What is trapezius muscle soreness?

The trapezius muscle is the main function of supporting the extension of the head and neck, and it plays an important role that cannot be ignored. However, once the nuchal ligament is calcified, the neck flexors are tight, breathing is not smooth, maintaining a certain posture for too long, or bearing weight for too long occurs, it will cause trapezius muscle soreness. Faced with this symptom, patients must not take it lightly, and must deal with it correctly at the first time. For example, maintaining the correct posture, not bowing the head, not maintaining a posture for a long time, and not bearing weight for a long time will reduce the degree of trapezius muscle soreness.

1. Calcification of the nuchal ligament

As people age, the nuchal ligament gradually calcifies. If you overuse your cervical spine or even maintain incorrect posture for a long time, the calcification process of the nuchal ligament will be accelerated. Part of the proximal attachment point of the upper trapezius muscle is on the nuchal ligament, so calcification of the nuchal ligament can also cause tension and limited movement of the trapezius muscle.

2. Tight neck flexors

Modern people often lower their heads when using computers, reading, or playing with mobile phones... Over time, this causes the muscles on the front side of the neck that have the function of flexing the head and neck to become relatively tense, such as the anterior and middle scalene muscles, and the anterior part of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. One of the main functions of the trapezius muscle is to straighten the head and neck, so it is in a state of confrontation with the neck flexors for a long time, causing tension.

3. Respiratory factors

Many people's breathing pattern tends to be chest breathing, especially women. When inhaling, due to a series of reasons such as the weakening of the diaphragm's function, changes in the position of the pelvis, insufficient opening and closing of the ribs, and lack of good abdominal pressure, the trapezius, scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles contract excessively, causing the shoulder blades to rise or try to help open the chest. This causes the upper trapezius muscle to contract frequently and become tense. In fact, people with problems with their breathing patterns often have abnormal tone in the muscles around their neck.

4. Maintain your posture

As mentioned in the previous article, the trapezius muscles are needed to maintain the stability of the human body posture. Most of the time, our bodies are not in a neutral position, and may even be in a bad posture with rounded shoulders and forward head. The trapezius muscles are often passively shortened or lengthened, including when we turn over in our sleep. Some people are always in the habit of rotating their heads or sleeping on one side for a long time, and their pillows are not at the right height. Then the trapezius muscle will be stretched on one side and shortened on the other side when they sleep. Many people suffer from stiff neck, partly due to spasm of the trapezius muscle.

5. Gravity Factor

Since the direction of gravity is downward, the trapezius muscles usually need to counteract the gravity generated by the head, shoulders and upper limbs. This doesn’t even include the extra weight we carry when we exercise. This gravity-resistant duty is performed when we walk, run, drive, stand, do housework, work at a desk, or do weight training.