How to Fix Pain Between the Shoulder Blades: 6 Simple Exercises

Six simple, effective exercises that may help relieve pain and stiffness between the shoulder blades, demonstrated by a chiropractor with over 24 years of clinical experience — including two you can do at your desk.

Pain between the shoulder blades is extremely common, usually from being hunched over a smartphone or staring at a monitor all day. It’s typically a mobility problem in the thoracic spine — the upper back between the shoulder blades — so the exercises focus on restoring movement there, which relieves the pain.

Our chiropractor Jasper Hulscher demonstrates six exercises: a thoracic cat-camel, thread the needle (with a foam roller or ball), the prone thoracic extension, a towel-assisted prone extension, and — for the office — a seated thoracic rotation and the YWTL exercise you can do on the move. A recurring technique throughout is anchoring the lower back (by sitting on the heels or hooking the legs around the chair) so the movement targets the upper back rather than the lower back.

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[00:00] The cause — pain between the shoulder blades is usually a thoracic-spine (upper back) mobility problem, commonly from hunching over phones and screens.

[00:27] Thoracic cat-camel — a cat-camel done sitting on the heels and propped on the elbows, which removes the lower back and targets the area between the shoulder blades. 10 reps, three sets.

[01:29] Thread the needle — sitting on the heels, slide one hand under the other across a foam roller or ball (the height focuses it on the upper back), holding ~5 seconds. 10 reps, three sets.

[03:03] Prone thoracic extension — lying face down with the hips and lower back pressed into the floor, fingers interlocked behind the head, lift up while pushing the elbows back. Hold ~5–10 seconds, 10 reps, three sets.

[04:00] Towel-assisted prone extension — lying prone, anchor the lower back and hinge the upper back over a towel held in the hands, moving it progressively higher. 10 reps, three sets.

[05:16] Seated thoracic rotation (office) — hook the legs outside the chair to anchor the lower back, hold the elbows, and rotate as far as you can each way, holding ~5 seconds.

[06:00] YWTL (office/on the move) — Y, W, T, then L arm positions, pulling the arms back and holding each ~5 seconds, to mobilise between the shoulder blades during the day.

Pain between the shoulder blades is very common and usually comes from a lack of mobility in the thoracic spine — the upper back — often from hunching over a phone or monitor for long periods. This video demonstrates six exercises to restore that movement and relieve the pain. Four are floor-based: a thoracic cat-camel (done on the heels and elbows to isolate the upper back), thread the needle over a foam roller or ball, the prone thoracic extension, and a towel-assisted prone extension. Two are office-friendly: a seated thoracic rotation and the YWTL exercise, both doable through the day. A technique runs through all of them — anchoring the lower back, whether by sitting on the heels or hooking the legs around the chair, so the movement targets the upper back between the shoulder blades rather than the lower back. Because the underlying cause is often posture, combining these with posture work gives the best lasting result. Persistent or severe upper-back pain should be professionally assessed.