Unlocking Your Thoracic Spine: Why Mobility Matters for Your Neck and Shoulders

When most people think about tight shoulders or a stiff neck, they immediately blame stress, posture, or even sleeping awkwardly. But often, the real culprit lies a little further down your spine - in the thoracic region (the mid-back).

Keeping your thoracic spine mobile is essential not just for good posture, but also for reducing shoulder and neck pain. Without enough movement here, your body compensates elsewhere — usually in the cervical spine (neck) or shoulder joints. This can lead to pain, restricted movement, and even long-term injury.

Why Thoracic Mobility Matters

• Posture & Desk Work: Hours hunched at a computer round the upper back, locking up the spine.

• Neck Pain: When the thoracic spine doesn’t extend or rotate well, the neck works overtime.

• Shoulder Pain: Restricted thoracic mobility limits how well your shoulder blades move, often leading to impingement or rotator cuff irritation.

  
  

In other words, if your thoracic spine is stiff, your neck and shoulders pay the price.

How I Help: Manual Therapy Techniques

In clinic, I often use Erik Dalton’s Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT) to address thoracic stiffness.

These include gentle but effective mobilisations and manipulations that:

• Encourage proper rib and vertebrae movement

• Release muscle tension around the spine

• Restore natural extension and rotation

By freeing up the thoracic spine with hands-on treatment, we reduce strain in the neck and shoulders, creating a longer-lasting change than stretching alone.

How You Can Help Yourself: Self-Mobilisation

Alongside manual therapy, I always recommend clients practice self-mobilisation techniques. The Brookbush Institute highlights simple, effective strategies you can use at home:

1. Foam Roller Extensions

   • Place a roller across your upper back.

   • Support your head, gently extend backwards over the roller.

   • Work up and down different spinal segments.

2. Quadruped Rotation (Open Books)

   • On all fours, place one hand behind your head.

   • Rotate your elbow up towards the ceiling, then back down.

   • Focus on movement from the mid-back, not the lower spine.

3. Wall Angels

   • Stand with your back against the wall, ribs tucked.

   • Slowly raise your arms overhead, keeping contact with the wall.

   • Builds mobility and control at the same time.

These drills help restore mobility between sessions, prevent stiffness from returning, and empower you to take control of your own movement health.

Self Mobilisation Technique

Why Combine Both?

Think of it like this:

• Self-Mobilisation = Maintenance. Keeps your thoracic spine moving daily, builds awareness, and prevents stiffness from creeping back.

• Manual Therapy = Reset. Hands-on techniques can target restrictions you can’t reach yourself and accelerate your progress.

Together, they create a powerful system: you take charge at home, and I help with the deeper work that gets you moving, pain-free, and performing better.

👉 If you’ve been dealing with stubborn shoulder or neck pain, don’t overlook your thoracic spine. Book a session with me and I’ll show you how to unlock movement, reduce pain, and give you the right tools to maintain it.