Lower Trapezius Anatomy And Activation Exercises That You Can Do At Home!
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- In todays video we cover some of the basic anatomy of the Trapezius muscle as well as looking at exercises that can be done from home to
activate and strengthen up the lower trapezius muscle.
Why should I work my lower trapezius?
Strengthening your trapezius is an important part of any workout routine. This muscle is involved in the mobility and stability of the scapula (shoulder blade).
Both men and women seem to neglect working on their trapezius muscles (traps), whether it’s because they can’t see the muscle, don’t understand the importance of it, or simply don’t know what exercises to perform.
For maximum back and shoulder performance, you want to be able to depress and retract your scapula, which you can’t do if you have weak lower traps. Also, there needs to be a balance between your lower traps, upper traps, deltoids (delts), and serratus (which attaches the ribs to the scapula) for your back and shoulders to properly perform an exercise.
The point is, weak lower traps can increase the risk of injury during other exercises, such as a chest press.
What is the Trapezius?
The trapezius muscle is a large muscle bundle that extends from the back of your head and neck to your shoulder. It is composed of three parts:
Upper trapezius
Middle trapezius
Lower trapezius
The trapezius, commonly referred to as the traps, are responsible for pulling your shoulders up, as in shrugging, and pulling your shoulders back during scapular retraction.
The upper fibers, the middle fibers (called the middle trapezius), and the lower fibers (called the lower traps).The division into the separate, distinct parts of this muscle is about functionality. In other words, each area does something different.
The upper trapezius arises from your occipital bone in the back of your skull and the nuchal line in the back of your neck. The muscle also has attachments to the spinous processes of cervical level one through six via the ligamentum nuchae. Attachments of the lower fibers of the trapezius arise from the spinous processes of cervical seven through thoracic level 12.
The muscular fibers of the triangular-shaped traps travel to insert on the spine of the scapula and the acromion of the scapula. They also attach to the outer one-third of the clavicle or collar bone.
Nerve innervation to the trapezius muscle is interesting, as it is served by a cranial nerve. This nerve called the spinal accessory nerve, or cranial nerve XI, arises from your brain stem and travels from your skull down to the trapezius muscle, providing motor input.
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This is the best lower trap video I’ve found 👍🏻
Really good explanation. I pretty sure this is what’s happening to me. I feel like my scapular is scraping and curling forward. Many years of stress, shoulders up around ears. My pecs are super tight and they are pulling me forward even further. Massive headaches, pain in rhomboids which are prob stretched and weak along with lower mid traps. Stretching out my pecs, lats and chest gives me significant relief I which was a massive lightbulb moment. My levator scap is chronically tight too. While deep neck flexors and lower cervical extensors along with shoulder “stability” exercises have helped I feel this overly protracted shoulders is a massive issue. Thanks man 👏🏻
@jascha Oakes any update I have the same issue ?
I’m interested in this because I want to correct my posture permanently
Forreal bruh
Great video! I especially appreciated the anatomy lesson. Thank you!
Super helpful video, thank you! I was told to work on my lower trap strength, and I wasn't sure what that meant/what the lower trap is. I know now!
Thank you for this. You explain everything so well! I would love if you made a video on some stretches and work outs for winged scapula. I have muscle imbalance in my right shoulder/arm, it's visably smaller than my left arm, and my right shoulder blade is winging because of it.
brillant video, thank you!
Really appreciate the in-depth explanation
I've got a bit of lower trap weakness going on - this seems like a great place to start. Thanks!
Very clear description. Thanks
thank you for this i'm going to give it a go! I've got awful upper body posture and have just started to try and train upper body in the gym and can already feel my upper traps getting worse and tighter!! going to go back to basics and do this I think to try and sort it before I continue
Great set.
Thank you.
Thank you👍🏻 really helpful especially the first one
Hey Travis,
Thanks so much my man. This video is a gem for lower trapezius and cervical and spinal health. People like you are spreading wisdom and helping humanity it's amazing 🙏😀
Keep doing what you do, you're great
Much support
You’re great educator! I found this so interesting and helpful. I’m going to start working these.
Thank you sir - great explanation 👍
So helpful!! Thank you!!
Amazing video, really needed this in depth explanation to help with my forward head posture (text neck)
Wow, very helpful and clearly explained video.
Very impressed by the effortless technical explanation mixed with lament explanation
Thank you. information was presented very clearly
Impresivelly well explained video it helps me understand what has happened to me for a long time now. Thanks for sharing this information mate keep on!
