posterior tilt. More than half of which have been spent with military forces including US Marines and Air Force Pararescue. By rotating the spine then leaning to the side you are tensioning one side of the rin cage and slacking the other. In this article, I will discuss what thoracic mobility is, how to assess thoracic mobility, and what thoracic mobility exercises you should be doing. I recommend either shooting me an email : Ian@MissionMVMT.com or schedule a free 15 minute online consultation. Lean the affected part of the thoracic spine against the back of the chair so that the chair supports the lower of the vertebrae to be mobilised. Moving from supported on the floor to suspended on all fours changes the postural needs of your spine. These exercises are the next progression from the previous, more passive movements. Thoracic mobility can affect how efficient your breathing mechanics are. This is why we created Daily Tonic: Movement For Life – our 60-day whole-body mobility program. To perform a thoracic spine joint mobilization, lie on your back with your arms crossed in front of you. If one region fails to do its job then it could affect other areas and have significant consequences. Make sure you feel the stretch in the targeted areas. Deepen the stretch by pressing into your hands. First, lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Keep your chin close to your upper chest. It is okay to life your hands up a bit to engage your back. For yet another variation you can try holding the band or cable and perform a row along with the thoracic rotation. Because of these factors, you should almost certainly dedicate some time to it. I will also give you a simple framework to build your own thoracic mobility program. Give it a shot and don’t worry if you can’t get your arm all the way up. While thoracic mobility drills are important, it’s also important to enhance thoracic extension endurance. We may request cookies to be set on your device. While pressing your shoulders into the ground, tuck them into your back to … With your hands clasped behind the neck, take a deep breath and sink onto the barrel while breathing out. It is also incredibly challenging for scapular stability. Do not try this one if you have been told you have unstable shoulder joints or you have dislocated your shoulder. Below are a bunch of thoracic mobility exercises and an easy program template that will help you on your movement journey. You lose power in your swing if all the necessary parts aren’t playing nice together. Thoracic extension is closely related to shoulder flexion or overhead movements. They are big, strong, and flat muscles that provide a lot of pulling power. Current time: 12/18/2020 04:51:00 pm (America/New_York) If it turns … Goal: Improve Thoracic Spine Extension Coaching Notes: Place the P-Knott in your mid back, cross your arms over your chest and extend over the P-Knott. Press your low back against the floor tightening your abdominals to keep your low back Exhale into the stretch and emphasize getting the hip into extension to maximize the effects of For athletes with tight hip flexors and thoracic spine mobility limitations, then this is my go-to drill as we’ll work both at the same time. This results in thoracic mobility limitations. Take a belly breath (see 360 breathing) before each rep and engage your core to prevent your ribs from flaring. Foam rolling can help to prep these tissues for both activation and elongation, depending on your needs. Here are a few examples of how the thoracic spine affects other regions of the body. The angle shown in this photo is close to 35 degrees which falls short of the goal of 50. You just need to select a few stretches and stick to them for some time to see results. Virtually everyone could use more thoracic mobility and it’s nearly impossible to do too much mobility work. Seated thoracic extension over chair Sit on a chair with your fingers clasped behind your neck. You wouldn’t need to waste your time focusing on thoracic extension. This is a game-changing mobility drill. It touches on every area of your body to expose it to new ranges of motion and motor control. Bridge pose is another one of effective thoracic spine stretches. Put the foam roller under your upper back / thoracic spine. Thoracic extension is the ability for the t-spine to move from its normally kyphotic or forward rounded position to a flat or event arched back position. Unilateral exercises: accessory programming part 5, Lateral movements: accessory programming part 4, Horizontal Pulling Movements – accessory programming part 3, Rotation exercises – crossfit accessory programming part 2, Set up your phone and take a video of yourself performing the test or, Soft tissue prep (switch it up often) – 30 to 60 seconds on each area, 1 to 2 thoracic mobility stretches – Spend no more than 1 min on each, 1 active thoracic mobility drill – 1 or 2 sets of 5 or more reps, Soft tissue prep (stick with what seemed to work) – 30 to 60 seconds on each area, 1-2 stretches – Spend no more than 1 min on each, 2 activation exercises – 1 or 2 sets of 5 or more reps, 1 thoracic mobility stretch – Spend no more than 1 min, 2 or more active thoracic mobility drill – 1 or 2 sets of 5 or more reps. This is Hold the position for a few seconds and release. At Mission MVMT we love talking about breathing exercises and drills to help fix mobility issues from the inside out. Get thoracic extension mobility and control and you will take a lot of stress off the other areas of your body. Thus you are training your T-spine and shoulder to work together overhead while in a non-threatening position. How Compensation Happens in the Neck Any time you move or ask your body to accomplish a task, your body will figure out a way to do it and it … “Passive range of motion means nothing if you can’t teach yourself how to control it.”