18/07/2025
NECK PAIN OR HEADACHES?
COME TRY MYOFASCIAL RELEASE OF THE TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE 🙌
📚 The trap muscle is one of the largest superficial muscles that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula. Its functions are to move the scapulae and support the arm.
💆♂️ The trap has three functional regions: the superior region (descending part), which supports the weight of the arm; the intermediate region (transverse part), which retracts the scapulae; and the inferior region (ascending part), which medially rotates and depresses the scapulae.
💪🏼 Contraction of the trap can have two effects: movement of the scapulae when the spinal origins are stable, and movement of the spine when the scapulae are stable. Its main function is to stabilize and move the scapula.
🚶♀️This muscle tends to develop too much tension for postural reasons, such as forward head posture (where it has to work overtime to stabilise the head and neck due to poor alignment). Other reasons include poor breathing patterns (shallow neck breathing all day), muscle imbalances elsewhere, and ergonomic reasons.
💥 Trap muscle trigger points can lead to referred pain in the shoulder, neck, and head as you can see on the red marked zones in the picture. They can also initiate trigger points in the jaw joint muscles. Additionally, the muscle can cause biomechanical problems in the cervical and thoracic spine.
🧬 The trap is innervated by the accessory nerve (Cranial nerve XI) which is contained in the jugular foramen, where the accessory nerve can get compressed or entrapped. If so, it can lead to hypertension in the trapezius. That's why it is very important to treat (release) this foramen to give the nerve enough space to work properly.
☎️ Contact us if you feel like you have any of the symptoms from the picture above and we will help you get back to living your life pain-free again because,
Your Health Matters
