A Tight Trapezius

Pain and tightness in the shoulders and upper back is a problem created and perpetuated by mechanical and muscular shortcomings, particularly to do with the trapezius, a trapezoid-shaped muscle that occupies the center of your upper back. The upper trap is the part that starts in the back of your head and attaches to the collarbone and it causes problems when it is over-activated and the other parts of the trapezius are under-activated or not used at all.

This problem is particularly pronounced in desk workers who spend hours a day sitting, often with poor posture; the upper trap is constantly contracted, pulling your shoulders out of position and making it increasingly difficult for the middle and lower traps to assist in shoulder stabilization. In this scenario, the burden of shoulder articulation and stabilization is further shifted onto the upper traps, while the other parts of the muscle become extremely weak. You see a pattern developing?

At Holmes Chiropractic, our job is to break you out of this pattern, by targeting the trigger points which develop in the upper traps and focusing on establishing good posture as part of your routine. By maintaining awareness of your shoulders’ position throughout the day, you can ensure that this complex network of muscles is working in harmony to support your upper back and prevent it from becoming rounded. We focus on dispelling nerve irritation through chiropractic adjustment and work on strengthening and stretching the muscle as a whole so that posture is easier to maintain. 

Pain is a signal that tells you something is wrong- often when we experience tightness in the shoulders, it is not enough to brush them off and let the tension accumulate further. It will likely reach a breaking point and the smart person would do something about it before it reaches this point. If you are tired of tight shoulders, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment today. 

Dr. Randall Holmes, D.C.