Blazepod: Improve Your Thoracic Spine Mobility

If you suffer from mid-back pain, you might lack spine mobility. 

Many of us suffer from decreased thoracic spine mobility, primarily from hunching our backs, spending hours in front of a desk or phone. We’re left with the inability to straighten up and extend into good posture or rotate through the torso. This places additional strain on the neck, shoulders, and low back with daily activities.  And causes an increased risk of injury and an overall feeling of being uncomfortable. 

What is spine (im)mobility costing you?

There are plenty of great methods to stretch and increase thoracic spine mobility, but let’s be honest, they aren’t always the most exciting exercises to do. And there is certainly no level of competition.

We hope to change that through our collaboration with Blazepods.

We’ve devised a method using Blazepod technology to not only promote thoracic spine mobility but to optimize active control of the T-spine, shoulder, and neck movements. And have fun while doing it. We know this seems outlandish in the world of corrective exercise, but we’ve found that when the mind is more engaged with mobility training, the body responds with better outcomes. And we are all about measurable success. 

We’ve organized the progression of Blazepod exercises starting with the least difficult position to control with the least difficult light sequence. This allows you to master the basic movement first. We then progress in difficulty in both the control balance and highest light sequence to keep your mind engaged. This matrix allows you to either focus on balance, the challenge of the Blazepods, or both. 

We take this approach with everyone from the geriatric population to the highest performing sports athlete, it speaks to the purist therapist in us and the competitor in you. Check out the thoracic spine mobility progressions below and let us know what you think. We are here to change the mobility game and Blazepods are an integral part of that.

Clinical Reasoning:

Positioning from Easy to Hard:  

We start with the Side-Lying LSL) position first. This is where gravity assists with the open-book rotation movement. The position is then progressed to Half-Kneeling (K) in which the hips are loaded and utilized to assist with the rotation. Next is the Staggered Stance (SS) where the foot, ankle, and knee are now a part of the movement. Then there is Quadruped (Q). The last is primarily because you are in a gravity resisted position. In quadruped, your shoulder, wrists, hips, ankles. and toes will be loaded as you explore thoracic rotation. Within each position, you can add external resistance with a band or weight (get creative) to increasingly challenge the neuromuscular system.  

Blazepod Progression from Easy to Hard: 

Starting with the All at Once (AO) setting, the easiest Blazepod progression. It requires the participants to solely tap out each pod while balancing. Mild cognition is required.  

The next progression is Sequence (Sq). The provider will set a specific sequence that the participant will need to memorize. This ups the cognitive process while balancing.  

The random (Rn) progression is next. This is a more dynamic environment that will require increased cognitive alertness while maintaining balance.  

The Home (H) setting is next in the progression. It has both a random component as well as a home base component which will create an environment for both physical and mental prowess.  

The final progression is Focus (F). Participants are required to increase their decision-making to silence out the distracting colors while physically challenging stability. This final progression most closely resembles an athletic environment in which alert decision-making, focus, and physical agility are paramount. 

Check out the thoracic spine mobility videos below for examples and progressions: