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Mobility for Spine and Back Quick Series to Unlock a Tight Thoracic Spine

10 Min • Upper Body
  • View on YouTube
    • Training Type Mobility
    • Equipment Mat, Other, No Equipment
    • Membership Free

    Overview

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    Nicole

    Focus & Benefits: Whether you experience back or neck pain, sit at a desk most of the day, or carry around young children, there’s likely one factor in common: a tight thoracic spine (or mid-back). The importance of spinal mobility often goes unnoticed until pain or injuries are upon us but, the good news is that a little bit goes a long way. You can easily take the mobility exercises you learn in this routine and fuse them into your day and week for added spinal mobility. Press play and feel the difference!



    Equipment Needed: mat, optional long resistance band, optional yoga block or pillow.

    Tips & Helpful Information: Your thoracic spine is the middle section of your spine. It starts at the base of your neck and ends at the bottom of your ribs and consists of 12 vertebrae.

    Your thoracic spine has several important functions, including:

    • Protecting your spinal cord and branching spinal nerves
    • Providing attachments for your ribs
    • Protect your heart and lungs

    A tight thoracic spine limits essential movement which can lead other areas of the body — like the lumbar spine (low back region) and shoulders — to overcompensate. Long term this can lead to injuries or chronic pain, rounded posture, and sometimes difficulty breathing.

    On the other hand, a mobile thoracic spine creates balance in the body. It allows so many other parts of your body to work seamlessly, leading to less pain and better performance in workouts and daily life. In this workout, we accomplish this through rotation, breathing, flexion and extension. Adding these movements to your warmups, cooldowns, and throughout your day can create much healthier movement patterns.

    Difficulty and Modifications Explained: This workout is rated a level 2 out of 5 since the exercises are accessible for most bodies, using minimal equipment, along with a low time commitment. 

    Sources: 
    The Cleveland Clinic


    WORKOUT OUTLINE

    40 seconds on / 10 seconds off; 1 round

    Roll-downs
    Hinged Rotations, alternating
    Hinged Rotation Hold with Breathing - R
    Rotation with Arm Reach (hold) - R
    Hinged Rotation Hold with Breathing - L
    Rotation with Arm Reach (hold) - L
    Cat Cow with Band Back Breathing
    Spider with 2-way Rotation - R
    Spider with 2-way Rotation - L
    Puppy