The muscle that incorrectly (in my clinical experience) seems to always be labelled as being too “tight” and full of “knots”. When in actual reality – it’s usually the muscle that I find to be weak and long.
Let’s break it down: The muscle actually has THREE FIBRES known as the upper, middle and lower trapezius. It begins at the base of your skull and it works its way down to the middle of the spine. And they are all known to have different functions on the action of the scapula (shoulder blade) and partially the clavicle (collar bone).
Upper trapezius weakness can lead to numerous symptoms:
Neck pain
Shoulder pain
Postural problems
Lowered shoulder
Head tilt
It may feeeeeeel like the muscle is tight and tense but it actually feels that way due to the muscle being weak and overworked. It actually works harder than a normal, functioning muscle! It’s important to be able to recognise the difference and treat the muscle correctly.
So before you go get treatment to “release” the muscle to lessen the tightness you may feel (only for symptoms to come back soon after), opt for treatments that will correct the alignment of the muscle to give you longer lasting relief!
If you’re suffering from neck and shoulder pain and can see incorrect tilting of the neck and shoulder, CLICK HERE and book yourself in for an appointment!
We’ve got your back,
ALIGN CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CLINIC