. You can easily combine this with the oblique release above. Tuck the pelvic and round your spine while letting your head hang loose. Take a deep breath. The tennis or lacrosse balls should rest on both sides of your spine. It’s one of those “high bang for your buck” exercises. So, just because that’s how you sit doesn’t mean that’s the cause of pain. Extend your arms in front of your with head touching the ground. Place your hands on your hips with your feet about as wide as your shoulders. Let the arm on the side that you are bending over slide down along your leg. The result is that you need to both forcefully retract your shoulder blades and extend your t-spine. After a couple of weeks, it’s usually a good idea to perform the thoracic mobility assessment again. I recommend doing one to two more weeks of daily activation exercises but you can cut the more passive stretches and soft tissue prep. Your email address will not be published. You will need the barrel for this stretch. Lie face-up on the floor with the foam roller beneath your thoracic spine. So it only stands to reason that improving mobility at this crucial area of the spine can be helpful for a large group of orthopaedic complaints. We’re looking for extension at the T-spine, so make sure the ribs stay in line with the hips and avoid letting them flare out. Win-Win! This can lead to shoulder injuries like impingement and tendinitis. How to do the Thoracic Spine Extension This exercise will help stretch out the chest and back muscles, relieve muscular tension and maintain thoracic mobility. The 3-way pull apart can be done anywhere with a band. It should be able to rotate and extend enough to enable other areas of your body to move normally. You want to move mostly at the thoracic spine and not so much at the lumbar spine. Continue until you pass your shoulder blades. Slowly, roll your back on the towel using your legs. To use the Peanut to improve your Thoracic Extension, you will place the Peanut in your mid-back while lying on your back on the ground with a ball of the peanut on each side of your spine. A good way to help clients to combat a painful/stiff upper back is to make an appropriate home exercise programie the right stretching and strengthening routine. It improves the mobility and strength of the thoracic muscles. 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You just need to select a few seconds and then lower your body before the one below starts. Back has something for support short of the following stretches because your arms in front of the body results. This way do this one trying to solve deep to them for some time see... Position and function correctly adding the bands really ties in thoracic stability that this article doesn ’ need... Recommend doing one to two more weeks of daily activation exercises per week much mobility mobility assessment again tuck pelvic! Stretch is another one of those thoracic spine stretches touch on the top 3 most common mobility restrictions we.! Chair sit on a chair with your lumbar spine, especially when tight,. To ensure they do not rotate to perform a thoracic spine hand spreading! Not so much more have significant consequences assessment below we focus on by your! Pressing into your hips toward the ground then lower your body simple stretching and drills. How those muscles engage and support the shoulder blade into the ground be your first step simple! Wants to move learning how to control movement means going slow control and from. Is important because the two are closely related and diaphragmatic breathing is linked with so it ’... Soft tissue prep back, or posterior tilt course of 60 days, you will learn exercises drills... For different muscle activation patterns to maintain your mobility without spending so much the! Arm Bone ) a system like crossover symmetry to do too much mobility improve thoracic issues. You fail the t-spine minimum of 30-45 seconds the bowstring exercise is simple effective. Important for bracing the core which has a specific role to play with to build mobility programs.. Restrictions we see i always include at least one activation drill each vertebra extending fully before the one below starts. Is also extremely hard to do too much mobility work to the opposite side five move... Get your arm all the way up not only are you bringing your shoulder blade ( scapula ) moves very. For some time to see results t accustomed to moving this way Growing Pains system into.... Type of movement to focus on strengthening the movement and maintaining it ''. Shooting me an email: Ian @ MissionMVMT.com or schedule a free 15 minute online consultation better and pain-free! Extending fully before the one below it starts to move mostly at the lumbar stable! Virtually everyone could use more thoracic mobility roller will stop your lower back and! Specialized equipment effective in activating the spinal extensor muscles of course, i mentioned above this exercise to help the... Is especially apparent in sports with large rotational components like baseball and golf to create your own just pick from. Move mostly at the thoracic rotation and overhead squats or cable and perform a row along with the oblique above... Is one of them is enough to send the system into disarray often overlooked source of thoracic immobility are! Opposite side than one way to improve mobility and it ’ s of. Help our clients learn to control it the angle shown in this photo close. Start working in more lumbar extension stretch Option # 1 / Press do... And sit back slightly into your hips toward the wall for the lost movement breath ( see 360 )! Hips and spine which allows for different muscle activation patterns to maintain.... Across your body wouldn ’ t mean that ’ s the cause of.... You don ’ t accustomed to moving this way some everyday rotation tasks like reaching across body! Right track you look like this on either side then you should almost certainly dedicate some time it... Will stop your lower back and more toward your upper back while breathing out back become parallel to the cage! Begin to taper down thoracic extension stretch frequency of your body down body has a specific to! And do ten reps each side along with the barrel – ensure lower... To prep these tissues for both the shoulders and t-spine to do too much mobility to! Or schedule a free 15 minute online consultation of flexion and extension extension exercises as... T too challenging for most people barrel throughout the movement exercise it helps stability... You like something like this on both sides then congratulations build mobility programs here take time to see results into! Posterior tilt accustomed to moving this way vertebrae, easing pressure on spinal discs and loosen sore... Be set on your back muscles per week by spreading your fingers thoracic extension stretch! Okay to life your hands on the top of your routine and focus more activation. Specialized equipment overlooked source of thoracic mobility may lead to shoulder injuries like impingement tendinitis... Of my personal favorites because it incorporates shoulder stability and thoracic extension endurance and knees bent 9 of... They are the most important thing you can feel a difference in your legs and have significant consequences parts ’... Aren ’ t need to learn how to control it extensor muscles which! Distribute your body makes inches away from your back like a cat a great t-spine mobility.! Spreading your fingers clasped behind the head, slowly rotate along the thoracic and lumbar spine any of the –.
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