Thoracic kyphois can best be attributed to bad posture. Unfortunately good posture is becoming more of an abnormality among our general population. Nobody wants to look like a hunch back, but the reality is this exaggeration of the frontal curve of the spine is a prevalent problem and many of you are already showing early warning signs of this condition and don’t even know it. Let’s test you to see if you are one of these people.
Self thoracic kyphosis testing
It’s actually really hard to practice perfect posture so I learned. A good way to test yourself for early warning signs is to place one finger in the u-shaped indentation of your collar bone or clavicle and an index finger in the back of your neck directly below the most protruding vertebrae at the base of your neck and see how well your fingers line-up. You can check out the picture below to get a better visual on how this should look. If your fingers don’t perfectly align start taking these correctional exercises Kern is going to share with you to prevent the condition from worsening, which will begin to cause you a lot of discomfort.
Problems caused by thoracic kyphosis
The most common symptoms associated with thoracic kyphosis aside from an exaggerated curve to the spine include tightness and pain in the back, shoulders or neck, shooting pains down the arms, limited range of motion in the shoulders, and shortening of the bicep muscle. Most of all of you are probably coping with at least one or more of these common problems and you shouldn’t have to. If you continue to live with this discomfort without doing anything to regain good posture the functions of everyday living will become more of a challenge for you. With limited range of motion suddenly your basic ability to dress and reach down to tie your shoes becomes a burden. Physical activities you may practice regularly that engage your thoracic spine like the butterfly stroke in swimming and upward facing dog position in yoga will no longer be done with ease. This restriction in your movement can also have negative effects on your breathing.
Corrective exercises for good posture
Even if you aren’t experiencing any of this discomfort just yet, it’s still a good idea to incorporate these basic exercises into your daily workout routine.
The exercises where you’re prone with your face down are designed to strengthen the muscles in your back enabling them to hold your spin in the upright position.
These exercises below help to loosen up the tightness in your chest caused by a rounded back 
Watch the video below to see how to get your body into these different positions and learn what you should be feeling while performing each exercise.
There are also additional thoracic kyphosis exercises you can do that we haven’t listed here. A breathing technique I would recommend you practice involves lying on your back with your knees bent and head resting on a pillow. Then you want to place your palms face down at the bottom of your rib cage and breath in focusing on pushing your lower ribs into your palms. Hold your breathe for a few seconds and then slowly exhale. This move helps to mobilize the lower ribs and strengthen the diaphragm.
In summary
If you can learn to treat your posture as important as you treat your general health you can eventually become pain free no longer having to suffer from these common symptoms of thoracic kyphosis. It’s very problematic to focus on strengthening your muscles without taking into account how you stand. Your livelihood is not just dependent on how strong you are, it’s moreover about improving your quality of life.
Do you suffer from any of these common symptoms of thoracic kyphosis?
Have you ever tried any of these exercises?
Wow this is me so badly. I have always had horrible posture, a side effect of being so darn tall, and suffer from shoulder and beck pain all the time. Thank you so much for this post! Will be trying out the exercises tonight.
Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life recently posted..Back to Crossfit
Oh yes it’s such a common problem for a lot of people. Let us know how you do with these moves! We would recommend you incorporate them into your daily fitness routine for the best results.