Goal: Stop slouching
Easing mid-back stiffness as you stop slouching
Dr Nicola Tik
That stiff, achy band between your shoulder blades often shows up after a long spell at your desk. When you try to sit tall, your mid back can feel like it doesn’t want to move. Your mid back plays a bigger role than you might think, for your neck, your shoulders and even your breathing.
Your mid back has a natural forward curve, and how rounded it is varies a lot from person to person. Having a rounder mid back isn’t a sign of damage. Stiffness tends to come from staying still, not from the shape of your spine.
Your mid back sits between your neck and lower back, and it affects how both move. When it’s stiff, your neck and shoulders may do more of the work when you turn or look up. Studies have found that improving mid-back movement can help ease neck pain for some people. So when your mid back feels better, your neck often does too.
Your mid back is linked to your ribs, so it moves every time you breathe. Research has found that sitting slumped reduces how much air your lungs can take in, compared with sitting upright. When you sit a little taller, your ribs have more room to expand, and many people find their breathing feels easier.
When you sit for a long time, your mid back tends to stay in one rounded position. Because it isn’t moving much, it can feel stiff by the end of the day. Changing position often, and giving your mid back a chance to move in different directions, can help.
Stronger muscles between your shoulder blades and along your mid back can make sitting tall easier to hold. Your goal videos include gentle mid-back movements and a quick reset, and the 30-second VIDA videos are handy for moving your mid back during the day.
Each time you finish a meeting, take one slow breath into the back of your ribs and notice whether your mid back feels freer.