Neck Pain: Is it a trap?
It’s 2025. As a population we spend a ludicrous amount of time hunched over computers and phones. It’s no wonder that one of the most common presenting complaints in a physiotherapist’s room is neck tightness and pain.
I’m told time and time again about an unrelenting tension, as people grasp at the muscle that connects their neck to their shoulders.
This muscle is called your upper trapezius (trap for short) and let me tell you, in the world of neck pain and tightness, it’s seen as a real villain.
But what if this muscle was actually a hero?
The upper trap is the meaty bit of your neck. It’s the upper fibres of a larger muscle.
Together with the middle and lower components, it forms the entire trapezius muscle.
It’s named this because of its trapezoid shape.
What does it even do?
The upper trap is a key player in all neck and shoulder movements. It coordinates your shoulder and neck position, playing a role in stabilising these areas.
It is actually a really strong muscle, to the point where gym goers will often reach for a dumbbell they can barely lift to train it.
Shoulder elevation
The main role worth understanding is shoulder elevation. This is where the shoulders are pulled up near the ears in a shrug. It’s the classic position people with constant neck pain feel like they are stuck in.
Now imagine spending all day with the shoulders pulled up to the ears, it is certainly a painful experience. It is this pain and tension that send people running to a massage therapist, physio or chiro.
So is it that the upper traps are evil and contracting relentlessly? Or instead is our body using a strong muscle to counteract another postural problem.
Heroes and Villains
When looking at muscle tension in a physio room, we put them into one of two buckets; heroes and villains.
Villains are muscles that are behaving inappropriately and the heroes are the one’s trying to compensate for this and keep everything in balance.
What I have seen very commonly is the upper traps as the hero. Trying desperately to fix shoulders that rounded forward and collapsed downwards.
So if you have tried everything to alleviate tension in your upper traps and neck. If you have endlessly stretched and massaged these to no avail, then maybe they aren’t the villain.
Try these exercises to elevate your shoulders so your upper traps can have a vacation. You might just find the upper traps were trying to help you all along.