According to the results of a randomised, controlled trial published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, the implementation of exercise targeting the mid-thoracic spine showed significant improvements in sensory perception and reduced back pain in cross-country skiers.

A total of twenty elite skiers from 17 to 27 years of age were selected and divided into two groups; ten received three kinds of exercise targeting segmental motion in the mid-thoracic spine into their regular training practice for two months and ten selected as controls to perform their regular athletic training. Back pain intensity and frequency measured by the Young Spine Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the analysis were considered as the primary outcomes measures. Thermic perception, Tactile sensory perception, vibration perception, 2-point discrimination, and graphesthesia were measured by using TIP THERM device, 10-g Semmes–Weinstein monofilament, 128-Hz tuning fork, digital calliper, and touch monitor pencil, respectively. Both groups exhibited similarity in terms of baseline sensory perception and pain. However, after the 2-months of analysis, the exercise group showed a significant reduction in pain intensity and frequency in the thoracic area only. Vibration perception, 2-point discrimination, and graphesthesia also improved among the participants of the exercise group than the control. This explains that cross-country skiers attain positive feedback with exercise regimens.