Treat your thoracic spine with Love

As you may be aware, our thoracic spine or mid back does become increasingly stiff as we spend more and more time in sedentary postures. Although, along with the ribs it is there to protect your lungs, heart and other internal organs, your thoracic cage should be mobile and help therefore to unload the neck above and lower back below. Enjoy these stretches for the mid back and chest using your D-shaped bolsters.

The Starting Position:

The focus:

• Lie on your back lengthways along the bolster, making sure it is centred down your spine. Have your knees bent in to the basic relaxed position, with feet hip width apart.

• Place your head on your folded towel which is also positioned at the top end of your bolster. This will support your neutral neck posture. Gently lengthen and then relax through the back of your neck.

• Find your neutral pelvis posture by tilting your ‘pelvic bowl’ forwards and back to reach your neutral zone. Become aware of the heaviness of your tail bone on the bolster.

• Rest your arms down by your sides with palms turning up.

• Move the arms in a floating and relaxed manner.

• Focus on keeping your neck soft and long, shoulders away from your ears.

• Try to keep your tailbone heavy on the bolster.

• Try to control any springing of your ribs at the front of your trunk as your arms lift.

• Really enjoy this exercise as both a stretch and a form of relaxation. Get into the rhythm. Don’t worry about how many you do.

The Movement:

• Breathe in deep and wide, lifting your arms straight up above your head. Lead this movement with your thumbs.
• As you exhale, sweep your arms in a wide circle, gently reaching for your feet.
• Repeat these movements as you continue your deep relaxed breathing.

Tip:

This position on the bolster is fantastic for relaxation. Close your eyes, focus on your deep breathing and letting go across your chest for that ultimate upper back treatment. It’s a perfect way to wind down after being at work all day.

Melanie explores: Dynamic Stretching

I’ve been researching stretching lately as I am embarking on creating a DVD. When Luke Fuller, a former Fix instructor and now Physiotherapist and Osteopath for the ATP world tour sent through his first published article I was very excited to read that it was on stretching.

His article is based on the sport of tennis, but it is following a trend in the current literature that ‘dynamic stretching’ can be used with all forms of sport and exercise regardless of your level or ability. The article explores the benefits of this form of stretching over ‘static stretching’ as warm up prior to full intensity exercise.

Dynamic stretching includes a more active warm up where the joints are taken through their full range of movement slowly, then gradually increasing speed and moving into sports specific movements. For example, moving your shoulder in a full arc (as opposed to holding it in one position), followed by moving the shoulder through the actual motion of a tennis serve. This form of active warm up has been shown in the research to be more effective by increasing the temperature of the muscle and better preparing the body by activating the nerves within the muscles. This was especially noticeable when concerning force and power exercises.

The research still shows that static stretching can be useful after exercise to work on specific areas that may be tight. This is where being aware of your body and the demands of your exercise can help you to discover a warm up and cool down specific for you.

Follow this link to the full article where there are specific exercises for tennis that you may be able to apply to your own sport or exercise. Keep this in mind next time you go for a run, walk, or play basketball, netball or volleyball.

http://stms-web.org/pdf/JMST-October2012.pdf

Download the PDF file and find Luke’s article (pg 109) entitled

Pre-Competitive Warm-up: the Current Literature Suggests that Dynamic Stretching is Preferential to Static Exercises.