IF YOU’RE HUNCHED over a computer all day, your back is probably begging for some movement. And there’s one specific spot you should be targeting: your thoracic spine.
Your thoracic spine, or T-spine, makes up the area typically referred to as the mid-back. You probably feel it bend as you lean down closer and closer to your computer’s keyboard throughout the day, or when you hunch over the steering wheel of your car during a long drive.
Philip Tam, PT, DPT, of Bespoke Treatments, shows a series of stretches that will open up this center portion of the spine and get you feeling loose again.
What Is Your Thoracic Spine?
The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae (the bones that stack to create the spinal column, labeled T1 to T12 among medical professionals). It runs from the base of your neck all the way down to where the waist ends. This portion of the spine sets the building block for a majority of your core. Your shoulder blades and rib cage both connect to your T-spine, creating an important safety mechanism for vital organs like your heart and lungs.
Most of your twisting motions come from this area. It has the greatest range of motion of rotation than the other sections of your spine. When you turn around to check your blind-spot before moving lanes, that’s your T-spine rotating.
Who Benefits From Stretching the T-Spine?
Well, pretty much everyone. That said, people who participate in throwing sports and those that sit for a majority of their day will have a particular benefit from dedicated T-spine stretches.
If you have a desk job, you’re likely rounding at the T-spine too often. These stretches would be great to incorporate a few times into your day to ensure you’re staying loose. Athletes who specialize in throwing movement, like pitchers and quarterbacks, do a ton of spinal rotation when throwing. These movements are beneficial to warm up or cool down with, to gain a little extra rotation.
When you try these movements, make sure that you only stretch to where you still feel comfortable. If you end up in pain with any of these movements, see a physical therapist or your physician for further evaluation.
4 Best T-Spine Mobility Stretches
Open Book
Tam recommends this move for those who spend most of their days desk-bound. Use this stretch to break up long periods of sitting. It is great way to get the spine moving, and the blood flowing to your mid-back.
- Start by laying on the side, with a foam roller or pillow supporting the top leg.
- Stack the shoulders and stretch the arms out in front.
- Open up the chest by rotating the top arm up and around the body.
- Exhale when you feel the stretch.
- Aim for 10 reps.
Quadruped Rotation
This one is for the athletes who need rotation to power their throws. Warm up with this movement to prepare the spine for movement.
- Start on your hands and knees, sitting the hips back towards the heels.
- Take one arm behind the head.
- Open the elbows up, and follow the movement with your eyes.
- Rotate back in.
- Aim for 12 to 15 reps on each side.
Preacher Stretch
Here’s one for people who lift weights. This movement is great for warming up for overhead presses or squats, as it opens up the muscles of the mid to upper back, as well as warms up the extension of the T-spine.
For this one, you’ll need a box, a chair, or a bench. Anything sturdy that you can rest your elbows on that is at about abdominal-height when you’re kneeling will work.
- Start by kneeling in front of the box, with the elbows propped up on it.
- Have the palms face behind.
- Sink down by dropping the chest down towards the floor.
- Hold the stretch for about 3 seconds before releasing.
- Aim for 10 reps.
Half-Kneeling Thoracic Rotation
Tam recommends saving this for the end of a long day, when you feel like you’re a little too hunched over. If you’re an archer, this is also a great movement for warming up that rotation through your mid-back.
- Start by kneeling on one knee.
- Begin with both arms extended out in front.
- Slowly start rotating the arm opposite to the top knee, grazing your fingers across your chest as you rotate one arm back.
- Follow your fingers with your eyes as you go.
- Take your time turning, and hold at the back for a few seconds before slowly returning the arm to the start.
- Aim for 10 reps each side.
Cori Ritchey, NASM-CPT is an Associate Health & Fitness Editor at Men’s Health and a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can find more of her work in HealthCentral, Livestrong, Self, and others.
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