The Best Kyphosis Exercise

Kyphosis, which refers to the "rounding" of the back, occurs mostly in the mid-thoracic area of the spine, but can be found in the neck as well. Thoracic kyphosis can be caused by a number of factors, but here are a few.

1. Slouching: The most common issue, "slumping" shoulders and poor postural alignment while sitting at your computer, or just having all around bad posture.

2. Poorly designed exercise program: Too many crunches, which serve to depress the sternum, can cause excessive thoracic kyphosis. This causes reflexive weakness of the muscles that extend the spine.

3. Internal organ stress: Chronic respiratory issues, such as asthma, can be a cause for thoracic kyphosis, which usually comes with forward head posture.

The best kyphosis exercise is one that corrects both the weakness in the muscles that extend the spine, as well as corrects forward head posture. The exercise I refer to is called the prone extension.

Here is how to do it:

1. Lay face down on the floor, with your arms at your sides, palms face down.

2. Put your feet together.

3. Squeeze your butt muscles together.

4. Lift your chest up as high as you can comfortably go.

5. Lift up your arms, while simultaneously EXTERNALLY rotating them (the direction that feels MORE difficult to do is the correct one!), and squeeze your shoulder blades both together, and downward toward the middle of your back.

6. Look straight in front of you (which means you will be looking straight to the ground) so that your head is in alignment with the rest of your body.

The best way to start doing this kyphosis exercise is to hold the position for 10 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times.

Sam Visnic is a Neuromuscular Therapist, Nutrition Coach, and certified NLP Practitioner who specializes in providing safe and effective corrective exercise solutions for back pain sufferers. Sam is the developer of the "End Your Back Pain Now!" system. For his content-loaded blog on back pain relief, visit http://www.endyourbackpainnow.com/blog

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