WHAT IS THE THORACIC RING APPROACH?

 The Thoracic Ring Approach is the innovative and revolutionary 3D assessment and treatment model used for addressing issues with the thoracic spine and rib cage that has been created by our mentor Dr. LJ Lee.

Traditional physiotherapy (as well as other manual therapies like chiropractic) has viewed the thoracic spine as a very stiff structure and hasn’t really looked at this region of your body as a 3D model. Historically we’ve tried to push, poke, and manipulate the thoracic vertebrae to improve how it moved. The thoracic spine and rib cage were not really assessed as a functional unit.

 LJ’s research into the entire thorax has proven this wrong. The thorax is an incredibly flexible part of your body with many moving parts (think of how much a golfer rotates their upper body during their swing).

 Each thoracic ring is made up of 2 vertebrae in your spine, the ribs on the right and left at each level, and the connections of the ribs into your sternum. Each ring needs to be able to move independently of one another and be controlled as a functioning unit. 

A dysfunctional thorax can be the reason, or Driver, for many different types of pain. Consider all the rotator cuff strengthening you have been doing to help your shoulder pain; maybe the missing link to finally feeling better is the part of the body your shoulder sits on, the thorax. What about all the core rehab you’ve been doing; potentially your muscles aren’t functioning optimally because the upper part of your core, the thorax, isn’t able to move the way it should. Maybe the constant tightness you feel across the top of your back and shoulders that won’t release with massage needs to be looked at from a 3D perspective.

Nick has undergone extensive post-graduate training in ConnectTherapy and the Thoracic Ring Approach (and assisted Dr LJ Lee in teaching the models to other Physios for many years!)