Unlock Your Spine: 5 Steps to Improve Spinal Mobility
- Nov 11
- 5 min read
Whether you’re spending hours at your desk, training for your next Iron Man, or simply trying to feel more comfortable in your own body, maintaining healthy spinal mobility plays a huge role in your wellness, and how you feel. When your spine moves freely, and your central nervous system has the space it needs to breathe and function, everything from posture to energy levels, and even immune function, can improve.
At Psoas, we talk a lot about finding that balance between mobility, endurance, and strength. In this blog post, we’re going to zoom into mobility and how it relates to the spine. Brace yourselves, there’s going to be a little bit of math involved. Here are five simple steps you can take to enhance your spinal mobility.
1. Start with Awareness
It’s true what they say, awareness is half the battle. Before jumping into a stretching routine, take the time to assess how your spine moves. What activities do you do most often? What position(s) do you spend the most time in? How do you move your spine throughout the day? Where does it feel tight? Where does it move more easily?
Break it down into high school geometry terms. We can move in flexion and extension along the Y axis called the sagittal plane, in lateral flexion (or side-bending) along the X axis or the frontal plane (also called the coronal plane), and we can rotate along the Z axis, called the transverse plane.
Your spine is designed for movement in all three dimensions. But not all sports and activities engage the spine the same way. Just like how a routine can focus too much on strength and neglect mobility and endurance, it can also emphasize one plane of motion in favor of the others.
For example, a cyclist might spend most of their ride flexed over their handle bars and not get much extension, lateral flexion, or rotation. A swimmer will get a some extension with some rotation in the water, but might not do much lateral flexion. Meanwhile, a racquet sport enthusiast will get dynamic spinal movement on the court, but it comes with a focus on repetitive rotation.
2. Add Gentle Spinal Mobility Exercises
Once you have an idea of how your spine moves (or doesn’t move) throughout the day, you can start crafting a routine that will plug the holes. You don’t need a long workout to improve your spine’s range of motion, and you don’t have to go all the way to the limits of your range of motion either. Small, mindful movements done consistently can make a big difference.
Try some of these exercises to assess your spinal mobility:
Articulated Cat/Cow
This articulated version of the Cat/Cow movement helps you identify back stiffness one segment at a time.
Assessing movement in the sagittal plane. Barrel Roll
Adding lateral flexion and circumduction into your Cat/Cow moves your spine in typically less explored planes of motion.
Assessing movement in the frontal, or coronal, plane. Thoracic Rotation
The lumbar spine and cervical spine have more rotation than the thoracic spine, but that doesn't mean the mid back shouldn't rotate at all. Try this thoracic rotation exercise to loosen up a stiff mid-back in the transverse plane.
Assessing movement in the transverse plane.
Aim to include these mobility exercises throughout your week. Especially if you're typically focused on strength building workouts, locking in a neutral spine position and loading it with weight can reinforce that stiffness if you don't include mobility work. Even a few minutes can help reduce tension and increase circulation through your back and core. But don't be too hard on yourself if you don't move in every direction every day.
3. Balance Mobility with Stability
Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones, whose daily routine includes lots of movement evenly dispersed through all three planes of motion. The best way to prevent injury is to also have the core strength to support and maintain the mobility you have.
Simple core activation exercises help stabilize your spine so that increased flexibility doesn’t come at the expense of control. But you want to think about all three planes of motion here too. There are multiple layers of abdominal muscles, which engage If you do a lot of front facing planks it might be time to add side planks and bicycle crunches to your routine.
Take a look at some of these stabilizing core exercises broken down into the planes of motion they focus on. While each exercise will engage all the layers of abdominal muscles
Frontal (Coronal) Plane
These exercises will engage the internal obliques, external obliques, and quadratus lumborum on one side of the body at a time. Switch up which side you workout first to determine which side is stronger.
Side Planks can be modified by staggering your feet, or bending the knee to build core strength. Aim for.
Side-Lying Crunches are done by lying on your side, and lifting your legs and torso away from the floor. Use your top arm to stabilize until you have the core strength to hold yourself up.
Sagittal Plane
Rectus abdominus (your six-pack muscle), and transverse abdominus are the focus on these exercises.
Front Planks can also be modified by being on your knees.
Bird/Dogs challenge coordination and stabilization at the same time.
Transverse Plane
These rotational core exercises will engage the internal obliques on one side and the external obliques on the opposite side at the same time. This helps your core develop coordination as you stabilize.
Bicycle Crunches are most effective when you keep your nose and sternum pointing in the same direction to focus the exercise on your core and avoid neck strain.
Russian Twists should be done slowly with control to get the most benefit, and should be stopped before your form breaks down to keep your spine safe.
4. Use Massage and Bodywork to Unlock Spine Mobility
Don’t wait till your spine feels stiff and in pain to get a massage. Massage therapy can help you recover from an injury, but regular maintenance sessions are a powerful tool for unlocking spine mobility and maintaining wellness.
At Psoas we tailor each session to your unique needs after careful assessment. There’s no detail in your routine too small to consider. From the ergonomic setup in your office, to how you sit on the couch at the end of the day, share it all with your therapist so they can help you build a solid routine. Whether you’re dealing with back stiffness, postural tension, or simply want to move with more ease, we use an integrative approach that combines bodywork, movement therapy, and education to support your long-term spine health.
5. Roll with the Changes
Mobility is something you build over time, not in a single workout. And diversifying the routine is key. You don’t have to move your spine in every direction every time you roll out the yoga mat, but keep a big picture tally of your movement over time. Your entire workout program doesn’t have to be overhauled, but small additions here and there will chip away the hard edges and give you a well rounded routine.
The Takeaway
A healthy, mobile spine is central to feeling balanced, strong, and at ease. Through a combination of mindful movement, stability training, and therapeutic bodywork, you can restore your spine’s natural range of motion and keep discomfort at bay.