Yeah this is pretty good. Thank you
Great explanation!!!!!!!!
Very helpful.. Thank you
Very good explanation of each (high, mid, low) Trapezius. Also, good visual and explanation of the exercises. Thank you.
This was a very informative video, I like people who demonstrate well what they want to convey across.
Subbed simply for this video, thank you.
Thank you!
Wow, what an explanation...... thank you.... 🎉
Good explanation
Thank you krub
Excellent explanation
Thank you
I'm 5 minutes in, and I had to pause specially to thank you for this brilliant breakdown of trapezieus anatomy as I'm currently preparing for my PT exam next may. Well done coach Tarrant 👏 👍
Wow that feels great 😌
Love them 💕 all
Thanks bro.it is really work for me 😍
simple bt impressive...
Superb
Very good
You are awesome 😊
Like it. Thx
Recently sprained my AC joint. Trying to assess my body for structural imbalances and weaknesses to prevent future injury. Think I found it.
Hey travis. This video is awesome. Am trying to address my rounded shoulders that are super unattractive. Now for your final exercise with the pole on top, do the elbows have to be so straight? Is it cheating if there is a slight bend? Also, how do I insure I am not cheating here??? Thanks. And where are you on IG???? 😇 keep well and safe….
Great info, thank you. I have the winging on one side and rounded forward shoulder on the other. I am hoping these exercises(beginners) work for me. I do have a dominant/contracted upper trap and a weak levator. Most times when I try to strengthen the mid to lower traps, I have discomfort in my acromion on one side and then it goes up the side of my neck. I know it’s all do to weaknesses/imbalances. I am always trying to find different ways to strengthen the mid to lower traps, hoping these exercises will help.
Thank you for the kind words LW.
It's all about finding an exercise that you can feel in the mid/low traps and really focusing on doing it regularly. If the upper traps are completely rock solid and not allowing the lower/mid traps and rhomboids to work at all, things like massage therapy can help decrease the heightened tone of the overactive muscles.
If you have a luxury of a gym, a good exercise I do in my clinic is covered in this video at 3:30
ruclips.net/video/5RIRCJBeMF0/видео.html&ab_channel=MarkColesM10
I didn't include it in this video as the whole purpose of my video is exercises that can be done from home with minimal equipment but it may help someone who looks in the comments.
Don't forget to also try to lengthen and stretch the pecs!
All the best with your rehabilitation!
Travis
I have this problem with my nosy upper traps- it’s like trying to stretch cement between my neck and shoulders.
The slightest arm movement in any direction and they come up like a huge hard lump and make my neck unstable.
I also have winging as well but my left is worse.
were you able to do this exercise without discomfort in acromion area?
@@UKFH thank you Travis!
Best
great video - new sub here 👍
Hey dude thanks for the content. Do you think these exercises would help a lower right trap thats been swollen/enlarged for 3 months ?
Hi PB,
Thats a difficult question without seeing you and assessing you. I would need to know why your lower trap was swollen/enlarged and investigate what was causing your issue to give you appropriate aftercare advise. If you have not yet seen a Physio or Sports Therapist they should definitely be able to give you some answers.
If you do these exercises and get physical pain I would stop immediately, if however as you're doing the exercises you begin to feel better and your right lower trap starts to become less stiff and swollen/movement starts to get better than I would persist with the exercises.
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH Thanks for the detailed response, i appreciate it. These exercises don't hurt (only pain is sometimes when sitting back or lying on my back and leaning against the swell) i've been doing these and other similar exercises for afew weeks now, showing some slight improvement, although if i over do them im in more pain the following day.
I messed up my right arm/shoulder pretty badly last summer on a heavy bag. Neck, shoulder, arm/elbow were in bad pain for 4/5 months. As that slowly subsided just before newyear, this pain/swell developed in my right mid to lower trap, possibly due to pullups and benching (alittle) too soon.. not really sure if its related. I will continue these exercises though and look into seeing a therapist if it doesn't improve soon. Thanks again.
Do you have an alternative movement if the serratus is tight and gives me pain with overhead movements like y-raises?
GOD BLESS TRAVIS! This was soooo helpful. Question - if one scapular is stronger than the other (like yours) how to work on balancing them?
Hi Local,
Doing movements such as single arm pulldowns and really focusing on scapular depression as well as retraction would be what I would do!
