Upper back stretches for the space between the shoulder blades

The upper back, the thoracic spine, runs from the base of the neck to the bottom of the ribs, with the shoulder blades resting on top of it. It is built to round, arch a little and twist. Screens and phones ask it to round forward and stay there, while the muscles between the shoulder blades hold the head and shoulders up for hours.

The seven stretches below move the upper back in all three directions, in about ten minutes. Several overlap with the shoulder stretches for laptop days, because the shoulder blades move with the upper back.

When should you see a doctor or physio?

Check with a doctor or physiotherapist before stretching if you have:

• sudden or severe pain between the shoulder blades, especially with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating (get urgent help);
• pain after a fall or an accident;
• pain, numbness or tingling in the arms;
• pain that wakes you at night or keeps getting worse;
• osteoporosis, or a recent rib or spine injury (ask which movements suit you).

How do you do an upper back stretch?

Hold each for five to eight slow breaths, about 30 seconds, unless noted. Breathe into the back of the ribs.

1. Self hug. Sit tall and wrap the arms around yourself, hands reaching towards the opposite shoulder blades. Breathe into the back of the ribs and let the shoulder blades spread apart. Switch which arm is on top.
2. Cat-Cow. On a chair with the hands on the knees, or on hands and knees: breathing in, lift the chest forward; breathing out, round the upper back. Eight slow rounds. Cat-Cow on hands and knees has the full cues.
3. Thread the needle. On hands and knees, slide the right arm under the left, palm up, and rest the right shoulder and the side of the head down. Then switch.
4. Open book. Lie on your left side with the knees bent at hip height and the arms straight in front, palms together. Breathing in, lift the right arm up and over to open towards the right, eyes following the hand, knees stacked. Breathe out and return. Five slow rounds each side.
5. Towel opener. Lie on your back with the knees bent and a firmly rolled towel across the upper back, just below the shoulder blades. Support the head with the hands, elbows wide, and let the chest open over the towel for five breaths. Move the towel a little higher and repeat.
6. Puppy Pose. From hands and knees, keep the hips over the knees and walk the hands forward until the chest sinks towards the floor, forehead on a cushion. The Puppy Pose page has gentler versions.
7. Child’s Pose side reach. From Child’s Pose, walk both hands over to the right and breathe into the left side of the back. Five breaths, then the other side.

Common mistakes

• Turning from the neck. In the open book and thread the needle, let the turn come from the chest.
• Arching the lower back on the towel. Keep the knees bent and the ribs soft.
• Rushing the rotation. Slow rounds, one breath each way.
• Forcing range. The upper back moves less than the lower back. A small movement is normal.

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: do the self hug and Cat-Cow on a chair; use a thinner towel roll; rest the hands on a chair seat in Puppy Pose.
• Harder: hold the open position of the open book for five breaths; in thread the needle, reach the top arm up towards the ceiling; use a firmer roll under the back.

What pairs with upper back stretches?

The front of the body is the other half: the chest stretches for rounded shoulders open what the upper back has been rounding over, and the overhead tricep stretch and its variations lengthen the sides of the upper back. For the whole spine, the back stretches from neck to tailbone add the lower back, and yoga for posture and screen habits explains why strength matters too. To get the mid back twisting and lifting again, the thoracic spine mobility stretches go a step further.