Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Upper Back (Thoracic Spine)

The foam roller exercises and stretches that I target in this article are for the muscles of the upper back. My goal is that you will learn the metaphysical cause of your pain and better understand the body-mind connection of this often-affected area.

'Emotion always has its roots in the unconscious and manifests itself in the body.' ~ Irene Claremont de Castillejo

If you have read Foam Rolling, and I would recommend that you do, you know that exercises on the foam roller are a great way for self myofascial release. Rolling the knots out of your muscles elongates them and balances you.

Scroll down the page to jump straight to the foam roller exercises video and upper back stretches.

If you are looking for a good foam roller for the price, look no further. Visit Power Systems - foam rollers to purchase one so you can start your intuitive movement on a foam roller soon! They have many sizes and types to choose from.

My personal favorite of all the rollers is their Premium Textured EVA foam roller. This one is the best I have to date. It is nice and cushioned on the outside, but firm on the inside for effective foam rolling. It also has a textured surface to stick to my Premium Yoga sticky mat better. It is pricier than the cheap ones, but worth every penny.

If you have back pain in the lumbar spine, or lower back see foam roller exercises for the lower back.

The upper back or thoracic area is often an area that you hold tension, and as a result have upper back pain. Often you hold your breath when you are stressed, and lift up your scapulae (shoulder blades), trapezius (upper part of your shoulders) and neck. This chronic tension leads to upper back pain, imbalance and a habitually poor posture (See Understanding Your Body – What Your Posture and Movements Say About You ). Poor posture in turn, rounds the shoulders and closes the chest, where shallow breathing is the result. Your life energy, through your breath is stifled, creating less energy for you. Breath is life. With less life energy created through the breath, even more stress is created. See Opening the Chest on the Foam Roller for more information.

It is only through deep breathing that you give your body the message that all is well and allow it to relax. By doing the following foam roller exercises, you will release the knots and tension in your upper back. Combine it with deep breathing and real healing of your body-mind-soul can prevail. You will learn to pay attention to this area, and listen to what your upper back and shoulders are telling you about the tension in your life.

As you roll the area and hit a knot or sore spot, you can shorten the stroke, and focus short, back and forth movements on that spot. Or you can hold the pressure on the spot as you breathe deeply and really feel the soreness. Meditate on what the knot may mean in your life as you roll it. Let the knot release, and with it an emotional release may also occur. You are elongating and creating space in your body for newness: relaxation and healing. Create your own movements, as you go. Use your intuition to go where it hurts – to go to those areas that need work. Your spine may crack and if it does, this usually feels really good!

The Importance of Breathing

Foam rolling of the upper back can be done as a back pain exercise. Although most back pain is in the lower back, or lumbar spine, you may be surprised that your upper back is also sore. If you are using foam roller exercises as back pain exercises, proceed with caution! Never push so hard that the pain will cause you to hold your breath. That is counterproductive, because the holding of the breath will only tense the muscle further and not allow it to release. This is exactly what you do not want! You do not want to create more tension in the muscle. Only roll so deep that you can continue to breathe deeply. When you apply pressure to a sore area, increase the depth of your breath even more! Continue to breath deeply throughout the entire foam roller exercise so that you are relaxing and releasing.

Pain may also be a warning that something more serious is wrong. You may need a medical evaluation if the pain is such that with moderate pressure and deep breathing, you are unable to release the pain (See When Pain is a Medical Emergency ).

As you apply pressure with the foam roller to a muscle, don’t forget to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. Fully experience the pressure and the pain. Feel how it feels to move into the pain and fully experience it. As you deep breathe, the muscle will release. In the releasing, the emotions that started it in the first place will release as well, along with the accompanying physical pain.

As with all Intuitive Movement, make these descriptions a starting point only. Feel free to vary the foam roller exercises in any way you feel necessary for the most effective self myofascial release.

When you feel the releasing effects of the foam roller movements on your body, I know you will become addicted to it, as I have!

Meditate on the Meaning of the Back Muscles in Your Life

The back, upper and lower is an integral part of your core, your balance and your center of being. It supports you in all things, as you move your arms and legs for the activities of life. This is of vital significance if your have body-mind-soul issues that involve your back.

It has been suggested in the literature that the back represents the ability to feel love, or holding back love, especially the upper back area. It may also represent support either financially or emotionally and most importantly, the lack of emotional or financial support.

