Pregnancy, a wondrous phase in a woman's life, often comes with various physical changes to allow room for a growing baby. One such change is a decrease in rib cage mobility.
You may be wondering why rib cage mobility even matters. Well, decreased mobility of the rib cage and the thorax can cause discomfort and affect a woman's ability to breathe deeply and move comfortably.
Why Does The Rib Cage Move?
The rib cage attaches to the thoracic spine and together form the thorax. As we breathe in, the ribs move out and up, and as we exhale, the ribs move down and in. This motion of the rib cage during inhalation and exhalation is caused by the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles ( the muscles between your ribs) contracting and relaxing.
The diaphragm is a muscle at the base of your lungs and attaches to the bottom ribs, that flattens (contracts) when inhaling, increasing the space in the rib cage to allow for expansion of the lungs. When the diaphragm relaxes on the exhale, it helps the lungs push air out. Without this mobility, we aren’t able to breathe as efficiently or effectively.
All of the abdominal muscles and scapular muscles attach to the rib cage as well. So rib cage influences the movement of the upper extremities, pelvis, and lower extremities.
When the mobility of the rib cage decreases, you can have difficulty with upper extremity movement, posture, back pain, and lower extremity mobility.
Why Does Rib Cage Mobility Decrease During Pregnancy?
As the uterus grows during pregnancy, it presses up on the diaphragm and out on the abdominals to make room for the baby. This in turn causes the rib cage to be in a constant state of expansion, decreasing the ability of the rib cage to contract to a “normal” state. With the rib cage stuck in expansion, the diaphragm isn’t able to contract and relax as easily, leading to the common complaint of “breathlessness” during pregnancy. The intercostal muscles also become tight and weak from lack of mobility.
As the baby grows, posture also changes to accommodate a larger belly. Center of mass tends to shift forward, causing the pelvis to anteriorly tilt to balance the belly, and the rib cage moves slightly backward, limiting its range of motion further. The obliques can also become overactive as a result of this postural shift, as they start to overfire to help stabilize the spine.
These changes increase the risk of back pain and pelvic dysfunction since we know that rib cage mobility influences hip and pelvic mobility.
These accommodations don’t just “bounce back” after pregnancy. There needs to be a concentrated effort at working on rib cage mobility after pregnancy to get everything moving again.
How to Increase Rib Cage Mobility And Stability
While reduced rib cage mobility is common during pregnancy, there are several movements that pregnant and postpartum women can do to increase/maintain their mobility and alleviate discomfort.
Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing exercises can help expand the rib cage, increase lung capacity, and improve overall respiratory function. One effective technique is Piston breathing. Engaging in regular breathing exercises can enhance rib cage mobility and provide a sense of relaxation.
Gentle Stretching and Yoga: Incorporating gentle stretching exercises and prenatal/postnatal yoga into a daily routine can help improve flexibility and rib cage mobility. These exercises focus on elongating and opening the chest area, reducing tension, and increasing overall body awareness.
A great one to incorporate is cat/cow while doing deep breathing. (Inhale with the belly drop, exhale with the spine arch).
Another excellent one is child’s pose with a side-bend. This can help open up the lateral rib cage and lat muscles to improve mobility.
See this Instagram post for a video on doing these mobility moves.
Maintaining Good Posture: Being mindful of maintaining a stacked posture throughout the day can prevent further restrictions in rib cage mobility.
A neutral stacked posture looks like this:
Rib cage stacked over pelvis
Ears aligned with shoulders
Shoulders over hips
Knees over ankles
Avoid slouching or hunching forward, as this can exacerbate limited movement in the rib cage.
Spine Stability Exercises: Engaging in strength training exercises that will help stabilize the spine can help with the mobility of the rib cage. Without a stable spine, the rib cage won’t be able to move as efficiently. Abdominal and scapular strengthening exercises are key in spine stabilization.
A great one for pregnant and postpartum women is Bird-Dogs. They work the abdominals and also work on stabilizing the scapular muscles from a quadruped position. And it can be modified by doing just arms, just legs, or adding them together for a full bird-dog.
Final Thoughts…
Pregnancy is a remarkable journey filled with physical changes. It is unrealistic to expect that everything will return to “normal” after 9 months of growing a baby.
Understanding why rib cage mobility is essential for optimal function of the thoracic spine and extremity mobility is the first step toward finding solutions to alleviate movement dysfunction and promote overall well-being.
By incorporating strategies such as breathing exercises, gentle stretching, maintaining good posture, and engaging in appropriate safe strength training, pregnant and postpartum women can “turn things back on” and get their ribs and spine moving again to reduce pain, discomfort, and move more efficiently.
If decreased rib cage mobility persists or becomes increasingly uncomfortable, please seek out a pelvic floor physical therapist. They can provide personalized advice, exercises, and treatments to address any underlying musculoskeletal problems.
For more exercises to improve rib cage mobility and abdominal separation, check out my CORE + Healing DRA Masterclass. A 12-week program designed to get your mobility and strength back postpartum. Learn more.