Shoulder Stretches Aren’t Enough
The MOST Overlooked Aspect of Posture
Whenever you think of good posture, what comes to mind?
Sitting up straight? Pulling your shoulders back?
Sure, when we feel hunched and rounded forward, our shoulders are the most obvious culprit.
But if that’s all you’re focusing on, you’re unknowingly ignoring a critical aspect of the “good posture” equation!
When you feel hunched, your thoracic spine might need the MOST attention.
The thoracic spine is the middle section of your spine, running from the base of your neck to right below where your bra strap sits.
It’s the longest section of your spine, and it’s designed to be very mobile - able to flex, extend, and rotate (or twist).
But when your posture caves and you start hunching more, this area becomes stiffer and more flexed forward, making it impossible to “sit up straight”. 🥴
Improve your “thoracic spine mobility” and you’ll see your posture improve right before your eyes!
JUST ONE THING
Most people with chronic shoulder blade knots, neck pain or shoulder tightness don’t achieve long-term relief until they start doing thoracic mobility work.
Your JUST ONE THING For Good Posture: Improve Your Thoracic Mobility
While it does help to do some good chest opening stretches (like a doorway pec stretch), remember it’s NOT the full picture.
👉 And here’s a crazy fact - If your thoracic spine is stiff and immobile, your lumbar spine (the next section down) has to work and move more than it should, which can lead to LOW BACK PAIN!!
So it’s a win-win to work on your thoracic mobility.
These two moves are my favorite for thoracic extension, in particular.
I love doing these after sitting for long periods of time, like in a car or at my desk…they work wonders!!
How you do it:
View 2 Moves For Thoracic Mobility & Extension
- Chair Thoracic Extension Stretch: Hang for 5-6 deep breaths
- Foam Roller Dynamic Thoracic Extension: Do 6-10 extensions, inhaling to go back, exhaling to curl back up. Reposition the foam roller & repeat at various segments along your thoracic spine.
Extra Tip:
If you have Osteoporosis and need to keep your spine more stable, I would recommend doing these posture stretches instead.
Did You Know...
- An increased spinal curvature (like more forward-rounding at the thoracic spine) is a big reason why you might get shorter as you age.
- Stress can impact your thoracic spine tightness! Short, shallow breathing caused by stress creates more tension in the muscles and fascia surrounding your rib cage and spine. Practice full, deep rib-expanding breaths daily to avoid this.
- Just by focusing on thoracic mobility, you might notice the disappearance of low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, and of course, shoulder and neck pain. Everything is connected through your torso!
Until next week... Be strong
