Thoracic Spine Foam Roller Mobilization (General)

Thoracic Spine Foam Roller Mobilization (General)

Suffering from low back pain or neck pain? Mobilizing your thoracic spine on a foam roller may help! This is one of the most common exercises we teach our patients to help them improve and maintain their thoracic extension.

What to do:

1. Lay down with knees bent and the foam roller placed horizontally underneath the upper back (t-spine)
2. Start with the roller placed at the lower t-spine
3. Place your hands behind your neck to support your head
4. Point your elbows forward (away from your face)
5. Gently bend backwards over the foam roller and hold briefly
6. Come back off the foam roller (like a sit up motion) and gently bend backwards again
7. Repeat for 10-12 reps
8. Move the foam roller higher up on the t-spine and repeat in at least 3 different places on the t-spine (lower/mid/upper)

Key points:

• Having the elbows pointed forward keeps the shoulder blades apart (protracted), allowing the foam roller more access to the vertebrae
• Roller should be placed no lower than the bottom of the rib cage and no higher than C7-T1
• You can move the foam roller higher up on the t-spine by rolling it up with your elbows or by scooting your bottom further down
• As you move higher up, the foam roller may start to slide. You can avoid this by lifting up the hips to get a better placement on the foam roller.
• Feel around for those stiffer segments and spend more time on those areas!
• Keep the stomach tucked in and the abs tight to help prevent extension from the lumbar segments to get the most out of this mobilization!