Do you have mid-back pain, stiffness, or discomfort? Your back may be telling you something about your breathing and posture.
The do's and don'ts.
So, what about mid-back posture and breathing? This is an important one to check in with and both come with many benefits when corrected, the rib cage positioning can affect your breathing and when the breathing mechanics are interrupted by poor posture and poor breathing patterns this large area becomes compressed. This will limit trunk ROM such as lateral, flexion, extension, and rotation; this is when you may start to feel upper back to mid back pain, tightness, and tension affecting your movements in and out of training. But as always, it requires a breakdown of anatomy knowledge, correction of posture, and some type of application of a theraputic exercise that helps to maintain a decompressed mid-back.
The break down...
Movement Education.
In this blog, I will review:
Anatomy of the upper body and breathing mechanics.
Posture correction and Posture Do's and Don'ts.
Review of breath awareness and a simple breathing exercise.
Yoga for midback release.
By the end of this blog, you will have better awareness of breathing and understand how to correct your ribcage posture.
Something to think about...
Breathing is an underutilized tool that is highly effective in decompressing the mid back and joints of the spine along with many other benefits that cover basic essential well-being factors. You can and should be practicing subtle breathing exercises throughout the day. Breathing is an unconscious constant working system known as the respiratory system, we can tap into it at any moment to decompress and unlock our bodies.
Knowledge is power.
Let's review anatomy!
I'll keep it simple with this visualization which highlights the structure and the action of breathing.
The breath is key to the mobility of the mid back...
As you can see when breathing the whole structure moves which stretches and decompresses joints, muscles and organs internally.
This is where we check in by correcting the rib cage posture and applying the breath regularly to maintain not only a healthy posture but also proper breathing mechanics.
Here are some of the dysfunctions and symptoms improper breathing patterns can cause.
Known as:
Paradoxical breathing
Breathing pattern disorder
Dysfunctional breathing
Irregular breathing patterns
Musculoskeletal imbalances often exist in patients with BPDs. These may result from a pre-existing contributing factor or may be caused by the dysfunctional breathing pattern.[27] Types of imbalances include the following:[27]
loss of thoracic mobility
overuse/tension in accessory respiratory muscles
dysfunctional postures that affect the movement of the chest wall,
exacerbation of poor diaphragmatic descent.
Breathing pattern disorders manifest differently based on the individual. Some people may exhibit high levels of anxiety/fear, whereas others have more musculoskeletal symptoms, chronic pain, and fatigue.[27] Over 30 possible symptoms have been described in relation to BPDs/HVS.[27]
Typical symptoms can include:
Frequent sighing and yawning
Breathing discomfort
Disturbed sleep
Erratic heartbeats
Feeling anxious and uptight
Pins and needles
Upset gut/nausea.
Clammy hands
Chest pains
Shattered confidence
Tired all the time.
Achy muscles and joints
Dizzy spells or feeling spaced out.
Irritability or hypervigilance
The feeling of 'air hunger' (i.e. a sense of not getting enough air)
Breathing discomfort
There may also be a correlation between BPD and low back pain.[30]
When people tell me they feel "bad", and they can't pinpoint why... I wonder sometimes if they are BREATHING.
Are you a living breathing human or a walking...
Just like the mechanical movements of the body when the breathing mechanics are improper over time it will cause symptoms and irregularities due to dysfunction.
This leads us to...
Posture correction.
Let's get to work!
The Posture and Breath Correction.
How to correct posture.
Follow these tips to correct your posture.
Upper body posture can compress your rib cage which affects your breathing pattern. The breath is constant, ideally, you want to have the correct posture for access to the proper flow of breath.
This leads us to the next correction...
Breathing.
Oh yes, I will remind you!
Breath awareness and correction.
Important Tip:
The most important step in addressing the breath is acknowledging it, and checking in with it throughout the day. Set an alarm for morning, noon, and evening take 5 minutes to reset your breath awareness and mechanics.
Review this instructional video for an easy breathing exercise.
The Flow.
Yoga for mid-back release.
Upper body posture can compress your rib cage which affects your breathing pattern. The breath is constant, ideally, you want to have the correct posture for access to the proper flow of breath.
This is something you can practice every other day or whenever you need to loosen and alleviate mid-back pain.
Wrapping it up...
Reminder: Both must go together; the upper body correction will allow the breath to flow.
Why you want to correct posture and breathing:
Improve your breathing capacity.
Minimize stress and anxiety with breathing exercises.
Improve the function of internal organs.
Improve your upper body posture hunched back.
Improve shoulder posture.
Improve balance between back and core strength.
Improve flexion, extension, lateral, and rotational upper body ROM.
Minimize tightness, rigidity, and tension of the upper body.
Tips:
Practice good posture of upper body and head: Here is a blog on neck posture: Neck pain during your workout? Your head posture can ruin your routine. (thevaulttraining.online)
Put a reminder on your phone to breathe for 5 minutes 3 times a day this will help you become more aware. Most Apple watches have this feature.
As we say in yoga, we are grateful for the breath. Remind yourself "I am healing with each breath I take."
It is very simple and easy...
You can start practicing right away at this very moment by taking a few smooth and deep breaths.
Need to address your posture immediately? Pain interfering with your workout or life routines?
BOOK A VIRTUAL ONE ON ONE SESSION AND RECEIVE A FREE POSTURE ANALYSIS!
I’ve personally used some of these techniques! Your advice has actually helped correct my posture! Keep up the great work! #Dope #Methods