Having a tight and sore upper back is very common. Most people do not realize that this is the trapezius muscle, also known as the “traps” muscle. If you do a lot of typing, taking on the phone or spending time at your desk, you may have first hand experience as to what I am talking about.
The Trapezius muscle is huge. It encompasses your neck, shoulder and upper back area- and it has 3 regions: upper fibers, middle fibers and lower fibers. Shaped like a trapezoid, this upper back and neck muscle is one of the largest in the body.
The trapezius muscle not only helps you to breathe, but it affects the motion of the scapula: elevation, adduction, abduction and depression (basically all your ranges of motion for the shoulder). So the next time you are reaching out for something, shrugging your shoulders, or turning to look at something- remember that the trapezius is involved. The trapezius muscle is activated when you laterally bend and rotate your head and neck– making the relationship with the neck very important. Everyday in our activities of daily living we are using the trapezius muscle. Sitting at a keyboard, driving, and sports such as tennis, baseball, and swimming all have active trapezius involvement.
Exercises for trapezius muscle pain relief
You can stretch the trapezius muscle at home quite easily: Steps to stretch the right side of the trapezius
- laterally bending your head to the left (left ear to left shoulder)
- taking your left hand to the right side of your head/ear and pushing to the left.
- Turn your head slightly right 3) Hold this stretch for 10 seconds, and repeat.
**make sure you are not slouching when you are doing this trap stretch; also, take deep breaths while you are stretching.
The trapezius muscle is commonly found to be stiff, tight and can be very painful. Besides doing regular stretches, you can get a portable tens unit for pain relief to work muscle spasms. Using this in conjuction with the heat/cold therapy is a good idea. For acute conditions use ice, and for chronic conditions (a condition lasting for greater than 3 months), use heat. For the trapezius muscle use a hot cold pack that is 6×20 (cervical pack)or 9×16 (tri sectional pack) in dimensions for good coverage. Finally, you can use topical pain relief creams for instant pain relief. One topical pain relief cream that you can use is called Sombra (see Below), which works similar to an icy hot.
A sore and painful upper trapezius muscle is more common than you may think. Working at a desk job, or driving for long hours are activites that use the trapezius muscle can cause the muscle fibers to shorten, increasing the tightness- often described as sore, achy, tight, even burning. This strain to the trapezius muscle can be very annoying and painful. Other things that can cause muscle spasms in the trapezius include : lack of exercise, stress, poor diet, tension, and faulty ergonomics. Simply making changes to improve our posture while sitting can help to keep the trapezius musle in a relaxed, pain free state.
The trapezius muscle is one of the largest muscles in the body. It is responsible for so many actions that we use at every moment of our life. Taking the time to stretch, maybe even change the way to work, and most importantly to relax can make a big difference.
Additional Reading Resouces
- The Dreaded Hunchback. How to correct that area of your Upper back that pops out and looks funny
- Why is Slouching so Bad
- Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for the Neck
- How to Treat Tight Muscles with Biofreeze Natural Pain Relief Gel
- A pillow for neck and shoulder pain that works for side and back sleepers
- How to treat muscle spasm with Sombra Gel and a Hot and Cold Pack
- Decreasing Tension and Stress in the Upper Back area
Visit Arc 4 life for your online selection of cervical supports and cervical traction products for neck pain relief, neck stiffness and discomfort
Hi there,
your blog has priceless information on neck problems..
thank you
http://spondylosis-neckpain.blogspot.com
As a chiropractor I find this site packed with information. And being specialized in spinal corrective care for treating aliments like neck pain this site is good in highlighting the importance of good posture.
Dr. Kalla, thank you for your comment. Treating posture is the first step in helping patients with getting rid of neck pain, and stiffness. – NJ
Hello I’m looking for help and advise as it seams I have been to every type of doctor and have got nowhere with my pain issues. I have lower back problems (5 bulging disk as the MRI indicated) however going on a year now my neck pain is getting to the point where I can’t live a normal life.
The pain is in the back of my neck and shots up the right side of my head just behind the ear. I do pretty well during the day after I wake up and stretch out the pain is somewhat manageable. My biggest problem is at night; I cannot sleep more than two hours before I wake up in so much pain I can barley move!!! Sometimes I even need help because the pain is so bad I can’t move without extreme pain. I have done every thing I can think of, I went out and bought a good bed I have a contoured pillow however nothing works.
This problem seams to get a little worse every day, at first you think as we all have that I just slept wrong shake it off and no bid deal. However knowing my body and being an active blue-collar guy something is not right.
At this time I have two large sponges stuck under my pillowcase so I cannot move my head while I sleep (a setup like a back board which I have been on before) helps some. I’m 45 years old and in good shape with an athletic build and all my doctors tell me it’s stress and I’m telling them it’s more to it than that. I believe due to the fact I am in good shape they feel there is no major trouble with me, however, I can not get them to understand there is something serious wrong!!!!
