Do you have neck pain? Low back pain? Shoulder pain? While it is important to address issues at the local site of pain, it is equally important to look at the link that connects each of these areas – the thoracic spine (t-spine for short).
The spine is made up 3 regions: cervical (neck), t-spine (mid-back), and lumbar (low back). If the t-spine is stiff, the adjacent regions will have to move more to achieve full motion…it’s the old adage, you are only as strong as the weakest link. For example, when reaching overhead to grab a coffee cup or lift a weight overhead, if the t-spine is stiff, the shoulder will be unable to reach all the way overhead (just slouch and see how high you can raise your arms) so the low back will arch more to gain extra overhead motion. In this example, you can see how the t-spine links the shoulder and low back. Additionally, the neck will have to move through a greater range of motion if the t-spine is not moving well. Again, slouch and see how much farther you have to lift your head to see an object. In these 2 examples, the neck and low back have to move to the limits of their respective motion, which places them at greater risk of injury.
There are numerous ways to improve t-spine motion. Most of us, myself included, sit too much and let gravity win by slouching, especially when working on the computer (I just sat up straight). This places the t-spine in a rounded position – flexion. Typically, we need to move the t-spine the opposite direction – extension. There are many ways to achieve this, but the following video is one easy way to accomplish the task of increasing t-spine mobility.