If you living with worsening mid back stiffness and restricted movement, then stick around because this short blog may provide you with some effective tools to guide you towards better movement and health!
Not only doesn’t poor thoracic mobility create mid back stiffness and poor movement, it may also be a reason why you are dealing with one or more of these other problems:
- neck pain
- shoulder impingement
- pain between shoulder blades
- trunk Stiffness
- slouching posture
- Lower back pain
Your thoracic spine is the part of your spine between you neck and your lower back, where your ribs attach.
When you move, your brain simply want to execute that movement. This is often unconscious and for that you brain doesn’t think about how the movement will be done, it just wants it done!
The most efficient ways to move require a fine interplay between mobility and stability throughout different regions of the body.
It has been suggested that your thoracic spine sits slightly more on the mobility end of the continuum.
Conversely, the joints surrounding your thoracic spine, being your lower neck, shoulder blades and lower back, sit more on the stability end of the spectrum.
When we are moving in an efficient way, we have adequate thoracic mobility and the required stability at the surrounding joints.
Efficient movement patterns can become faulty
Normal movement pattern can break down, resulting in faulty movement patterns developing.
What we commonly see with poor thoracic mobility, is restriction in rotation and extension as your spines becomes more more rigid.
When this occurs, it can cause the surrounding, more “stable” joints, to take on the additional movement required!
Over time, if these faulty movement patterns stick around, they become “normalised”, which can lead to overuse injuries, spinal dysfunction, abnormal spinal ageing and pain.
What causes poor thoracic mobility
This is often a process over time and may include the following physical stressors:
- Injury/spinal trauma (sporting tackles, bike accidents, falls etc)
pain - Poor joint movement (vertebral subluxations)
- Postural changes (desk jobs, jobs requiring lots of driving, excessive phone use etc)
- Poor brain body connection
What happens if I don’t improve my thoracic mobility and spinal health.
If there is a problem that doesn’t get fixed, it usually gets worse!
When the above mentioned problems continue to build and you don’t take the correct actions to prevent/manage and reverse the impact, then structural changes to your spine can set in (curve changes and arthritis).
This cycles back into the original problem, continuing to make it worse!
This doesn’t mean that you can’t keep your body performing well and manage/prevent symptoms. What it doesn’t mean though, is that the damage to your spine (arthritis) is irreversible and you
may need to be a little extra diligent in caring for your spine.
What can I do to care for my spinal and whole body health?
- Regular Chiropractic care
- Spinal traction (if required) to improve spinal flexibility, support your adjustments and improve alignment
- Posture awareness. Avoid the postures that create “bad posture” ie don’t spend hours of your day in a slump.
- Keep your body moving and strong. Regular strength training and mobility.
Our Mayfield (Newcastle) Chiropractor Sasha, will take you through a series of Thoracic Mobility exercise you can do to support your Chiropractic care inside the office!
When performing these moments, as with all exercises, it’s important place you attention on movement with intent and not “rush” through them. This will help you control the movement better bu strengthening your brain-body connection.
I’m looking for a Chiropractor near me, can you help?
If you are suffering with back problems, things can be different.
You can try by firstly practicing these movements as well as some of the other exercises demonstrated on these blogs:
If you would like to work one-on-one with us, we will be more than happy to see if and how we can help you too.
Level Spine Chiropractic (Mayfield) has the only Chiropractor in Newcastle to combine traditional Chiropractic care with Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP).
You can learn more about CBP by clicking HERE.
To book your initial consultation online, please click HERE and follow the prompts.
You can also book and appointment or chat to our Newcastle (Mayfield) Chiropractor Sasha in person, buy calling the office on 4044 3512