We have many metaphors in the English language that refer to the back. We refer to the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ (shows breakdown of support and weakness), we ‘never back down’ (shows rigidity and inflexibility), we ‘put our back into it’ (shows strength) versus things that ‘break our back’ (shows weakness). Hopefully, we let things 'roll off our back!'

If you have upper back pain, when you do your foam roller exercises, meditate on what it might mean to you in your life. Find your own truth as you feel it and heal it. Use your Body as a Window to find your own truth as you go inward as you roll!

Create Positive Affirmations for Health to help you with healing of this area if you have upper back pain. Affirm the following:

• I am am lovable and I am loved.
• God/the Universe supports me in all things, physical, emotional and financial!
• I am flexible and things 'roll off my back!'
• I move with grace and ease and my back supports me in all aspects of my life!
• I can do all things through God/the Universe, who strengthens me!

Feel free to create your own affirmations that have meaning to you!

Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Back:

I will give the foam roller exercise in two parts:

First I will give you a brief description of the movement in writing for those of you who function best with your left, detail-oriented brain.

Second is a short video of the movement. There is no voice-over on the video, so as you watch, I will force you to use your right brain, the sensing, feeling part of your brain. The right brain perceives images and spatial relationships. It is the part of the brain that you most often close down, in our left-brain, detail, language-oriented culture. (See Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance ) for more explanation of right brain vs. left-brain functions). No voice-over will also aid you in going inward when you do your foam roller exercises. Feel free to vary the exercise in any way as your intuition moves you!

• Start with the foam roller just below your neck, just above the level of your shoulder blades.
• Relax your hands on your stomach, or place in prayer position.
• Lift your hips off the ground and balance with your feet flat on the floor.
• Slowly roll down your back, using your legs to push up as you roll.
• As a variation, raise your arms up as you roll down your upper back. This will add pressure for deeper rolling if you need to go deeper for your self myofascial release.
• Start again in the same position, this time roll side to side, like a log as all one unit.
• Roll at the level of the shoulder blades, or experiment a little higher or a little lower to get to your hot spot!

You can follow up the foam roller exercises of the upper back with upper back stretches that open the thoracic spine. The Plow Pose stretches the lower back and legs, but it also dramatically flexes the thoracic spine and neck. Do not perform the Plow Pose if you have severe upper back pain or neck problems. The Upward Dog Pose is a good follow up inversion pose to the Plow Pose. The third photo depicts the Garland Pose, a great upper back and trapezius stretch that also is a great hip opener.

The following video may help you loosen up your spine and the poses are also OK as back pain stretches. I call the video the 'Yoga Cat and Dog Stretches.' It is a short sequence of three yoga poses:

If you have neck pain that accompanies your upper back and trapezius pain, you may want to do some basic, meditative neck stretches at Neck Stretches to Release Neck Pain.

For more focused trapezius foam roller exercises and stretches also see Trapezius Muscles.

Foam Rolling and exercise stretches are a great way to stretch your body and 'stretch your mind.' It is the metaphor of creating space in your life, by creating space in your body! Make these exercises a part of your intuitive movement to create health and healing of your body-mimd-soul!

May your path to self discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and thoracic spine stretches and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing begin!

Related Foam Rolling Articles that You May Enjoy!:

• Foam Rolling Your Way to Body-Mind-Soul Health!
• Myofascial Release ~ The Self-Emptying of Body-Mind-Soul Kenosis
• Using Your Foam Roller for Developing Intuition.

Foam Roller Exercises for the Lower Body and Lower Back:

• Lower Back (Lumbar Spine).
• Hip Muscles that Focus on Opening Your Hip.
• Iliopsoas (Hip Flexors).
• Piriformis and Gluteus Muscles (Hip Muscles).
• Iliotibial Band (IT Band) and Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Muscles (Side of the Thigh).
• Adductor Muscles (Groin Muscles of the Inner Thigh).
• Hamstring Muscles and Quadriceps Muscles (Thigh Muscles).
• Gastrocnemius Muscles (Calves) and Anterior Tibialis Muscles (Shins).

Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Body:

• Shoulder Muscles that Focus on Opening the Shoulder.
• Trapezius Muscles.
• Latissimus Dorsi (Muscles in the Side and Back)
• Pectoral Muscles that focus on Opening your Chest.
• Upper Arms ~ Biceps and Triceps
• Forearms ~ Brachioradialis, Wrist Flexors and Extensors

Search this website:

New! Comments