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If you're reading this, you probably have computer geek syndrome

10/6/2017

3 Comments

 
If you read my blog, you probably round up top in the shoulders like this.  
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Don't worry, it doesn't mean you're a computer geek.  You probably just live in the 21st century.  Unfortunately, being rounded over can lead to crappy breathing, low energy, and even low mood. (There's a reason Igor was the way he was in Frankenstein.)  

I'll usually see a thoracic spine which is rounded too much (kyphosis), or which is too flat.  Sometimes, I'll see both together where the thoracic spine is clearly rounded too much, and segments of it are actually too flat.  

​In the picture below, it's definitely too flat.  
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When I see something like the picture below, I'm relieved.  But, only for a short bit because we have to assess movement too.  
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To test movement, we are going to get into a crouched position with arms on floor in front of you.  

Use three positions for your arms.  Rotate as far as you can up.  Use one hand on your head, one hand on your shoulder, and one hand behind your back.  The goal is to see if your top shoulder can clear 45 degrees (which is the red line shown in the pictures below).  Don't forget to check the left and right side.   
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One of my favorite go-to exercises to correct a flat or kyphotic curve is the sidelying thoracic rotation mobilization with the foam roller.  (Please note that checking the pec and lat length is highly advisable as these are commonly tight and restrict movement of the thoracic spine.  We'll go into this later.)  

Here is how we do it.  
  1. Place your foam roller under your top knee.  
  2. Try to have your knee be perpendicular or at 90 degrees relative to your torso.  Keep this leg in position the whole time.  
  3. Bring your arm up top, and try to touch your hand or thumb to the floor and keep the thumb in contact with the floor the whole time.  
  4. Bring your arm out to the side while either inhaling the whole time or exhaling.  Practice doing both when your arm is going out.  
  5. Perform repetitions for 45 seconds to one minute.  
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You can use a weighted DB too for assistance if you need to.  Remember though, try to move your thoracic spine as much as you can, not just your shoulder.  

The thoracic spine is still one of the most problematic areas I see.  It can affect your neck, hips, shoulders, and low back.  When both alignment and thoracic mobility are optimized, breathing and energy improve, as well as whole upper body performance. 

If you practice sitting up tall (but not too tall because you don't want a falt thoracic spine) and practice these mobilizations to make sure your thoracic mobility test is neutral, you'll not only feel better, you'll look better too.  
3 Comments
Jane
12/10/2017 07:52:17 pm

How can that exercise on the floor with the roller fix both flat and kyphotic spines? I have flat thoracic and flatish lumbar. Not good. Trying to find out what I can do to correct it.

Reply
Von Gillette link
12/10/2017 09:12:17 pm

Hey Jane

Thank you for asking, that's a good question. If you have a flat thoracic spine, I recommend passively rounding your thoracic spine for this exercise. You can do this with a towel in the upper back area which you will place under the upper back and the neck area. It should be relatively thick, otherwise, you won't really be rounding the thoracic spine very much. If you lay flat like I am in the picture, you would be correcting a kyphotic spine.

However, just because a thoracic spine is flat or kyphotic, won't necessarily mean it has adequate mobility, so you still need to assess the mobility with the assessments shown.

More often than not, the flat thoracic spine usually presents as an inability to expand the posterior thorax, so I highly recommend inhaling while doing the sidelying rotations. Doing inhalation with other exercises while purposely trying to expand the posterior thorax will also help. I also encourage you to get a neutral kyphosis in the thoracic spine for most all of your exercises and cardiovascular exercises.

I probably should have specified how doing a sidelying thoracic spine could work for you if you have a flat or kyphotic spine, so thank you for the question again.

If what I'm saying doesn't make a whole lot of sense, I can send you a picture of what I'm talking about.

Reply
jure
6/4/2019 03:54:16 pm

i have flat thoracic spine and its realy robing me of many things my quolity of life just went down...please telll me strategy to deal this problem

Reply



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