Kindest regards,
Travis
Hi! Great video, the best I've seen on the topic because only during these exercises I feel targeted muscles pretty well. Is there some progression / more advanced video for the future stronger me? :)
Hi Ada,
Absolutely, If that is something you're interested feel free to contact me via my website. I do customized plans for those wanting specific progressions/consultations :)
Kindest regards,
Travis
Well explained!
I’ve had a scapula fracture a long time ago. Do you think is this related with my dyskinesis?
Hello Filipe,
Thank you for the comment! Scapula Dyskinesis can be caused for a variety of different reasons. The most common being weakness, tightness or muscular imbalance of the muscles that control Scapula movement. Less common issues can sometimes be injuries to the nerves that innovate the muscles, complete muscle detachments or bone injuries such as fractures and clean breaks.
So in answer to your question, I couldn't say without treating you but there is a possibility that it could be linked. Even if it is linked, by seeing a good physiotherapist you should be able to drastically improve how the scapula functions even with a previous fracture.
All the best!
Travis
do pullups activate the lower traps?
Hi Travis. Great video content! I have a problem with my left lower trap muscle. I can't seen to get it to fire. I also have a weak left serratus anterior muscle. Is it possible to strengthen weak lower trap if the same side serratus muscle is also weak? I guess I'm asking which came first the chicken or the egg? Does one have to be strengthened for the one will work. When I use the pull up bar to do lower trap shrugs I can feel my left shoulder blade winging which makes it very difficult to engage or fire the lower traps. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Travis
Hi Nate Dog!
Making sure your lower traps and serratus anterior are working is definitely important to prevent the shoulder winging you describe. In answer to your question you can do both at the same time, if you find you have more success working one more than the other definitely focus more on whatever your body is responding better to initially.
As well as focusing on that, get the T spine moving well there are plenty of T spine mobilisation videos on YT. Tight and overactive pectoral muscles and upper traps can be big contributors. Posterior shoulder stiffness can be a big player as well, just double check your range of motion in the sleeper stretch.
Like any motor control intervention, the key is to regress exercises to the point where perfect practice can be achieved. As far as exercise, I'd suggest a mix of closed and open chain work. Turkish Getups and great for open chain, Serratus push ups , wall slides, regular push ups focusing on shoulder blade protraction at the top of the movement are good closed chain options. It can be a long and frustrating process to change in some people (though a lot of people are typically not motivated to exercise full stop).
Theres plenty of different options. When clients say "whats the best exercise?" the answer always is whatever is giving you pain free results and you feel is working and engaging the right area.
Hope that helps, All the best!
Travis
@@UKFH Great information. Thanks Travis!
His voice is so elegant and soothing! :)
plus: even I can understand every word 😎🇩🇪
This is are all so difficult for me, which I guess is a good thing cause it probably means that all my shoulder and neck issues might be because my lower traps are so weak compared to the rest of my muscles
Hey Mr Meeseeks,
Keep it up, they do become easier overtime!
I mentioned on another comment that if these are difficult as a start point, get the body used to doing row movements, lat pulldowns and rack pulls under a really slow tempo in addition to doing these isolation exercises.
Hopefully it should speed up the process of strengthening up your lower traps.
Kind regards,
Travis
Hi Travis, Thanks for the video, it helps a lot. With the last exercise i seem to get better activation in my mid traps if i try to stretch /elongate the bar with my hands as i retract and depress. Is it my imagination or could this improve the mind muscle connection i have with my sleepy mid/lower traps?
Hi John,
Might be worth trying to work your ability to depress from an elevated position. This video tutorial of a shrug might help you to go from a elevated position then work on forcefully pulling the shoulder blades down from that position. In turn helping mind muscle connection :)
ruclips.net/video/r9M3IjQJ_bs/видео.html
Kind regards,
Travis
Perfect. Instant sub. Is this good for middle traps?
Hi Tel,
They will be good for the middle traps. Any exercises that require you to retract the shoulder blades and bring them close together will develop the mid trap region and rhomboids.
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH yeah my rhoms and lower traps are weak :b
thank you, sir, btw do i have to stretch the upper traps or just focus on strengthening the lower traps, bc I've been stretching my upper traps for a long period of time without any benefits, I just want your opinion
Hi Mohammed,
In general and as a whole I recommend stretching however when a muscle is really tight and stretching is no longer creating any benefits or making symptoms worse then the question should be "What is causing this muscle to be tight in the first place?" I often describe to my clients that there is a root cause for chronic muscle tightness that needs to be diagnosed and fixed.
