Trapezius Muscle Stretch

Your trapezius is large surface muscle that spans across your back in a diamond shape. Its main function is to both move and stabilize your shoulder blades (scapula). By stabilizing the shoulder blades, the trapezius muscle can create movement of the spine. Its actions are as follows:

1. Elevates scapula
2. Retracts scapula
3. Depresses scapula
4. Rotates scapula upwards
5. Neck extension (when both sides activate in tandem)
6. Assists in ipsilateral lateral flexion of the neck (bending your neck sideways on the same side of the muscle)

The upper trapezius has attachments at the the base of your skull, collar bone, acromion (that little bump on the top of your shoulder), and descending along the back tips of your vertebra from C7-T4.

The middle and lower trapezius has attachments at the medial angle of your shoulder blade and descending along the back tips of your vertebra from T5-T12.

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The trapezius muscle is a common culprit for aches and pains in the upper back and along the top of the shoulders. Mental stress is a HUGE contributor to tightness and discomfort in this muscle group. When the trapezius is very tight in the upper fibres along the top of your shoulders and neck, then focussed pressure on that area (such as shoulder straps pressing down from wearing a heavy knapsack), may trigger a headache.

So if you're often stressed out or suffer from frequent headaches, you will definitely want to work on stretching out your traps! Below are some great trapezius stretches for you to try out!

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1. Allow your head to tilt sideways so your ear moves towards your shoulder
2. Keep your neck muscles relaxed (you may feel a light stretch already due to gravity)
3.  With your hand that is on the same side you are tilting your head, reach your fingers over the top of your head and fan them out on the side of your head ABOVE your ear
4. Very gently pull the side of your head so your ear moves closer to your shoulder (keep neck relaxed)
5. At the same time with your other hand, reach down towards the ground

By keeping your fingers above your ear as you gently pull, you're able to generate a deeper stretch with much less effort.

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1. Keep your neck muscles relaxed and allow your head to tilt to the LEFT so your ear moves towards your shoulder
2. With both arms at your sides, now take your LEFT hand and reach across your back to grip your RIGHT wrist or forearm
3. Keep your RIGHT arm and shoulder completely relaxed
4. With a firm grip, now pull your RIGHT arm down towards the ground
5. At the same time gently tilt your head further towards your shoulder
6. Repeat on the other side

The most important part of this stretch is keeping your one arm relaxed while the other hand is gripping and pulling down.

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1. Keep your neck muscles relaxed and allow your head to tilt to the LEFT so your ear moves towards your shoulder
2. Reach across your body and place your hand on your RIGHT shoulder 
3. Take your other arm and cross over top and place hand on the other shoulder (this step will help to create a deeper stretch)
4. Pull down on your RIGHT shoulder
5. Tilt your head and try to touch your LEFT ear to your LEFT shoulder
6. Repeat on the other side

This one can be a bit tricky to set up and controlling which muscles to relax and contract. When you're doing it correctly, you will definitely feel a good stretch!

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1. Have your legs spread wider than your shoulder width
2. Interlock your fingers behind your back
3. Bend forward at your waist as if you're trying to touch your head to the ground
4. Reach your interlocked hands upwards behind you

This stretch looks a little funky but it's a great stretch for your traps! Make sure your legs are wide enough for you to have a good base and balance.

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None of the stretches shown should cause any pain or discomfort. If you feel any pain during your stretch, please stop and consult your Chiropractor, it might be time to have your spine checked. Click HERE to make an appointment.

I can't stress this enough, DO NOT ever FORCE the stretch! As you're feeling the stretch, try to breathe out. With each breath out, let your shoulder and neck relax more and more. You will start to feel a better quality stretch and you'll feel your flexibility improve as you breath and focus on relaxing into the stretch. It only takes a few minutes, a bit of mindfulness, a touch of practice and a dash of consistency to stretch properly and keep your neck and shoulders free of muscle tension!

​Try some of these great trapezius stretches out for yourself and feel the difference it can make! 

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