The thoracic spine is the middle section of the spine
comprising of 12 vertebrae. It starts at the base of the neck, marked by a
protruding vertebra, and meeting the lumbar spine just under the ribs.
There are 12 ribs, which attach to each of the thoracic
vertebrae in the back and to the breast bone, or sternum in the front. Ribs 11
and 12 however, do not attach to the sternum, and are called floating ribs.
As with the cervical and lumbar sections of the spine,
nerves emerge from the thoracic spine and proceed to various parts of the body
depending on where in the thoracic spine they emerge. Most of the nerves run
along the ribs of the rib cage. The nerves which emerge from the very top of
the thoracic spine don’t, they supply the upper and lower parts of the arm, but
more about them in later articles.
So what can go wrong
with the thoracic spine:
The thoracic spine is fairly robust, but despite this, you
could suffer anything from crush fractures resulting from a fall, to arthritis,
slipped discs and dislocated ribs.
In this article I will focus on the most common complaint,
muscle spasm caused by bad posture.
Enter the trapezius. The trapezius muscle is a large muscle
which is shaped like a large kite. It attaches to the thoracic spine and up to
the neck and out to the shoulders. It is coloured red in the diagram.
The muscle can be divided into three major sections, the
upper, middle and lower trapezius.
The upper region of the muscle is responsible for lifting
the shoulder blades, while the middle and lower regions pull the shoulders back
and depress the shoulder blades downwards.
Now, your boss has been on your case for that report which
is due by 5, and you have discovered that it needs a major re-write. You are
stressed and you’re hunching. This pushes the neck forward and puts the upper
fibres of the trapezius in a bad postural position. Do this over months, and
the trapezius will form protective spasm, which hurt.
It isn’t just office workers who are affected, but sports
people like cyclists who are hunched over handlebars all day or hair dressers
who spend most of their days with their hands in the air.
Tense trapezius muscles can form tight bands of muscle in
the shoulder and mid-back, causing pain. The middle fibres of the trapezius can
also form trigger points, which refer their pain elsewhere, most often as a
headache.
The good news is that this kind of thing is easily treated
with specifically targeted deep tissue work and mobilisation of the thoracic
spine.
For appointments: 0845 458 5376
https://www.facebook.com/jacquecilliersmassage
http://www.jointsolutionsuk.com/
