Upper back exercises
Exercises from 1 to 4 could be done for acute conditions as well as
chronic conditions as long as a patient makes sure that it does not cause
any sharp pains and controls the form. The purpose of those is to stimulate
the upper back and rib cage for more flexibility consequently providing
deeper breathing patterns in a patient.
Exercise 1
Sittings on a chair, press your back firmly against the back of the chair.
Put your hands behind your head. Stretch out to the back beyond the point
of the back of the chair trying to open your chest as much as possible
and breath in. Than curl your back in stretching your back muscles and
breathe out. (3-4 reps)
Alternative
Sit on the edge of a chair and press your upper back against the top part
of the back of the chair. Stretch out to the back opening your chest,
breath in and curl back in, breathe out just like in the previous exercise.
Exercise 2
You will need a celenderical couch cushion or a rolled towel, which has
to be rather firm and about 10 cm in diameter. Lie down on an even surface
placing the cushion under your upper back and your hands behind your back.
Try lifting your upper back slightly of the cushion, open your chest and
breathe in. Return to your original position and breath out. In order
to work on different part of your upper back try shifting the cushion
along your spinal column from one part of your upper back to the other.
(3-4 reps)
Exercise 3
You will need a towel. Wrap the towel around your chest, cross the ends
of it in front of you holding the lift end in the right hand and the right
end in the left hand. Sit or lie down and breath in relaxing the grip
of the towel and than breath out pulling on the ends of the towel and
squeezing your chest to maximum in order for all of the air to come out
of your lungs. Repeat 5-10 times. This exercise helps to establish deep
breathing patterns as well as flexibility of your rib cage.
Exercise 4
Sitting or standing raise your arms up and hold your left wrist with your
right hand, tilt your body to the left stretching out your the right side
of your rib cage, switch arms. Proceed with the same tilt to the right.
(5-10 reps)
Exercises 5-8 could be done for acute upper back conditions as well as
chronic ones. The purpose of 5,6 is to better the flexibility of vertebras
of the upper part of the spinal column, 7,8 is to relax shoulder muscles,
which are often tense causing soreness or pains in the neck, upper chest
and shoulder blade areas. Those exercises require assistance.
Exercise 5
Patient lying down on his stomach. An assisting person should firmly press
patient's back of the rib cage with both palms on different sides of the
spinal column. The pressure should be firm and last 3-4 seconds each time.
Exercise 6
Patient lying down on his stomach. An assisting person should put his
two hands together clenching the fingers. Than start firm pressure on
both sides of the spinal column exactly where it joints each rib. Work
separately on each vertebra. The pressure should last 3-4 seconds. The
assisting person should start with the bottom vertebras working his way
up. The procedure should be painless and rather pleasant. The patient
should feel warmth from assistant's hands.
Exercise 7
Patient lying down on his stomach. An assisting person should massage
the muscles on both sides of the spinal column using his thumbs and going
in the direction from the spinal column towards the sides of the back.
Exercise 8
It is also necessary to stimulate strained muscles between shoulder blades.
Patient lying down on his stomach. An assisting person should put his
hands on the patient's shoulder blades. The patient than should squeeze
the muscles between his shoulder blades and hold that position for 5-10
second, releasing it after that with the assistant pressing the shoulder
blades so that they would draw as far from the spine as possible at the
same time. (5-10 reps) This exercise helps to train the muscles that properly
position shoulder blades.
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