The thoracic spine is incredibly important for creating elite velocity. It must be able to effectively counter rotate against the hips, in order to create a pre-stretch (hip/shoulder separation) that leads to high torso rotation velocity. Since torso rotation velocity has been shown to be one of the key predictors of ball velocity (Fleisig et al., 2001), it is important that the thoracic spine move well.
Not only must the thoracic spine rotate well, it must also be able to effectively flex and extend. During max external rotation the thoracic spine must extend to contribute to layback, as it is a combination of thoracic extension, scapular posterior tilt, and shoulder external rotation. Since max external rotation is also an important factor in ball velocity (Matsuo et al., 2001), it is also worth improving if needed. Additionally, at ball release the spine must flex in order to contribute to velocity and efficient deceleration.
Anatomy
The thoracic spine is the middle to upper back portion of the spine made up of 12 vertebrae that go in descending order form T1 to T12. The thoracic spine has a natural kyphotic curve (forward flexion) to it, as the spine is meant to look a bit like an “S.”
In Gray Cook and Mike Boyle’s model of the body’s joints, the thoracic spine is a “mobile” section of joints.
Gray Cook describes the body as a series of joints with needs for stability or mobility, where the mobile joints are supported by stable joints in an alternating pattern. For example, below the thoracic spine, the lumbar spine is meant to be stable and the hips mobile. A loss of mobility or stability at the joints that require these qualities can cause problems elsewhere in the body.
Every athlete will move a little bit differently, but if they don’t have solid baselines of movement competency and range of motion (ROM), they will not be able to perform at an elite level.
How Do We Assess This?
After assessing an athlete’s resting posture, I will move onto a locked lumbar rotation test made popular by Dr. Greg Rose of TPI and the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA).
To begin, athletes will start in child’s pose, sitting back onto their heels. They will then place one forearm on the floor in front of them and place their other hand, palm-up, on their lower back. Once in position, they will then rotate toward the ceiling while I make sure that they do not shift to the side. Shifting from side to side, or laterally flexing, would create false range of motion and affect the results of the test.
By putting the lumbar spine in flexion, we limit its ability to rotate, which should give us a better idea of how much rotation is actually happening at the thoracic spine. Also, by placing the arm in internal rotation it makes it easier to see thoracic spine rotation as we limit the ability for scapular motion.
What Are the Baselines We’re Looking For?
According to TPI we’re looking for throwers to have about 70-90 degrees of active rotation on this test. Additionally, athletes should be able to control most of their passive ROM as we’ll discuss further below.
What Interventions Do We Use Based on Results?
Adequate Active ROM and the Same Passive
If they have adequate active ROM and roughly the same amount of passive ROM, then thoracic spine rotation mobility is not a limiting factor.
For these athletes active and passive ROM through thoracic rotation will not be a focus of their program as they will be able to maintain this ROM by using some simple movements in the warm-up or between working sets.
Missing Active and Passive ROM
In this situation, it is important to get gravity on your side. This is where windmills and side lying T’s come in handy. By having gravity help you, you’ll be able to access a bit more ROM than you would normally be able to on your own.
Athletes missing active and passive ROM can also benefit from getting some more thoracic extension as spines tend to rotate better when they are more extended, rather than flexed. Remember, thoracic extension is important for layback and velocity, so make sure you can do that effectively.
SideLying T’s and Windmills
T-Spine Extension and Lat Mobilization
Adequate Passive and Missing Active
There are few ways to attack missing active ROM, but basically, it is a neuromuscular issue. The body has the ability to get to this ROM, but it cannot actively access it, however, with some simple movements we can solve this problem.
Take the athlete to their passive end range and have them hold it:
Attach a band to a squat rack and have the band assist rotation for the first few reps, then take the band off and do the last few reps unassisted. (Note: these would also work well for athletes missing passive ROM).
Being able to control the ROM your body can access passively is important for resisting injury, so minimizing the difference between the two is important for this group.
Tons of Active and Passive with a Flat Thoracic Spine
If you are an athlete with a flat thoracic spine, you likely rotate very well, but your scapula may not move that well and therefore your thoracic spine most likely does not flex very well. A common cause, is that the lats are overactive and pulling these athletes into extension, so getting the lats to calm down and bringing some thoracic flexion in can be very helpful.
The ability to flex the thoracic spine and move the scapula around the spine into protraction is vital for high velocity and efficient deceleration often referred to as “late launch” a term coined by Ron Wolforth.
These athletes will benefit from some movements that put them in a position of thoracic flexion and help them work into protraction.
A few movements I like are:
Deep Squat w/ a Lat Stretch and Full Exhale
This full exhales in this drill will help the lats cal down a bit, as faulty breathing patterns likely helped contribute to this issue. Namely, never fully exhaling can lead to more extended posture. Take a full exhale and notice the position your body ends up in, compared to an inhale an partial exhale.
Bear Crawl (reverse)
Serratus Slide
Conclusion
The thoracic spine plays a vital role in high velocity and arm health. However, there are a variety of movement inefficiencies that can arise from poor movement in this region. Try addressing your issues with some of these ideas and see how you move after.
If you’d like more information about training with Tyler Anzmann Performance, let’s talk!
Resources
Matsuo, Tomoyuki & Escamilla, Rafael & Fleisig, Glenn & W. Barrentine, Steven & R. Andrews, James. (2001). Comparison of Kinematic and Temporal Parameters between Different Pitch Velocity Groups. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. 17. 1-13. 10.1123/jab.17.1.1.
Stodden, David & Fleisig, Glenn & Mclean, Scott & Lyman, Stephen & Andrews, J.R.. (2001). Relation of pelvis and upper torso kinematics to pitched baseball velocity. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. 17. 164-172.