Can’t Get Overhead Without Pain? It Might Not Be Your Shoulders.

You’re warmed up. You’ve prepped your shoulders. You start your snatch or overhead squat—and bam—pinch, discomfort, or that all-too-familiar “stuck” feeling at the top.

Here’s the thing: Shoulder pain during overhead movements isn’t always a shoulder problem.

Very often, the real restriction lives just south of your neck: your thoracic spine.

As a PT and a coach working in a CrossFit gym, I see this time and time again. Athletes chasing overhead mobility with bands, lacrosse balls, and shoulder stretches—while totally missing the foundation they’re trying to build on.

Let’s talk about why your mid-back mobility could be the missing link in your overhead game—and how to fix it.

🧠 A Quick Anatomy Primer: Why the T-Spine Matters

Your thoracic spine is the portion of your spine that runs from the base of your neck to the bottom of your ribcage (roughly T1–T12). It’s designed for rotation and extension—but many of us lose that mobility thanks to hours spent sitting, driving, or working on screens.

Here’s why that matters in the gym:

When you go overhead—especially with weight—your body needs a smooth chain of mobility from the hips, up through the spine, to the shoulders.

If the thoracic spine can’t extend or rotate properly, your body will:

• Overload the shoulders, forcing them to crank into unnatural ranges

• Compensate at the low back, leading to lumbar extension and discomfort

• Disrupt scapular mechanics, increasing your risk of impingement or labral irritation

🏋️ Real CrossFit Movements That Rely on T-Spine Mobility

You might be surprised how many key movements depend on a mobile thoracic spine:

• Snatches

• Overhead squats

• Thrusters

• Handstand push-ups

• Wall balls

• Toes-to-bar (rotation + extension)

If your T-spine is stiff, you’ll feel limited in these lifts—not because you’re weak, but because your mechanics are fighting themselves.

🔎 How to Know If Your Thoracic Spine Is Holding You Back

Here are a few signs that you might be limited:

• You feel pressure or pinching in the front of the shoulder when going overhead

• Your lower back arches excessively to compensate for lack of mobility

• You can’t maintain a vertical torso in overhead squats

• You feel like you’re always “fighting” the bar overhead instead of stacking it smoothly

💪 My Favorite Drills for Improving Thoracic Mobility

Here are a few go-to movements I prescribe daily inside the gym:

Wall Ball Extensions

Keeping your butt down, extend upper back over the wall ball, with or without a weight supported at back of head.

10–12 reps each

Open Books at Wall

Half kneeling T-spine rotation drill

Great for improving thoracic rotation while keeping hips stable

Thoracic Bridge with Crab Reach

A more advanced drill that combines extension, rotation, and stability

Perfect for shoulder + T-spine integration

🛑 Stop Stretching Your Shoulders If You’re Missing This

You can stretch, band, and smash your shoulders all day—but if your mid-back isn’t moving, those shoulders are still going to struggle to find good overhead mechanics. That’s where injuries start to creep in—impingement, labrum strain, and rotator cuff overload. I’ll just say this, chasing shoulder mobility without addressing thoracic motion is like trying to drive a car with the brakes on.

✅ What You Can Do Today

• Add T-spine drills to your warm-up before overhead work

• Pair mobility work with postural awareness throughout the day

• Get assessed by a movement professional (that’s where I come in!)

💬 Final Thoughts

Thoracic mobility is one of the most overlooked keys to strong, pain-free overhead movement. Whether you’re trying to PR your snatch or just want to feel less cranky after a WOD, opening up your mid-back is a game changer.

If you’re struggling with shoulder pain or mobility restrictions and you're not seeing progress, it’s time to look beyond the shoulder. Let’s figure out what’s really holding you back.

Book a movement assessment or reach out today—I’ll help you get stacked, strong, and pain-free overhead.

Shoot me a text: 248-821-1494

Message me on IG: @debashphysicaltherapy