See if you have 100% movement in Mid Back/Chest
How well is your Mid Back/Chest Moving? Mobility Month, week 1 task 1
If you are feeling stiffness and pain in the mid back or upper back then a good place to start is to assess your range of movement. To find out if you have 100% movement in your mid back/chest then follow the instructions below or watch the video.
Start in this position
- Sit comfortably with feet on the ground
- Brace your core
- Cross arms onto chest
Try the following:
The movement in the thoracic spine is not as great as is the movement in the lumbar spine or the neck. The reason for this is the fact the rib cage restricts movement of the thoracic spine.
When performing the movements, aim to move the thoracic spine only. Avoid moving the low back and the avoid hinging from the hips.
- Rotation: With hands crossed over chest, brace your core and slowly to one side. Come back to centre and then move around to the other side. Ask yourself if there is any pain, aches or stiffness. Can you rotate more to one side than the other.
- Side bending: Hands crossed over chest, brace core and move to one side. Return to centre and bend to the other side. Do the movements vary in range of movement. Is there any pain or discomfort on a one side or the other.
- Flex: How does that movement feel? Is this movement stiff or painful.
- Extend the thoracic spine backwards. How effortless is this movement and is there any pain or discomfort.
You can try testing these movements in front of the mirror. if you do not have 100% movement in mid back/chest , then go to our next video on stretching the thoracic spine.
If you find that after trying the stretches in the next video for a couple of weeks and the stiffness and/or pain persists, see your musculoskeletal expert.
In this blog we share some simple exercises to help jaw pain CLICK HERE. Find out what posture can affect neck pain CLICK HERE.
Lisa, chiropractor
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