All About Posture: The T-Spine

WHAT IS IT?

The thoracic spine resides in the mid and upper back, between the cervical and lumbar spines. This is an area of the body that is supposed to have a lot of mobility in a completely healthy person. Figure 1 shows via a joint by joint analysis of the human body that thoracic spine should be mobile while the cervical and lumbar are stable.

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You! The human body will adapt to something it does repeatedly, even sometimes if it isn't in our greatest interest. In today's society it's pretty hard to avoid doing say, driving, sitting at desk, or just leaning forward to look at your phone. These are all habits that, unless great posture is kept, can each worsen shoulder slumping and thoracic mobility. Think about how much time you personally spend in a chair each day, do you keep good posture the whole time? That is how life is in this day and age, always moving or leaning forward.

HOW DO I WORK TO IMPROVE MY POSTURE?

 Check out the video above this post to see a couple simple exercises that can be done just about anywhere!

IF MY BACK DOESN'T EVEN HURT, THEN WHY SHOULD I DO IT?

Thoracic immobility can stem into pain in multiple spots. Like stated above in the joint by joint analysis the cervical and lumbar spines should be stable, but when the thoracic spine is immobile one or both of these can become mobile. Mobility in these spots can be bad news, leading to chronic issues in the neck and lower back, or even a larger acute injury. By adding corrective exercises to your training routine that are aimed at increasing thoracic mobility, you can reduce pain and increase performance of most measures.

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