While once treating a patient, they came to realize a small yet powerful statement; It’s not what you see in the mirror, its what you don’t. This understanding is crucial and consistent with how I think as a PT. Muscles that you cannot “see” while standing in front of a mirror (e.g. lower trapezius, gluteus maximus) have a significant impact on your posture and your body’s movement. For example, weakness in the lower trapezius (lower trap) has been linked to neck pain*.
The trapezius muscle is very large and forms a diamond in your back. It is made of three parts, the upper trapezius, the middle trapezius, and the lower trapezius. The group begins at the base of your skull, extends down and out towards each shoulder, and then comes together at the thoracic spine (middle of your back). The lower trap is made to pull your shoulder blades together and down, while the upper is made to pull your shoulder blades together and up. Many of us are familiar with the upper trap because we can “see” it in the mirror and tend to carry a lot of stress in this area. Often times, it feels very tight and causes pain in your upper back.
The upper trap and the lower trap work simultaneously, keeping your shoulder blades back and supporting your posture. I always say, “The upper trap is very nice and very helpful. When the lower trap is weak the upper trap lends a helping hand”. Unfortunately, the upper trap is not positioned to effectively help the lower trap. When these muscles become overactive the result is changes in normal mechanics of the neck and shoulders.
The following test will give you an idea of the strength of your lower traps. Lay on your belly with elbows straight and arms overhead like you are making a touchdown signal. Next, try to lift your arms straight up off the ground. If you can do this, then take the exercise one step forward and ask somebody to gently push down on your arms and see if you can hold up any resistance. You should be able to hold your arms up against some mild to moderate resistance.
The lower trap is often a large focus in our physical therapy practice. We work to not only strengthen the muscle, but also teach it how to function properly when you sit, stand, move your arm. When this muscle is trained to work properly during activities, we often see a significant improvement in neck pain as well as shoulder pain.
If you have neck pain or shoulder pain it is quite possible your lower traps are weak and could be contributing to your symptoms. Consider a PT evaluation and follow-up treatment to assist with identifying causative factors of your dysfunction and learning the proper way to strengthen this region!
Pictures of Trapezius Muscle: <http://www.myweightlifting.com/image-files/trapezius.jpg>
* Petersen SM, Wyatt SN. Lower Trapezius Muscle Strength in Individuals with Unilateral Neck pain. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 41(4): 260-265.
Created by:
Alison Synakowski, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC, CSCS
Facility Manager
Certified Sportsmetrics Instructor
Sports Physical Therapy of NY, PC
1 West Ave, Suite 150
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518)-583-7537 x2805
(518)-583-7606 (fax)
www.sptny.com
www.sportsmetrics.org