Dr. Alex Jimenez, El Paso's Chiropractor
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3 Causes Of “Tight” Upper Traps

Why is it that all of our patients seem to have “tight” and “overactive” upper trapezius.

A deep ache and constant tightness in the upper trapezius is a common complaint amongst most people and as well as leading to direct discomfort in the muscle, it may also contribute to headaches and neck pain.

But does everyone have tight upper trapezius or is it perhaps a secondary symptom of a larger underlying problem.Upper trapezius tightness and overactivity definitely does exist. We tend to see this a lot in heavy lifters such as weightlifters, powerlifters and cross fitters who have these big jacked up upper traps due to the huge amounts of pulling and pressing movements they do in the execution of their particular lifts.

The upper trapezius primarily works as an upward rotator of the scapular in the last phase of shoulder elevation and abduction, it assists the levator scap to elevate the scapular (but the scapular needs to be already in some upward rotation), it supports the weight of the arm and scapular as our arm is holding something (like heavy groceries or 200kg on the deadlift bar) and it also laterally flexes the neck and works to stabilise the neck when large forces are imposed on the head and neck. All of these movements are involved in most of the powerlifting/Olympic lifts/ Cross Fit moves seen by these athletes.

But what about Sally the secretary who seems to always have a tight upper trap but does not have the same imposed loads as a heavy lifter. Maybe the upper trap is compensating for something or it is trying to protect something. Below are a few reasons why someone may have tight feeling upper traps but in fact have weak traps that are just simply trying too hard.

 A True Scapular Elevation In Posture With A Bunched Upper Trap In Spasm

A Patient could be trying to hide or protect something and what they may be trying to protect is a cervical nerve root injury of a brachial plexus injury.Injury to the nerve bundle will feel worse when it is placed on stretch as the traction of the arm will tug on the nerves and may create nerve pain ad radiculopathy. One way we can alleviate the pain is to contract the upper trap to lift the scapular and release some of the traction. This is a common finding in research that looks at how the upper traps fire during an upper limb tension test for the nerves. As the nerve is manually stretched in the test, the upper trap picks up its activity to perhaps protect the nerve and take some stretch away. This happens in healthy people as well as injured persons.

So someone with a nerve root problem may in fact increase the upper trap to protect. This has been studied for decades and I have included a reference of a recent study on this exact phenomenon(1).

 

stock photo trapezius anatomy muscles isolated on white d illustration

 

The Upper Trapezius Can Compensate For Weak Upward Rotators Such As Serratus Anterior

The upper trap should only really come in to shoulder elevation movements in the last phase of movement when the arm is approaching a vertical position. It does this to elevate the scapular and clear the acromion process away from the head of the humerus. If it comes in too early and is active too early, then perhaps it is compensating for weakness in other upward rotators such as the serratus anterior.

The Upper Trap Could Be Having A Tug-Of-War With The Pec Minor

The pec minor is a downward rotator of the scapular. As the arm is being lifted and the scapular is upwardly rotating, the pec minor needs to relax. If the pec minor is overly tight and hypertonic, it will try and pull the scapular back down again. So the upper trap along with the serratus anterior will have their work cut out to try and fight this downward drag. Again this is a compensation.

So before you go ahead and deep tissue massage a patient’s “tight” upper trap or dry needle the muscle to relieve the tone, have a think about WHY the muscle is so active. You may get better results treating the neck for a nerve root irritation, or strengthening the serratus anterior or maybe loosening the pec minor instead.

 

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1. Matthews et al (2012) Upper Trapezius Activation during Upper Limb Neural Tension Test-1 in Karate Players. Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 173-178.

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The information herein on "3 Causes Of "Tight" Upper Traps" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

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Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, acupuncture, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

We are here to help you and your family.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

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Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

phone: 915-850-0900

Licensed in Texas & New Mexico *

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CIFM, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
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Post Disclaimer

Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on "The Effects Of Low Back Pain Treatment" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

Blog Information & Scope Discussions

Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, acupuncture, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

We are here to help you and your family.

Blessings

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*

Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
My Digital Business Card