20/05/2020
Mobility
All my regular clients will know how much I love this mid back ( thoracic ) mobility exercise “thread the needle”. It’s probably one of the exercises I prescribe the most.
So I thought I would share a variety of ways you could incorporate it into your own work out routines. You don’t need to be kneeling on your hands and knees - you can try it sidelying, kneeling, squatting, down do***ng. Here are just a few suggestions.
If you are a yoga practitioner you will know many wonderful ways to twist and extend the spine. But some activities such as sitting, running and cycling may increase thoracic stiffness if you’re not moving much / cross training in any way.
It’s very common for the mid back to be stiff and movement restricted and because it connects your low back and neck this effect our spinal mobility as a whole.
It’s not all bad ! Partly this stiffness is due to the structure and function of the mid back which is directly connected to our rib cage. The rib cage houses our all our vital organs so it is designed like this because it is protecting our heart and lungs. 🙏🏼
Never the less we can sometimes find we are over using our low back or neck to achieve daily tasks that involve twisting, reaching, extending because the mid back joints lack their full range of motion. Sedentary modern life doesn’t help much.
Daily tasks like buckling up your seatbelt or looking behind you when cycling, reaching for something on the top shelf, giving water / food / smiles to keep the peace in he backseat on a familycar journey, all require good mid back mobility. Not to mention when you start to include all kinds of activities from football, golf, tennis, dance, weight training, hiit, CrossFit.
So that’s a little about why mid back mobility and strength matters.
Check my story to see the movements. I’ll put them in highlights later.
Give these a try and let me know how you get on!
