Muscles involved in the following pain areas: Shoulders, Neck, Elbows, Wrists
Video 1) Thoracic Spine Foam rolling:
With Foam roller placed at the middle of your back (between shoulder blades), clasp your hands behind your head and bring your elbows together, keeping your neck in neutral. Slowly begin to roll up to the top of your shoulder blades (NOT TO YOUR NECK) and down to the bottom of your rib cage (NOT TO YOUR LOWER BACK). Repeat process, keeping neck and lower back from arching.
Video 2) Rotation@TL junction: This is where your thoracic spine and lower lumbar meet.
Place your elbows overhead. Adjust your ribs under your body so your chest is parallel to the ground. Apply pressure against the ground with your pelvis and elbows. Do not tighten your gluteal muscles or hamstrings or calves. Breathe into your belly and then move your head from side to side(about 40 degrees of rotation) 5x to each side. This head rotation should be initiated from your mid back(TL juniction) instead of your cervical spine or neck. Repeat 10-20 times.
Next: Head Raises. Repeat the above steps but instead of rotating your head from side to side, just lift head up. You should feel this move in your upper back. Repeat 10-15 times.
Video 3) Shoulder/pelvic stability through rotation:
Video 4) Exercises with the appropriate use of thoracic extension+abdominal pressure and spine stability
a) plank– place hands on ground at a ten degree rotation of wrists. Make sure fingers are spread and your are applying pressure evenly throughout the hands. Keep back neutral and head thoracic spine extended. Hold plank for 30 seconds to one minute. Repeat 1-3 times.
b) mtn climbers–same set up as plank, then pull one knee in a time. Complete 10 reps on each side. Repeat 1-3 times.
c) push up from knees–same set up as plank but bend your knees, then push up without dropping pelvis or head towards the ground. Complete 10 reps. Repeat 1-3 times.
d) push up from feet–same set up as plank, then push up without dropping pelvis or head towards the ground. Complete 10 reps. Repeat 1-3 times.
e) inch worm on the ball–crawl over the ball and set yourself up like you’re in a plank. Bring knees to chest with a hip hinge without curving upper back on the way up(during crunch) or curving lower back on the way down(straightening back out).
g) dead lift(see next video)
h) TRX rows for back muscles (see next video)