Have any ideas for me??? With today’s advances in the medical field, I can’t believe they can’t find my problem and I can’t deal with this pain as it is not only killing me personally it is hurting my marriage and my professional life as well.
Dwayne
Good morning all,
I had a serious accident about 6 years ago, and tore the upper trapezius on my left hand side. I am a body builder and would like to know if it’s possible to repair this, and if so please give me the pros and cons. The two main reason would be the way it looks and to give me full motion back in my left arm. I sometimes have a little discomfort but nothing to serious.
Currently the attached end is on my neck in a small ball.
Thanks
Dwayne – your delimma sounds just like mine. No matter what I do I can’t seem to get any releif. Please let me know if you can make any headway.
Dionte – my email is dionte@preciseland.com
it suckz
Hi Dwayne, first, have a regular time for sleeping and awaking. At least 8 hours of sleeping. regular time for mealtime (consult for diet)and taking 1 – 2 glasses of water every hour or juices the better. Avoid snacks and foods and drinks that will ferment your blood–pies, sugar with milk, too much of sugar,junk foods and fruits combined with veges. At this first steps, you may gradually determine your problem. In fact, all the above will contribute pain in your body. Stress is one of the very reasons why we get pain. Also, please avoid caffeinated drinks or any unnatural stimulants because this will contribute re your case. The Last but not the least is, try to ask God for guidance, He cares for you and me. Matthew 9:22. Jeremiah 33:3
Godbless
I am in tears almost, dwayne as you are my description and prob. almost identically! I am having some relief with the exercises here on strengthening the neck…I am ready for them to shoot is all with cortizon…sadly…hope you find relief my friend! 🙁
dwayne I sympathize so much..in your spot almost identically…let me know if you find the magic bullet/cure…i am raedy for doses of cortizon to kill the pain in my neck/ear(left side)
Dwayne, I think you should try myotherapy with trigger point release, done by physiotherapists.
We take care of back pain because they cause too much pain and lead us to take medicine that doctors prescribe for us to control the pain, and it is difficult for the high cost and side effects are that we produce, hopefully manage to develop something better care of our health.
came across this article via a google search, really like the clear easy suggestions
the graphic is very helpful, and enjoyed the links to other articles i “might also like” 😉
thanks!
nice article.
Thank you
hello guys i find this information really helpful and i just want to add a few things..try things in stepwise pattern
in addition of plenty of fluids and a balanced diet try the stretching exercises first
Do not use any topical pain killers(unless prescribed by a concerned person) as its not a treatment its just a temporary relief….moreover they got some serious side effects
physiotherapy is effective and a few new techniques like acupuncture are also available is some regions
heat application at the effected side along with massage is helpful
wish u all happy and pain free life 🙂
Here’s another thing: If your trapezius muscles are badly swollen, maybe it’s caused by an accident or stiff movement. First thing you must do is to put ice on it twice a day; this can help reduce the swelling. After the swelling and the pain are gone, you must exert your effort to exercise to strengthen your neck’s muscles.
I had vertabrae 4 and 5 fused and I can not find a pillow that gives me neck support when I sleep. I can not get into a deep sleep as a result of the neck pain I feel at night. I’ve tried countless pillows to try and fix the problem with no luck. Is there any special pillow that provides neck support?
Dwayne,
It definitely sounds like lots of bound up muscle and trigger points. This is where stress or an injury causes muscles to become permanently contracted in hyper-sensitive knots. Usually you’ll just feel stiff but if you can find the trigger points they will be incredibly painful and burn when you put pressure on them. With controlled direct pressure for 30 seconds or so the pain will then subside and the muscle will loosen. Usually requires numerous treatments before the muscle is retrained from its past tension holding pattern. This is a very common condition most doctors have little knowledge of.
Find a well trained trigger point medical massage therapist and prepare to encounter a lot of pain. But it’s worth it
Here’s some info on trigger point locations and their pain referral patterns…
Hi i from india and have a similar problem like Dwayne..Its been 12yrs of pain and no remedy. have heard a lot about formula 303 homepath medicine. has anyone in this forum used it?pls help
has anyone used formula 303. pls help
Hi Dwayne, I would recommend trying some acupuncture, remedial massage & getting to the root of metaphysical causes. The neck can be getting stuck in your way of seeing & doing things. There can be numerous ways of dealing with issues. Also you can ask “Who or what is a pain in the neck”?
Formula 303 is great- it has natural ingredients and works very well for upper trapezius issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016KX9SI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=neckpainsuppo-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0016KX9SI&linkId=b353c806ccfa201951c3377981cc711d