Why You Need to Train Your Thoracic Mobility

As high-performance individuals, members tend to get caught up in the strength side of fitness training, prioritizing pushing weight and regularly achieving new PRs. But to reach that top tier, you also need to be able to express movement really well — especially in your middle spine, known as the thoracic spine. 

These 12 vertebrae, which extend from your shoulders to your waist and attach to the ribcage, have the main function of protecting your heart and lungs. To effectively do so, the thoracic spine needs to be mobile. When it’s mobile, you’re able to flex, extend, and rotate smoothly from that middle section of your back.

Sedentary lifestyles and hours spent hunched over a desk, however, can cause your thoracic spine to lose mobility. When that happens, the lumbar spine (aka the lower back) — which is built for stability, supporting your body weight, and resisting rotation — compensates. It needs to move more than it’s supposed to in order for you to complete a movement, whether it be turning around to chat with your partner or hitting a pickleball. The risk: back pain and fatigue. Compounding the problem, a lack of thoracic spine mobility can lead to shoulder and neck pain, research shows. 

What’s more, thoracic spine mobility is tied to athletic performance. Think about throwing or running — both of those movements require rotation throughout your spine. Sports are three-dimensional, so you need to be able to move your spine three-dimensionally. In fact, the thoracic spine contributes about 55 percent of the total force and kinetic energy created during a throw, research suggests. So if you want to perform at your best, you’ll need to keep your thoracic mobility up to snuff.

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