❓ Have you been told to work on improving your thoracic spine aka your upper back mobility?
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🤸♂️ The thoracic spine is designed to be mobile – helping us flex, extend and rotate our torso. However, with increased time in sedentary, poor postural positions, we can lose that mobility.
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🤔 Often, with limited mobility in the thoracic spine, our neck, shoulders and lower back will compensate – leading to pain and fatigue.
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🤓 We offer mobility exercises and drills to help improve the mobility of the thoracic spine. But we would never just leave it there. We also know that with a decrease in the mobility of the thoracic spine, this can lead to shortening of the muscles in the chest and front of the shoulder.
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👆 Try this simple mobility drill, with a progression, to help stretch the pectorals and anterior shoulder – which will naturally help improve your thoracic spine mobility.
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💪 How to perform:
- Find yourself a door frame or rig, and position feet in a slight staggered position, with the same foot forward as forearm on the door frame/rig.
- Position 1 - Start with elbow at ~90° and positioned at shoulder height. Twist the torso away from the door frame/rig and feel the stretch in the chest and anterior shoulder. Hold here for 30 – 60 seconds.
- To progress – Position 2 – Straighten the arm slightly, with elbow bent to ~120° and positioned at nose height. Twist the torso away from the door frame/rig and feel the stretch in a slightly different position in the chest and anterior shoulder. Hold here for 30 – 60 seconds.
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🙌 Repeat this as often as necessary and feel the instant impact in your chest, shoulders and thoracic spine mobility!
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