Foam roller massage tutorial: upper back (thoracic spine)!

The foam roller is a good tool that can help you massage and relax your fascia. It uses our own weight to roll back and forth to squeeze my fascia to achieve the purpose of massage

Foam rollers are for everyone. It is a must for athletes! It can effectively help us stretch and lengthen tight or overused muscles, relax tight fascia, and reduce the possibility of muscle adhesion and scar tissue. It can also help you increase flexibility and improve joints. range of motion, reducing fatigue and speeding recovery.

Thorax

We usually have pain in the lumbar spine or cervical spine, rarely pain in the thoracic spine, so the importance of the thoracic spine is often ignored, but improving the activity of the thoracic spine is very important

The thoracic vertebrae are joints that focus on mobility! Have good joint range of motion! Only in sports training can we make smooth and correct movements!

The main reason for insufficient flexibility of the thoracic spine is the limitations of the muscles and fascia around the thoracic spine and spine, the tightness or tightness of any muscles such as the latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, multifidus, deep spinal rotators, quadratus lumborum, etc. Fascial restrictions will reduce the range of motion of the thoracic spine.

These come from our daily habits and postures (such as sitting for long periods of time, using computers, playing cards, playing with mobile phones, etc.), which can easily lead to poor thoracic spine mobility.

Insufficient thoracic spine mobility causes poor posture, excessive thoracic spine flexion, and a hunched "C" posture

Lack of thoracic spine flexibility can easily affect the shoulders, neck, lower back and hip joints. For example, if the thoracic spine has insufficient mobility and you insist on performing an action with your hands above your head (barbell shoulder press), the lumbar spine will compensate. (hyperextension)

Therefore, the good flexibility of the thoracic spine can greatly reduce the probability of low back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain.

Today I will show you how to use a foam roller to improve the mobility of the thoracic spine

1. Lie on your back on the mat, bend your knees to approximately 90 degrees, and place the foam roller on your upper back!

2. Hold your head with both hands and use your legs to drive the roller to roll up and down! Feel your thoracic spine slowly stretching

3. Gently roll the entire lower back up and down for 20-30 seconds.

4. Keep your body stable when rolling.

5. Change movements: Stay at a certain position and perform thoracic spine flexion and extension!