Thoracic Spine for Runners

The thoracic spine is very important to runners! This is the part of your spine below your neck (cervical) and above your low back (lumbar). This part of your spine is connected to your ribs. If this is restricted in motion you may notice a change in posture. 

1. When stiff, it is harder to stand upright, this will affect arm swing and posture. Sore shoulders after running? This is related!

2. The thoracic spine is also connected to your ribs. A restriction in movement also affects your ability to diaphragmatically breathe. Breathing as you can guess is important for runners. Without going too deep into the topic but the inability to fully use the diaphragm also affects your pelvic floor and core. So this means you might have difficulty with hip stability and a weaker core. 

Click here to view a video that goes over my favorite 3 exercises to work on thoracic spine mobility to remediate these changes. Want to learn more about how to learn more about these changes and how they relate to you? Reach out to learn more!