The upper trapezius is a complex muscle in that the muscle crosses over various joints. Therefore, any shift in the spine such as poor posture or muscle imbalance can significantly affect the muscle. Even things like stress can create muscular tension. As mentioned above, shortening of any one of the joints will involuntarily contract the upper trapezius and produce trigger points and pain/stiffness.
A good physiotherapist/sports therapist should point you in direction of what is causing your upper trapezius to be tight and "weak" lower trapezius muscles in comparison to the upper traps can be one of many reasons.
Wishing you all the best!
Travis
Hi, great video, thanks for sharing. I have started doing the first exercise, and have a query regarding the internal rotation of the hands. This feels strange / awkward to me, as I generally do this type of exercise with my hands in either a neutral position or externally rotated. Please may I ask, is there a big advantage with the internal rotation? Also, as I have a long term mid/upper back problem, I am starting out doing the exercise in an upright standing position, so its not too aggressive. Would you say this is a good idea, or a waste of time? Thank you in advance for any help.
Hi Greg,
Thank you for your question! You can start off the exercise in a standing position, you may find the bar exercise demonstrated a better exercise if you prefer to be upright and want to focus on scapula depression. The reason for internal hand rotation is to fire the subscapularis muscle up which sits under your scapula, it is an awkward movement I do agree.
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH Thanks for your reply, much appreciated. I am feeling improvements already after a few days, so can't thank you enough. The reason i'm wanting to strengthen the general area is that I have a long term weakness which stems from a road cycling accident 10 years ago. I am now of the opinion that some muscles groups have basically shut down and never awakened since. No amount of stretching has helped. I often get a burning sensation when in a leant-forward position, and general stiffness and pain, mainly first thing in the morning. I will keep these exercises up and see how I go :)
I’m curious, why not include Active Hang which recruits both the Lat and Lower Trap?
Hi Norman,
Great question. This video was put together for the everyday public. I try to make progressions that people can work up to easily. If I made a part two to this video of harder exercise progressions things like Scapula pull ups would be in the video amongst other exercises.
Kind regards,
Travis
Can i do the over head by doing deadhangs on a pullup bar
Hi King,
Absolutely, this would be a more advanced style of the exercise but can be highly effective if the exercises shown in this video are too easy.
Kind regards,
Travis
I couldn't even lift the pole off the bench! Am I doing it wrong or does it mean my lower traps are just too weak and I should start with the uther 2 exercises? Thanks
I was working out & I felt a shock pain on the right side of my spine that went from the top to the lower part & it shot back up it felt like my trap muscle it wasn’t…. I don’t know exactly what it was bt now I feel paint on my trap muscle feels tight
Hello, I’m doing the Isometric contraction exercise with holding a light weight in my hand to strength my lower traps, is it ok?
thank you
Hi Sara,
That is no problem at all!
Kindest regards,
Travis
Hey travis, after my push workout(shoulder and chest) i have a burning sensation in my right lower traps and pain, what am i doing wrong? the same thing happened one month back and I have stopped going gym for a week till it recovered, again the same thing happened?
Hi Ronak,
Are you warming up the lower trapezius and serratus muscles prior to your workout? if not that would be the first thing I would start doing.
Kind regards,
Travis
Hi Travis. I seem to have a really hard time feeling my lower traps when I try to activate them, for example when I try and do a prone T exercise my scapula downwardly rotates the is this normal? Or other muscles over compensating? Hope you can help because I’ve got constant neck and upper shoulder pain
Hi Andy,
I wouldn't be too worried about the scapula rotating downwards. The ascending (lower) fibers are responsible for depression of the medial part of the scapula, and thus lowering the shoulder.
Any exercise which incorporates this movement safely will work the lower traps. many exercises that work the mid traps like rows can be altered slightly to shift the emphasis a little more onto the lower traps. It can be really difficult to feel a 'mind muscle connection' and lower trap engagement so I encourage clients to do lots of various exercises and we then evaluate what exercise is working best then we persist with for that exercise and improve it, everyone is different so exercises that may work great for one individual may not work for another.
I find the last exercise in this video or prone or incline shrugs (with a scapular rotation and slight back bend at the peak contraction) hit the area really hard personally. Rack pulls and behind the head lat pulldowns also deserve a mention too.
