We may wonder that some people have problems with their shoulders and necks, but they don't hurt, while others do. What happened?
About compensation
There are two kinds of compensation, one is physiological compensation without pain; A morbid compensation, accompanied by pain. But physiological compensation can be completely transformed into pathological compensation.
This is why many people have posture problems but no pain, but this is only temporary, because our human body has a very strong "compensation mechanism." When one day your muscles "strike", your pain comes.
Release trapezius muscle
Many people with shoulder and neck problems have stiff and tight muscles. Release is actually to reduce the viscosity of muscles and restore their elasticity!
Some people will think, then stretch more! If his muscles are stretched, do you think they can relax if you still stretch?
Stretching should be carried out when the muscle viscosity is low, otherwise it is easy to strain.
How to release trapezius muscle
1. Relax and don't have a "guard mentality".
2. To determine the depth of trapezius muscle, it is important to determine the thickness of fat layer first (relax your muscles first, then tighten to determine the thickness of fat, and remember the depth you press).
3. What is the direction of upper, middle and lower muscle fibers along the direction of muscle fibers? Use your fingers to "roll and pluck" like playing a guitar to determine the direction and tension of muscle fibers.
4. Touch gently, gently and slowly, don't press hard. Pressing hard will make our muscles form an "armor effect"
How to palpate trapezius muscle
Fasciculus trapezius superior
Prone position. These muscle fibers covering the upper part of the shoulder joint form easily accessible muscle bundles, which are membranous at the back of the neck and only 2.5cm wide on each side.
Grasp the superficial tissue at the top of the shoulder joint and feel the upper muscle bundle of trapezius muscle. Please note that their texture is very weak.
The occipital bone extending along these fibers to the base of the skull. In order to feel the contraction of these fibers behind the neck, stand in front of the table and let the patient look up a few centimeters. Then follow these fibers to the outside of the clavicle.
Are your muscles weak and superficial? Grasp the fiber at the top of the shoulder joint and ask the patient to gently lift the scapula toward the ear. Are these muscle fibers tense?
Middle trapezius tract
Find the scapula.
Slide from the scapula to the trapezius muscle and move your fingers along its fibers. Trapezius muscle is shallow and thin, so it should be shallow, not as deep as rhomboid muscle or erector spinae.
Touch the middle muscle bundle, let the patient adducte the scapula and tell him to "lift your shoulders off the table". Do you feel these fibers shrink?
Fasciculus trapezius inferior
Draw a line between the scapular crest and the spinous process of 12 thoracic vertebra to locate the edge of the lower muscle bundle.
Touch along this line and push your finger to the edge of the lower muscle bundle. Please put your arms in front of your body and feel the superficial fibers of trapezius muscle.
Try to lift the fiber below with your fingers and lift it away from the muscle tissue below.
Another way to feel the contraction of the lower muscle bundle is to ask the patient to lower his shoulders. Does the lower muscle bundle face the scapula at a small angle (rather than parallel to the spine like erector spinae)
If you want to touch a muscle, let it contract first.
If you can accurately touch the trapezius muscle, you are half the battle.
Then according to its function, the corresponding training method is designed.
training method
First, muscle strength training (first assess muscle strength)
Trapezius muscle itself is an antagonistic muscle. Relax where you are stiff and nervous, and strengthen where you are weak.
For example, many people tend to be tense in the upper trapezius muscle and weak in the lower trapezius muscle, so our training method is more to relax the upper muscle fibers and strengthen the strength of the middle and lower muscle fibers.
We pay attention to observe that the upper muscle fibers of trapezius muscle are "rotating", and we can do a lucky cat action to open this knot, which can also relieve the stiffness of many people.
Second, the training of consciousness
The contraction of skeletal muscle is controlled by the cranial nerves. When practicing, you must consciously contract the target muscle group.
How to practice the "sense of recruitment" of trapezius muscle;
When training, you should think about the movement form of the scapula, whether it is adduction, descent or ascension.
Can you feel the contraction of the middle and lower part of trapezius muscle well?