Spinal Mobility

Tightness to the neck and between the upper shoulders is common. This area is difficult to treat and exercise. A common problem is a head that is forward reversing our neck curve. The upper thoracic spine at the base of the neck can get tight, swollen and stiff. This can progress to pain and even trigger tension headaches.

Using a device to add support and allow us to focus the stretch to an area can be very helpful. These videos show spinal mobility techniques with a stick or pole.

Single Arm Raise

The single arm raise guided with a stick causes upper thoracic and lower neck rotation naturally. This exercises will help improve motion to this problem area.

Tips

Make sure your arm is going straight up.

Be careful of your shoulders. You should not have any shoulder pain.

2 sets of 5 repititions each side is usually enough to get some movement.

Breathe in with reaching up and breathe out as you lower your arm.

Mid Back Stiffness

Anyone who works on a computer or has a job that causes you to slouch or bend  forward can develop tension and loss of mobility to the mid thoracic spine. This can create pain over time to the mid back. This exercise will self mobilize the muscles, spine and rib cage to this area.

Tips

Less is more. Be careful how much of this exercise you do. It can make you sore.

5 minutes is a good start for time.

Pulling your hands forward causes the stick to stabilize on your back better giving a more localized stretch.

Make sure your hips stay straight and your neck is relaxed and forward.

Whole body stretch

This stretch requires a longer stick and a little more control. We recommend a 6 foot stick. This will stretch your hip muscles, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, chest and neck. Big bang for your buck!

Tips

Breathe in with each reaching out motion and breathe out coming back.

This exercise should not be painful.

Holding your stick hand toward the floor provides the stabilization for that side of your body.

You can purchase sticks from Stick Mobility, use a broom handle or dowel, or a 1 ¼ inch PVC tubing with caps and hockey tape as shown in these videos.