I would not be surprised if the title of this post made you go “huh.” First of all, isn’t the thorax an immobile cage? And second of all, even if it isn’t, what the heck does it have to do with great skiing and injury prevention for skiers?
Well, first off let’s dispel the myth that the rib “cage” is an immobile structure. In actual fact, it
is much more like a rib “spring” than a cage. It has significant range of motion in every plane and is meant to store and release energy during movement. If we lose this elasticity of the thoracic region, we are prone to a whole host of health and injury risks which range all the way from problems breathing to greater risk of injury to the lower back and the neck.But let’s take a closer look at skiing. As you will see in the accompanying photo, there is inherently a large degree of spinal flexion over the course of a ski turn. Pay particular attention to the third frame from the left and you will notice the entire spine is flexed like a bowstring. If
the ribcage becomes immobile, all that flexion will be transferred either up to the neck or down to the lumbar spine. This spells injury risk but also limits performance.
The purpose of the observed spinal flexion is primarily to maintain balance over the arcing ski as forces build and lines of force change throughout the turn. In other words, the skier is working to bring the center of mass forward so that it stays aligned with the base of support
(the feet). Adjoined is another photo representing this. If you imagine the center of all my mass, you should be able to follow it down and see that it intersects with the boot of my outside ski. Now picture the same point in the turn if I were to have a straight spine (no flexion). The center of all my mass would then be directed to a point somewhere behind my outside boot. This would mean greatly reduced turning effect on the ski. We need to constantly move to search for that ever elusive sweet spot where the center of mass is being pulled through the base of support. And thoracic mobility is an important factor in that movement.
Pictured here is a normal range of motion for the thoracic spine in the sagittal (fore/aft) plane. If we lose that natural movement, we either lose some of our ability to continue adjusting the center of mass throughout the turn, thus limiting our potential to optimize our performance. Or we transfer some or all of the lost range to the low back and the neck, leading to overuse and injury as well as less than optimal mechanics up and down the rest of the chain.
The ribcage is already starting to sound more important isn’t it? And we haven’t even looked at the other planes of movement yet. Take a look at the fourth frame from the left in the initial photo sequence, and notice the substantial side bend of the spine. Well, if you look closely it is actually side bend with rotation. You can almost picture the internal “spring” loaded up with energy.
In this case, the movement is aiding in lateral balance, ensuring that the skier can maintain connection with the arcing outside ski. And again, without the range of motion in the thoracic spine, we would either have a reduced ability to continue increasing lateral movement or we would transfer all the load to the lumbar spine.
The following video clip shows this coiling and uncoiling of the spine in action:
So how do we maintain natural mobility and elasticity in the thoracic spine? There are a few ways, but one of the most beneficial and portable comes from Intu-Flow (part of the Circular Strength Training system). It involves moving the thoracic spine through it’s cardinal ranges of motion in the fore/aft and side to side planes. Take a look at the accompanying videos to learn this do-anywhere thoracic mobility exercise.
Intu-Flow Thoracic Mobility - Fore/Aft: Expand your chest forward and on a 45° angle towards the sky. Allow the air to be pulled into the lungs on this expansion. Then reach your mid-back towards the back wall. Allow the air to be expelled as the lungs compress in this back position.
Intu-Flow Thoracic Mobility - Lateral: Put your arms out to the side so they are parallel with the floor. Keep them like this throughout, with the shoulders packed down, to avoid tilting from side to side. Now slide sideways to one side, feeling as if you are sliding along a rail at the bottom of your ribcage. Then slide back in the other direction. It is more important to use strict form than a large Range of Motion. ROM will develop over time if you stick to the correct movement pattern.
So start developing your thoracic mobility today to add some spring to your turn and avoid injury down the road.
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For another important component of the coiling principle check out this post with for a look at a very cool bodyweight exercise for skiers.