I hope your neck and shoulder pain gets better soon and I am wishing you all the best in your recovery!
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH Thanks for taking the time to reply, do you thing that low trap work is the key to fixing sore upper trap and levator scapula? Thanks again
@@andyv4282 you're more than welcome! Without actually assessing you I wouldn't be able to definitively say in your case but I can tell you that when the upper traps/lev scap are chronically shortened and tight it can and does cause neck pain, stiffness, headaches, jaw pain and reduced range of movement etc.
It's very common that I see those types of symptoms in clinic, especially tension headaches.
Sometimes it can be resolved through myofascial release and soft tissue therapy, other times exercise or both.
@@UKFH I have seen local physio in my area but honestly get nowhere with them whatsoever to the point where they don’t even remove my T-shirt to assess me. Definitely my left is worse with more winging and shrugging up whenever I use my left arm. I will give these a try starting with the basics for a while 👍
Hi Andy,
Are you in the UK?
If so I would recommend seeing a highly qualified sports therapist or if you have a local rugby team ask who they use, often rugby physiotherapists are a lot more 'hands on' than the ones a doctor will refer you to and they see sporting injuries 24/7 and have greater experience working with athletes etc.
I agree completely with your video. But according to studies, there seems to be no correlation with having dyskinesia or not regarding symptoms or function. Why is that? It seems logical that having anterior and protracted shoulder blades would not only weaken the chronic lengthen posterior muscles, but any movements would put more on the anterior deltoid, like bench press would be a overhead press in relation to the shoulder position.
Hey Emil,
I can't say I know too much about dyskinesia beyond that its linked to Parkinson's disease and is essentially an involuntary muscle spasm.
Did you mean Scapular Dyskinesis? If so I would be very weary regarding any types of clinical based studies.
If I give you a few examples, overhead athletes are more prone to developing Scapular Dyskinesis as a result of the repetitive overhead throwing motions they undertake on a regular basis, this doesn't necessarily mean it will cause the athlete pain/dysfunction especially if they are fit and strong. Think of a boxer, constantly in a crouched position slipping and evading punches. Boxers tend to have rounded shoulders and are more prone to scapula protraction through their sport, but this doesn't mean they will experience pain and dysfunction necessarily or a decrease in range of movement. Often boxers despite having rounded shoulders will have incredibly strong rotator cuff muscles, lats and upper back muscles despite the fact these muscles might be in a more "lengthened" position than the average person.
I tell massage students there is little to no clinical evidence that massage has any benefits, but top sports teams still use sports massage therapists daily, athletes feel they recover faster by having massage, those suffering chronic pain sometimes have the issue resolved through massage, clients feel sometimes relaxed and sleepy after massages.... Yet there is really no 'clinical' evidence studies to back this up.
I remember being in university I was observing someone with a chronically tightened and short Pec minor, I could feel it was tight, the clients range of motion was significantly decreased in external rotation, they were experiencing pain however there was no way for me to clinically prove this person has a "short" pec minor, I would have to open up the body, dethatch pec major then measure the muscle, do a whole course of rehabilitation and correctional exercise then open up the person and detatch pec major, remeasure pec minor... You see where I am going with this, it would be impossible to clinically justify what I could see with my eyes.
Whilst its an extreme example, it's one of many where we know something but to get a clinical support for it is very difficult.
Great question Emil!
Are there any substitutes for the 2nd and 3rd exercises if we don't have a pole?
Hi Nirvana,
I generally find people can use household objects for example a broom, mop handle, anything of a similar dimension. If not, I would then try them both without.
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH Got it, thanks so much! 😊
I wonder why inward turn the arms at the first prone exercise, not outward turn arms? thanks
Hi Jianquing,
This is to get the muscles of the rotator cuff active for stabilisation during the movement.
Kindest regards,
Travis
@@UKFH thanks. great video
The best for lower traps are pullups front lever
Hi Travis can weak lower traps cause tight neck muscles?
Hi Sharon,
Tight neck muscles can be attributed to a wide umbrella of reasons from external factors i.e stress to muscular imbalances/lifestyle choices/genetic disposition. To answer your question, yes however there are many differing reasons for neck tightness.
Kind regards,
Travis
How to do this without cramping?
Hey!
