Work thoracic muscles - this is the thoracic area

Build up thoracic muscles for overall back health and strength.

Back Pain? Bump Up Thoracic Muscle Strength

Whether you have lower back pain or not, it’s good to strengthen the entire back. Your muscles work with each other to help each other and help take loads off the main muscles you are used to using. Train your body to distribute loads better by building up and strengthening the thoracic muscles.

Start early to engage and work thoracic muscles – the upper ones between your shoulder blades. If you use those muscles more then there is less stress to the lower lumbar area, where most people feel their “achy back.” Let your thoracic muscles take some of the load off your lower lumbar back. Walk and be conscious of keeping your shoulders back and not slouched forward.

I never knew to work thoracic muscles until after I had back surgery and was told to in physical therapy with recovery. I have various exercises to strengthen the thoracic muscles and do them daily. They start out sore but as I keep working on them, they will get stronger and help the lower back.

Thoracic stretches include:

You can do “rows” with bands – have a band wrapped around a door handle or secured to something so two ends are available. Grab on the ends with each hand and pull in, keeping at a level at about where your elbows are. Pull way back so you feel your thoracic muscles pinch back. You can feel the stretch in those upper back thoracic muscles. Repeat this 10 or so times. There are more variations to this that strengthen the thoracic muscles.

You can kneel with your side against the wall and knee down on the floor next to the wall, with your other knee kneeling at 90 degrees. Put your hands and arms out in front along the wall, then bring the outer one all the way to the other side with your head following, 10 times and then flip your position and stretch the other side the same way. If you press against the wall, it will stabilize you, so your body doesn’t move but only the upper part of your body.

You can lie on the floor on a large foam roller (length of body on the length of the foam roller), and with 3# weights at first in each hand, increasing weight as you can as you build strength. Put your arms to the side on the floor and lift the weights straight up and down (arms with weight stretched out, then bring the arms and weights upward above you).

There are other ways to work thoracic muscles to build up strength. Just work those muscles so it will help your lower lumbar muscles. Notice ways you can strengthen the upper muscles of the thoracic area.