1. Walking

Our bodies are designed to move and unfortunately with today’s modern day comforts such as Netflix, social media and the like, we are spending more time than ever sedentary and still. The back is designed to move in all directions and contrary to popular belief the back does not always have to stay rigid and upright to ‘have a good posture’. In fact, the best posture is the one that you move in and out of frequently, minimising the affect that a stationary position has on back pain. So how often should you move or walk? The answer is as often as possible but if you like many other have an office job, we often recommend at least once every 30-60 minutes to get up and have a walk around the office or stretch out the body. Performed little and often throughout the day can break the habit of sitting in the same position for 8 hours per day.

2. Foam Roller Extensions

If I was going to choose one exercise to give me instant relief of my mid back pain, it would be this one. Commonly seen is people who sit passively flexed with their shoulders round forward putting the thoracic spine in a bent (kyphotic) position. So what better exercise than the complete opposite of this?

To perform this exercise you will need a foam roller or two towels rolled up into a cylinder type shape. You will then place the roller or rolled up towel on the ground right in the centre of your back. With your tail bone on the ground and hands supporting your neck, you are going to extend over the roller. The key is moving in and out of position as much as you can, so choose 3 different sections of the mid back and perform 10 reps extending and then sitting up over the roller. This one is great to perform throughout the day but especially at the end of your day before bed time to wind down.

3. Thread the needle

The thoracic spine is responsible for a number of different movements, including rotation. This exercise takes the mid back through its full rotational range.

On your hands and knees you are going to choose one hand to face palm up on the ground, you are then going to run the back of your hand along the floor to the opposite side of your body (your shoulder and head should then come close to the ground). Once you have completed the full range of motion you are going to run the hand back to the starting position and continue to reach up towards the sky, rotating the mid back to follow the hand.

Perform this exercise for 2 sets of 10 on each side as often as you need throughout the day. Little and often is best!

If you feel like you would benefit from these exercises, give them a try! Any questions, feel free to get in contact with us on Facebook or call us on 0450 515 169.

Thanks for reading! Ryan