Hard to say without seeing you and diagnosing "why?" that was happening. A good physiotherapist or sports therapist should be able to tell you why your lower traps were cramping. Could be muscular restriction I.e trigger points, tight connective tissue or could be other muscles that are dominating the movement, often releasing these off if they're hypertonic can help other muscles contract properly. Finally sometimes cramping is caused by underuse of a specific muscle so if a muscles not used to working in a specific movement in isolation it can often get angry and cause cramping.
Kind regards,
Travis
hello, can I choose one of these exercises or should I do them all?
Hi Sara,
You could do all or just one to start off with.
Kindest regards,
Travis
@@UKFH cool, thank you so much!
How would we rate Scapular Pullups? Any good?
Hi Thor,
Whilst it's not something I tend to give to the general public due to the strength needed to properly execute a scapula pull up, it's a very under rated exercise. I generally use them as a warm up when training athletes before going into actual pull ups.
If done at a slow controlled tempo they should activate the Lower traps nicely however in my experience the quicker the movement is done the greater the latissimus dorsi takes over the movement.
Great question.
Regards,
Travis
@@UKFH thanks, pal. I use 8x 30 second isometric holds as part of my 8x8 routine. They hit the forearms good too, as you know. I'm gonna try out the exercises in the video right now as I've just arrived at the gym (11.03am here, UK)
would this help in scapula winging?
Hi Fadil,
It can do, however there are many different reasons why a scapula could be winging!
Kindest regards,
Travis
@@UKFH hello travis. THANK YOU! i did the exercise for 1 day. 1 day!! (was painful trying to maintain a contracted lower trap for so long) and i didnt have any more scapula winging. no more pain! impressive. i just had to strengthen the lower portion of the traps and job done!
I have one goes further down then the other one
Very common abdellatif, can be many reasons for that ranging from genetics such as scoliosis, posture/lifestyle such as someone driving with one hand on a car steering wheel for an extended period of time everyday, overusing one side of the body i.e a dominant side and less commonly neurological conditions.
I will add uneven shoulders to the list of videos I intend to make in the future.
Kind regards,
Travis
@@UKFH i appreciate your reply man , is there anything that can be done about it?
@@abdellatifboudelal167 Not to steal Travis's thunder but you can perform extra work for the weaker/less active side by using one arm first, then both. However don't completely neglect the stronger/more active side, because it's always better to be stronger, vast majority of people need more lower trap strength (also glute strength is equally lacking, build this too)
Great video!
One thing is not clear to me - could you please explain why in the first exercise:
ruclips.net/video/-cfXxk2qJeA/видео.html
You suggest to keep the palm facing away from you?
As I understand, this will put your shoulder internally rotated.
With the palm facing away, the shoulder is put into a more challenging position encouraging the one rotator cuff muscle that works in internal rotation (Subscapularis) to work. Subscapularis sits underneath the scapula and in this instance helps to protect and encourage the scapula to be better stabalised during the static hold and prevent winging.
The point of that exercise however is to keep the shoulder high using the rear delts, then depress the scapula down to encourage the scapula to get used to depression via a combination of the lower traps to depress and rhomboids and latissimus dorsi to retract which in most big gym movements work together synergistically. All of those three muscles fibres run from high to low in fibre orientation.
Thanks for the question :)
@@UKFH Thank you for such a comprehensive answer!
I have problems with my right side and what has helped me is mastering the overhead squat. I can feel my trap cramping as the fibers are forced to properly engage. I do it weighted as its own exercise, and with a broom stick between chest/bench press sets to activate and stabilize my scapula while stretching my pecs and lats
I’m trying but I have issues in both my triceps and biceps and elbow and have trouble keeping my arms straight until I get checked out by a shoulder specialist in a few weeks as unfortunately no physio I’ve gone to will help with investing this- they just ignore it or fob me off to a neurologist. 🙄
Hi Rach,
Good luck for when you see a shoulder specialist, I hope it goes well!
From reading your other comment, if a muscle is hypertonic so in a state of constant contraction and chronically tight (Like that feeling you refer in your comment where you say your traps feel like cement) sometimes I can't even start exercise rehabilitation until I have done things like myofascial release, deep tissue massage and alternative types of therapy. It is quite rare for someone to be so tight that exercise is off limits initially but it can happen in people that have left tightness for a long period of time.
