Yesterday I reread Edgelow's chapter in Illig et al. It makes much more sense than when I first read it a year ago. He discusses much of what I summarised in my first post, especially the fact that the problems arise from hypomobility (reduced) stabilising muscles - especially serratus and lower trapezius, and hypermobility (increased) scalene, upper trapzius, rhomboid and levatator.

His programme uses breathing to activate the thorax, but there is a significant difference to what I was taught. With Edgelow's technique, when you lie on your back and breath in, you arch your back to raise the ribs. I was taught that this is wrong as it promotes mobility only in the lumbar spine and the thorax-lumbar junction. The exercises I use feel significantly different.

As a start:

• Lie on your back with legs bent (90 deg at knees) and lower back flat on the floor (lightly activated abs and core).
• Place hands on lower rib cage
• Practise breathing with the abdomen only. Feel it push against your hands and back.
• Now the crucial step: while keeping the core activated and the lower back in contact with the floor, breath in and gently raise the thorax. Your lower back should feel completely stationary and all movement should be in the thorax. Think always of a long spine and use gentle movements at first (10-20% muscle strength). It should feel like the movement is being controlled from deep within your trunk.

After learning this lying down you can progress to sitting and then sitting while rotating.

The other main mobilisation I do is with a foam roller - but always with the core activated to promote movement in the thorax.