Neck pain can be due to many things - due to a sprain or stain, whiplash, due to a misalignment in the bones, due to bad posture and also due to tightness in the muscles. Today I want to focus on the muscular component, specifically, the large trapezius muscle.
The Trapezius muscle has upper fibers, middle fibers and lower fibers. Much neck pain can originate directlyfrom the upper part of the trapezius. The upper portion of the trapezius attach to the skull. When the trapezius muscle is tight, they will shorten in length, creating a lot of neck pain, tension and headaches.
Even for patients with a herniated disc, pinched nerve, arthritis, spondylosis etc - it is often coming from the trapezius muscle.
One way to know if your trapezius muscle is tight and causing neck pain is to simple look at your posture. Is one shoulder higher than the other? Is the shoulder higher than the collar bone? The side that is higher means that the trapezius is tight and shortened on that side. Simple being aware of your posture can help you with this. Imagine being in a constant posture of shrugging your shoulders/ one shoulder. This is what a tight trapezius can feel like. If you look at anyone who works on the computer for hours on end, or is on the phone constantly, you will see it clearly. Also forward head posture will also cause tight trapezius. Simply having your head forward by 3" can cause you to be carrying an additional load of 42 lbs of stress.
Here is a short 5 minute video that shows you 3 exercises you can do for tight trapezius muscles that are very effective:
- Look at your posture: Look at specifically where your shoulders (one side higher than the other side) and also where is your head (Head retraction exercises can help you combat)
- Shoulder Shrugs - lift the shoulder and shrug the shoulder back.
- Turn your head and neck to one side
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