4 Moves you Need to do For your Spine For Happy Shoulders
Who’s had shoulder impingement, shoulder tendonitis and possible labral tears? This girl!!
Yup, me- Miss PT/Pilates.
I remember having shoulder aches and pains for as long as I can remember. Nothing severe or debilitating, because I would back off of things that would aggravate it and make it worse.
Whether it was yoga, Pilates, or strength training- there was always a barrier I couldn’t cross due to my right shoulder becoming aggravated if I ever ‘pushed it’. And it sucked.
So was it Yoga that hurt my shoulder? No. Was it Pilates, or the free weights that hurt my shoulder? No.
What was hurting my shoulder? My own lack of Mobility in the spine AND shoulder joints. My own EGO in moving further and pushing my own limits when it wasn’t serving me. Not until I finally ASKED FOR HELP- did I overcome my shoulder limitations.
Having a Forward head and Rounded Upper back leads to the shoulder blade being stuck in forward position/protraction. This can lead to limited shoulder elevation if the thoracic spine cannot extend.
After realizing my limited Mobility, I also recognized I didn’t take the time I needed to DIAL IN on myself, on my shoulder, on my spine. I had to COMMIT to doing the work I have been avoiding!
Improving the thoracic spine extension gives spaces to the shoulder blade to move MORE. This allows the shoulder joint training to be effective because the blade was able to move in all directions to support the shoulder joint movement.
Asking for Help was the best decision I ever made. I found a Mobility Coach I look up to in the FRC world (Functional Range Conditioning is the Company I got certified in and highly recommend to ALL.) Her name is Dani Deckelbaum, and she is da bomb (couldn’t help myself there). Check her on on IG here.
My biggest take away for myself with doing shoulder mobility training, was realizing ALL the THORACIC SPINE work I had to do. Forward and rounded shoulders is REAL, and I battle it every day. These positions will limit the shoulder blades ability to move forward/back and rotate up/down. Inevitably always limiting the shoulder joint from elevating, being able to do push ups/chaturangas, and straight arm raises with weights.
While I can’t share ALL 4 months of of my Upper Body training into ONE blog - I can AND do share all that I can in 15-30 minute classes in my Movement Library to my monthly subscribers.
I WILL share with your 4 MOVES that will get you started with Thoracic Spine Mobility, all which have helped ME improve my shoulder range of motion and pain. And I still do every single day!
Follow along in the video to dive into the Thoracic Spine!
Read about below:
Cat/Cow in Sphinx- learning how to flex and extend the neck and high upper back for more shoulder blade space.
Swan- active upper spine extension with shoulder blade stability training.
Thoracic Spine CARs- full range of motion training while isolating the thoracic spine - sneaky hard!
Elevated Elbow CARs- incorporating arm and shoulder mobility with sustained thoracic extension. Modify depth of spine extension to prevent any pain!
Give it a Try and see how you feel afterwards!
That’s all for now- until next time!
xx-Christa Ordonez, PT, DPT
Your PT and Pilates Bestie
**My blog is informational for those willing to learn about their body. If you experiencing pain and challenges with movement-be sure to reach out to me or your Local Physical Therapist. Personalized care is always safest & best!
Not sure where to start- let’s chat here!
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