Recent E-Mails

On Yoga Positions…

I have a patient with T1-T8 flat thoracic spine who is also a bit lordotic.  She couldn’t fill a balloon because she doesn’t exhale fully and holds her breath a lot while she works.  She is in a PEC pattern.  She also has a strained left hip flexor.  She has been previously performing Pilates, Yoga, and gym workouts regularly.
Here is her question to me which I now pass to you:
What about the Yoga posture where you are lying on your back; you then bring your legs up and over your head until your feet touch the floor above your head… would this exercise help facilitate thoracic flexion?

Unfortunately the yoga position you are referring to would overstretch hamstrings, SI ligament, quadratus lumborum, multifidi, cervical extensors and posterior cranial rotators (rectus capitus posterior and anterior) before isolating the stiff, restricted posterior thoracic wall.  The weakest, most vulnerable part of this sagittal chain muscle would go first and be overpowered by mal-positioned diaphragm, psoas and lats.

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