Being an overachiever – isn’t this usually a good thing? Getting a 100% on the test…working hard to achieve your goals…going above and beyond for your loved ones…
Well, when it comes to your muscles, the key word that we are looking for is balance. If there are any overachievers or underachievers in the group, it throws the entire system out of balance and leads to compensations, pain, injury and dysfunction. In order to have everything running smoothly in our bodies, all of the parts and pieces need to work together in harmony. This is true for all of the systems in our bodies, but as a physical therapist, I can tell you about the havoc that out-of-balance muscles can wreak throughout the body!
The upper trapezius (aka upper trap) loves to take over for so many things, especially anything that is weak in the upper body. There are a lot of muscles in the upper body that become weak, tight or overstretched due to our habits that cause poor posture. Computer work, texting, nursing a baby, and many other activities in our daily lives contribute to poor posture, and it’s a vicious cycle! Poor posture creates muscle imbalances, which then leads to compensation, tightness and weakness — leading to worsening posture! I won’t get into the specific muscles that can be involved in this process, because it’s different for every person and it is usually a combination of many different factors. Just know that the upper trapezius is more than willing to take over when another muscle is having issues, and this eventually leads to that other muscle “forgetting” how to do it’s job. Underused muscles can atrophy (shrink), become more difficult to contract properly, and lose their ability to contribute to our unconscious movements and postures. This imbalance will eventually lead to pain, dysfunction and chronic tightness.
Upper trap overuse does not necessarily mean that it’s overworking for a muscle in its direct proximity. I’ve seen chronic upper trap tightness that is finally relieved by balancing the pelvis, improving abdominal and gluteal muscle strength and stability, working through fascial restrictions in the gut, low back and pelvic areas….the list goes on. Most people that have chronic upper trap tightness find some relief with massage, but it is usually fleeting and their tightness tends to get worse and worse over time, despite the fact that they are getting massage, dry needling, chiropractic, etc to the area. Most of the time, we have to look elsewhere to finally find the actual source of the problem. Once these other areas are addressed, we often see a great improvement in the chronic upper trap tightness, headaches and the shoulder, neck and upper back pain.
If you experience chronic neck and shoulder tightness, make sure to find a practitioner that doesn’t just work on the tight areas. At Solstice Physical Therapy, we evaluate and treat the entire body and work towards finding the source or sources of the problem, not just treat the symptoms. Myofascial release is an amazing tool for reducing abnormal strain and pulling throughout the body, rehydrating the tissues and allowing them to function properly. We also re-educate muscles that are not functioning properly and “wake them up” with hands-on neuromuscular retraining, exercise and postural education.
To contact Solstice Physical Therapy, please go to our website at www.SolsticePhysicalTherapy.com, call (720) 369-7738 or email DrLisa@SolsticePhysicalTherapy.com
**This is not to be considered medical advice, please contact a physical therapist or other healthcare professional for more information. All content on lisawilcoxpt.com is created for informational purposes only and is not to be taken as medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.
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