It’s no secret that the upper fibers of the trapezius muscle have developed a bad reputation over the years. Multiple professions cast blame on these muscles for “over-working” or being “too tight”, and therefore spend session after session releasing, dry-needling and stretching the trapezius. Most would also argue that we must strengthen the middle and lower portion of the trapezius, to ensure equal strength and control coming from all angles of the scapula or shoulder blade.

The function of this blog is not to debunk or point blame at these beliefs, but to challenge the idea that upper fibers of trapezius (UFT) need to calm down and loosen out, when maybe it needs to switch on and work properly. Strength that is focused on the lower trapezius and other scapular muscles certainly has been shown to have benefits in shoulder and neck rehab, however upper trapezius may need some attention too.

What does research say about muscle activation, especially that of the upper fibers of trapezius.

How do we monitor how much a muscle works during movement?

Studies are designed to observe muscle activation during certain movements via electrodes placed along the belly of the muscle in a process called Electromyography (EMG).

There has been some interesting research in recent years looking at certain groups of people with “overactive upper fibres of trapezius (UFT)” causing pain either in the shoulder, mid back or neck. Certain sports can cause players to develop strengths and habits in particular areas - for example, volleyball players who repetitively spike the ball and serve overhead tend to have a greater UFT muscle bulk. It is without doubt that volleyball players also sustain a high amount of shoulder injuries worldwide each year. However, these two statements may not have any correlation whatsoever, other than the sport in which they both occur. The common idea that a player’s “overactive traps” is the cause of the problem has to be proven, rather than assumed.

In what population would we expect to see UFT working harder than usual? Some definitive groups that have shown to have higher activation of UFT include people who have sustained large traumas to the rotator cuff complex, frozen shoulder patients with large deficits in range of motion, nerve injuries such as Long Thoracic Nerve Palsy, and in neck traumas such as whiplash where the trapezius is switched on as a protective mechanism. In these instances, the UFT works by compensating for a possible dysfunction of the other scapular muscles, or of the shoulder joint itself.

So, if you have not suffered a large muscle tear, a nerve injury or a high level whiplash injury, it’s looking more and more unlikely that your trapezius needs to rest up. Chances are, it is just working incorrectly and your “overactive traps” are actually just unfit for the job at hand.

So, with that rude awakening, we must question ourselves - how do I strengthen my upper trapezius?

Studies carried out in 2014 and 2016 have used EMG to find out what is the best way to maximize activation of UFT. (J.-H Lee, et. al & T. Pizarri et. al). In the past, it was concluded that the UFT carries out scapular elevation, or the shrugging movement. It’s been carried out for years by gym-goers and body builders alike, to bulk up their traps by adding a handheld weight.

What these newer studies reported is that the fibers of the upper trapezius travel more laterally than once believed, so when the arm is at rest, UFT doesn’t bring about this pure elevation. In fact it’s more likely to be levator scapulae working away happily. See the diagram to imagine where these two muscles lie, and how similar their action can seem.

Trapezius fibers have been found to functionally kick in to assist elevation at a level of 20-30° of shoulder abduction. So arguably, one would get a better UFT activation while shrugging with a slightly abducted arm.

But, there’s more. These studies added in extra movements with the shrug and monitored the changes in UFT EMG activity. Participants in the study increased the activity of the traps even further by adding in a chin tuck movement first. This action of cervico-cranial flexion (that looks like making a double chin) causes the muscles surrounding the scapula to engage prior to the arm movement, supporting the scapula more, and increasing the load that UFT carries. Lastly, the studies discussed how the levator scapulae muscle works hard alongside the UFT to abduct the arm, so how do we ensure that UFT is in fact the muscle we are isolating? They found that externally rotating the arm, or facing palms up towards the ceiling ensured UFT activity, while deactivating the levator scapulae.

So we have gleaned all of this info from some good quality studies, but how do we apply this clinically, so that it actually has value to us?

In a nutshell, the focus of this blog is to re-shape our thinking around upper trapezius. The majority of clinicians, whether they realize or not, favour the idea that we must massage, release and switch off the upper trapezius. And yes, we have seen that this is sometimes the case. Again, the larger neck, nerve and rotator cuff injuries, and some capsular restrictions such as frozen shoulders may exhibit symptoms that revolve around compensation and protection strategies where the UFT is working harder than usual.

Some sports and occupational patterns have a history of harder working UFTs due to the nature of its action, but we haven't found a huge link between this increase in muscle bulk and shoulder or neck injuries. Certainly, in the world of private practice, treating neck, thoracic and shoulder pain, it is more likely that the UFT is weaker than we think, and requires some strengthening, which can be a challenging mindset to change.

Clinical practice you may wish to release the sore muscle followed by activation and strengthening the muscle.

How? Adapt your shrug to get the most from it.

● Abduct the arm to 30°

● Flex the neck, or make a double chin

● Externally rotate the arms, palms face up towards ceiling

If we learn anything from this valuable info, it’s to stop relying on habits and anecdotes, and to challenge your existing beliefs around the upper trapezius, so patients can get back to full function without relying on manual release alone, which can be both painful and repetitive

Upper Fiber Trapezius - Saving its Reputation