Thoracic Mobility: It's Kind Of A Big Deal
It’s very possible I care more about thoracic mobility than most people my age (more on why* at the end of this post). However, throughout my years of personal training, I quickly realized the importance of maintaining thoracic mobility when I saw the impact and challenges that occurred when people had not. Not to sound ominous - but T-spine mobility is kind of a big deal…
Your thoracic spine is, generally speaking, your upper back. Specifically, it is the 12 vertebrae of your spine that are sandwiched between the 7 vertebrae of your neck above (cervical spine), and the 5 vertebrae of your lower back (lumbar). It plays an important role in everyday life, as well as in dance, because… Well, it is your spine!
Throughout daily life our thoracic spine is constantly put in compromising positions that it is simply not designed for. Sitting at a desk for eight or more hours a day, or sitting behind the steering wheel of your car, encourages you to sit in a slumped forward position that can lead to chronic Kyphotic posture. Even in less severe cases, it leads to decreased mobility of the thoracic spine, shortened pectoral muscles, which can even alter your shoulder placement and functionality. All of which has a direct impact on your quality of pain free movement (for all), and your topline, ballroom frame, and rotational range of motion in Latin dance (for dancers). In a nutshell, you want to maintain your thoracic mobility.
Another area that plays a role in Kyphotic posture, and that I personally found to be impacting my thoracic extension in my dance frame, is tight hip flexors. Hip flexors are another casualty of our modern sedentary lifestyle, as they are constantly held in their shortened position, and as a result get stiff and tight. But hip flexors deserve their own post – so more on those here.
The good news is there are a lot of great ways to maintain or increase thoracic mobility. Realistically, most of us Americans cannot simply refuse to get behind the wheel of a car, or quit all of our desk time. So I have two main recommendations…
I highly recommend standing desks and/or a kneeling ergonomical chair, for when you do have to work at a desk for extended periods of time. They are game changers!
Work to keep the alignment and flexibility that your spine is meant to have – do not settle for a new normal. The body is adaptive, and that is both a blessing, and a curse. Realistically, you have to work to maintain and improve your mobility, but in the long run it is so worth it.
I have selected a few of my favorite thoracic spine mobility drills that I have found to be very helpful and included my videos below. As always, let me know how you like them, or if you have any additional questions, in the comments below!
Hello, this is my spine, with a scoliosis curve of 30 degrees in the thoracic region. Oh, and my bra clasps because… Metal!
*What’s with the thoracic mobility obsession, Marielle?
I have a fixation on thoracic mobility because it is personally one of my most challenging areas. I have a fairly severe scoliosis “S” curve of 30 degrees in my thoracic region. This causes one of my scapula (shoulder blades) to wing out, I call it my “chicken wing,” and it challenges my thoracic mobility more than the average bird! As a result I have to stay pretty religious with my t-spine mobility drills to maintain pain free movement and range of motion.
-Marielle
Foam Rolling: Thoracic Spine
Thoracic Mobs on Peanut
Side Lying Bretzel
The “Point & Shoot” Mobility Drill
Yoga Plex
Please Note: All BNB videos are produced to help share options for good stretches, mobility drills, exercises, etc. If you choose to perform any of these you agree to do so at your own risk.
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