The seated thoracic extension with a stick is a stretch for a stiff upper back. You sit upright, hold a stick or broom handle across your back with your elbows hooked around it, and lean back over it so the stick becomes the point your spine bends over. Moving the stick a little higher or lower lets you work different parts of the upper back (thoracic spine).

How to do the seated thoracic extension with a stick

Sit tall on a sturdy chair, feet flat on the floor. Leave some space between your back and the backrest.
Place a stick or broom handle across the middle of your back, below your shoulder blades. Take your elbows back and hook them around it, so the stick sits in the bend of each elbow, against your back. Your forearms point forward and your hands rest on your lap.
Keep the stick snug against your back with your elbows, then slowly lean your upper body backward over it. Your chest lifts and opens as your upper back bends over the stick.
Let your head follow your upper back rather than dropping it back on its own. Keep your bottom still on the seat.
Hold for a few seconds, then come back upright. To work a different part of your upper back, move the stick a little higher or lower and repeat.

What you should feel

Firm pressure where the stick meets your back, a stretch through your upper back and a pull across the front of your chest and shoulders.

Common mistakes

Tipping your head right back to look at the ceiling, so your neck bends more than your upper back.
Placing the stick low on your back, which makes the lower back arch instead.
Sliding forward on the seat and arching from the waist.
Leaning back quickly or bouncing at the end.

How often

Many programs use 5 to 10 slow repetitions with a hold of a few seconds, at one or two heights on the back, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in your back, ribs or shoulders, or pain, numbness or tingling spreading into your arms.
You feel dizzy, faint or unsteady. Stop and get medical advice the same day. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
Things look double, your vision suddenly blurs or goes, your speech slurs or becomes muddled, swallowing becomes hard, your face or lips go numb, one side of your face droops or one side of your body goes weak or numb, you suddenly become so dizzy or unsteady that you fall or cannot stand or walk, your legs suddenly give way but you do not black out (a drop attack), or you get a sudden severe headache. Stop and call emergency services, even if it goes away.

From the clinic

In this video the model's head drops a long way back each time he leans. Start with less: keep your chin slightly tucked and let the bend happen between your shoulder blades, with your head simply following. If the stick digs in, wrap a small towel around it. Taking the elbows back also stretches the front of your shoulders. If that pinches, try the seated thoracic extension with your arms crossed, or thoracic extension over a chair.

With osteoporosis, or a past fracture in your spine or ribs, check with your physio before you lean over the stick, as all the pressure goes through one small area of your back. Leaning back bends your spine and pulling the elbows back stretches across the front of your chest and shoulders, so after surgery on your spine, heart, chest or shoulder in recent months, get the go-ahead from your surgical team or physio first.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Seated thoracic extension with a stick