With someone with your symptoms I would also try taping your upper trapezius and levator scapula to see if symptoms improved and you found some relief. Taping works brilliantly for some and not as much for others. There would be no harm in trying until you can resolve your bicep/tricep troubles and can complete exercises in this video where you need to keep your arms straight. (I haven't done any taping videos however this video shows how to tape the areas -> ruclips.net/video/hG4BaVbZMco/видео.html&ab_channel=JohnGibbons
All the best Rach!
Travis
@@UKFH thanks so much for replying.
Here in Australia there seems to be a big push away from hands on manual therapy in recent years which is extraordinarily frustrating.
You’re lucky to get a minute or two of it and only if you’re super pushy or should I say, frustrated, disillusioned and desperate to get out of chronic discomfort.
I have had taping twice before but ended up with a skin fungal infection (it’s autumn here now) as it didn’t dry fast enough before going to bed and got super itchy after a few days- they had to wait til the skin settled before they could do it again a week later, and I was using the hairdryer to dry the tape quickly however that only made it bond to my skin more when the tape started separating and peeled off- that was about a year ago now.
They also used the theragun here and there which makes me want to buy one just to get some relief in between because I just don’t have the muscle strength or range to massage them myself.
Nobody gave me exercises to try and turn on the lower traps instead and get the ones at the shoulder to settle down.
My serratus on both sides hasn’t worked for a year and I’m finding this stuff from constantly self learning more than anything.
I pray the shoulder specialist breaks this pattern of poor practice and can refer me to a preferred physio who will put themselves in their patients shoes and just help.
Physio here definitely isn’t what it used to be- they all fancy themselves as academics too out of touch with their patients and reality instead dismissing us with academic statistics in detached disassociation.
I know that holding the phone and typing doesn’t help at all- that seems to be one of the worst postures for me that sustains this pattern of particular interference and dominance.
Thanks again for your reply and well wishes I wish you were practicing in Brisbane! 🙂
@@UKFH P.S. i did have temporary nutritional deficiencies last year but they have settled now.
I knew that low potassium and magnesium play a part in tight muscles but didn’t know that low iron can do the same.
It’s apparently reported that in some people even after the deficiencies are corrected (I had gut issues that messed up my absorption and low zinc which is what you need in the small intestine to extract nutrients) the tight muscles still remain.
I don’t think I am one of those people I think I’m also sustaining postures that aren’t good for me and struggling with weight and movement until I can break the pattern.
www.livestrong.com/article/421963-low-iron-muscle-aches/
@@UKFH sorry to write again but I forgot to mention that all the physios without proper investigation keep telling me to stretch my traps- the section at my neck already feels non existent or stretched to within an inch of their lives now.
I feel like I’ve just been ineffectively tugging on tight traps in that same section and am going to try leaving them alone for a bit as I suspect they are also tight from weakness.
@@rachkate76 Hi Rach,
There is a push away from Manual therapy here also, its generally the reason why people end up having to go to private therapists however financially that is not an option for most people hence why I post educational videos for those who need access to information. Fungal infections can happen as a result of taping, generally if they're heated up well enough and replaced and reapplied frequently enough it solves that issue. There are quite a few different types of tape out on the market now. I quite like theraguns, its not something I use at all in clinic as I find clients think it is a bit gimmicky and lazy but they do get good reviews and it's nice to have something you can reach for when pain gets really bad. Diet and hydration play a massive role in connective tissue health, I can tell if someone is hydrated or dehydrated during a massage with how someone's connective tissue feels. Adapting lifestyle habits like standing up straight, not rounding the shoulders forward, not spending excessive time sitting are all important in correcting dysfunction but it is easier said than done. If someone's upper traps are tight, that is the problem but the solution comes by often correcting what has made them tight in the first place, therefore stretching a chronically tight muscle will often either aggravate the issue further or give temporary relief then everything goes back to as it was.
So we can lift 500lb shrugs for upper traps, but all we can do for the lower is these little exercises, what an odd body we live in. Same with the Infraspranatus, I wish someone would make a machine for these exercises.
There's definitely some reciprocal inhibition happening to your left trap.
Definitely agree, at least it's good for the video! haha
4:59
Explain me in the video lol. Years of pain
Since its a short range of motion, can we go heavier on this movement to progress? ruclips.net/video/-cfXxk2qJeA/видео.html
Hey Batman,
This video was geared to what people can do at home with no equipment, if you want to go heavier things like scapula pull ups, rack pulls, behind the neck well controlled lat pulldowns would be my go tos!
Kindest regards,
Travis