Thoracic spine · Stiff mid-back
Stiff mid-back
The ribcage has forgotten how to rotate and extend. The neck and lumbar spine become the hinges because something has to.
Why it shows up
Protective bracing after a scare, years of sitting, and training that only loads sagittal pressing. A thorax that will not turn forces the low back to rotate — a job it is bad at — and the neck to extend to see the world.
How it feels
- — A mid-back that feels like a single bone
- — Breath that lives in the chest and neck
- — Rotation in golf, swimming, or looking over a shoulder that just is not there
On the table
Erector density along T4–T8, stiff costal joints, a diaphragm that does not descend. This is where massage and movement are at their most complementary.
Drills
Thoracic spine
Open Book Rotation
Turn from the ribcage so the low back can stop twisting.
Thoracic spine
Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
Turn the mid-back on hands and knees without using the low back as a hinge.
Breath & ribcage
Low Cobra Rib Extension
Open the front of the ribcage without crunching the low back.
Full chain
Half-Kneeling Chop
Turn through a steady pelvis so the low back is not the rotator.
Self-massage
Thoracic spine
Mid-back roller
Give the ribcage a chance to extend and turn so the neck and low back stop finishing every move.
Thoracic spine
Side-of-ribcage roller
Free the side of the ribcage so the shoulder blade can glide instead of hitching.