Author: Bryan Lang, PT, DPT, MHA, OCS, CSCS, Cert.DN: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Business Owner, Associate Professor, and Blog Contributor. Explores common client questions, helps find solutions for every day functional health concerns, and interprets difficult theories in healthcare rehabilitation. Committed to life-long learning and education. Learn more about Bryan on Google+.
If you have a stiff mid back, you're not alone. I have one too, and luckily, my profession lets me figure out the best ways to improve my mobility. These simple exercises keep my mid back feeling relaxed and loose.
Exercise 1: Make sure you put your feet on a doorway or wall. It makes it so you can't arch your low back when you perform the exercise.
Exercise 2: Similar to exercise 1, but your arms will end the movement above your shoulders, making a Y. This exercise is more difficult to perform correctly. Again, make sure you put your feet on a doorway or wall. It makes it so you can't arch your low back when you perform the exercise.
Exercise 3: The most important part in this exercise is letting the band pull you into further rotation. So relax, and let the band help you stretch your mid back after your perform the row.
Exercise 4: I put a yoga block between my legs to keep my hips in line with my body. This exercise helps improve your mid back mobility, but also strengthens your mid back and posterior shoulder girdle.
Exercise 5: Rolling on a foam roller helps to extend your spine. Often the stiff feeling that we start to experience is from being bent over all day. It can be from manual labor like roofing, or from working on a computer all day in poor posture.
Stay consistent with these exercises for a week and you'll start to notice a difference in how your mid back feels throughout the day.