Habitual Tightness in the Traps

I have been really really enjoying these workouts, but one thing that seems to be habitual for me is that after a workout I experience tightness in my traps, leading up to my neck.  It's not horrible but quite annoying and inhibits my range of motion.  I certainly feel it the next morning when I turn my head from side to side.   For example, when I turn my head when backing up my car, it hurts on both sides of my trap and neck.  

Anyone else ever experience this, or have any ideas about what I can do to get rid of this pain after workouts?  

I used to experience this a lot when I used to lift weights, so I quite lifting weights, but thought it wouldn't be a problem with body weight exercises. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Zach

Hi Zach,

This is symptomatic of having chronically tight traps.  I have run across one or two athletes over the years with a similar issue.

Two things for you to consider:

1) You will need to mitigate the intensity of your workouts until this is resolved.  This means stopping well short of failure.  For the time being, consider your tight traps the 'weak link' in your chain that needs to be addressed first.

2) Start the GB Thoracic Bridge Series.  Part of the sequence is expressly designed to loosen the traps.

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/gb-courses/stretch-series/

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks for the reply!  

Quick question... Can I do this stretching series every day to facilitate greater progress?

Zach

It's probably not a good idea to do the whole series every day. Standard recommendation is to do it once a week.

However I believe you can easily take some of the elements that deal with loosening the traps and just do that subsequence more often, namely TB SE5 to TBSE9 as a nice limbering sequence as it goes through some of the traps stretches and Seal stretches (I think the seal stretch are cleverly interleaved with the trap stretches because trap stretches make you flex your spine a bit and seal stretches make you extend it - but that's just my theory). 

I also recommend seeing someone for some active release therapy. I've been going for about three weeks now for shoulder impingement, and the shoulder he's been working on has significantly more range of motion now than the uninjured side! This has happened even though I'm doing the same exercises and stretches on both sides at home. The manual manipulation is just making that much of a difference for me.

I suspect that your progress will be much faster with some manual manipulation. 

Christian's and Julia's advice is spot on.  The tough part will be finding a great active release therapist!

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

You could also tape two lacrosse balls together and do some 'damage' to your traps yourself. Another options is to buy a SKLZ massage ball off amazon. They're like $20. I prefer to do stretches, but if I'm reallyyyyy tight and something's gotta give I turn to foam rolling. the SKLZ option is good because the traps and erector spinae are a hard are to hit in the upper back. 

You can self release the upper traps by laying supine with the knees bent. Place a wooden stick against the wall and the other end on the uoper traps. When you find a tight spot push your body towards the stick. Do this for 5-10 mins each side daily. Also do this before your workout. 

11 hours ago, Mark Collins said:

You can self release the upper traps by laying supine with the knees bent. Place a wooden stick against the wall and the other end on the uoper traps. When you find a tight spot push your body towards the stick. Do this for 5-10 mins each side daily. Also do this before your workout. 

This is gold! I can't wait to try this the next time my traps are tight.

I talked to a physical therapist friend of mine yesterday and asked him what he would recommend.  Since we were on FaceTime he couldn't put his hands on my traps, but he said he thought it would be good for me to focus on strengthening my lower and mid traps.  He said the reason why my up traps (near my neck) are sore and tight all the time is probably due to overcompensating for weak mid and lowers traps.  So he gave me some exercises to do to focus on this.  Thoughts?

4 minutes ago, Julia Quigley said:

This is gold! I can't wait to try this the next time my traps are tight.

I would gladly trade you some of my own trap tightness to try this out - basically, my whole upper back and thoracic area is a minefield of tight spots and myogeloses and just overall painful.

@Mark Collins, I think I understand what you are describing above but to be sure - would I be laying on top of the stick as with a massage ball (pressure applied "sagitally") or is the stick in between me and the wall (pressure applied longitudinally)?

42 minutes ago, Leonhard Krahé said:

(pressure applied longitudinally)

The later:) although I'd wear a sweater or put a towel between the stick and your trap, unless you want to get circular or moon shape engraving marks. 

Leonhard, I hear you! I have perpetually tight spots myself. Seems like they multiply or never quite die just when you thought you got them! It's a constant battle to keep them "under control" if there's such a thing. Darn computers. Not given up on fighting those little suckers tho. 

One thing I do regularly is to get under a squat rack olympic bar or parallel dip bar. I half lunge standing sideways to the bar and place my shoulder/upper trap under the bar. Then I apply pressure vertically on my upper trap in a constant heaving motion. I play with slightly different angels going from one mine spot (> 1 min) to the next until I soften the area and feels like a tenderized steak. Seriously. It's the best solo techniques that I found so far. Enjoy the stars!!

Thanks Eva, got it! And thanks for your other tip, will try that next week!

43 minutes ago, Eva Pelegrin said:

Darn computers

Yeah, that's it, pretty much. Can't wait to finish Uni and start working so I'll at least will be moving around more during the day (although I'm afraid I'll be sitting/typing more than I hope I will...).

43 minutes ago, Eva Pelegrin said:

Enjoy the stars!!

Literally the only time I have "seen stars" so far was during a massage when the therapist found two particularly nasty trigger points in my shoulders and ruthlessly attacked those. I now know why they are called "trigger points".

14 hours ago, Zach Nielsen said:

I talked to a physical therapist friend of mine yesterday and asked him what he would recommend.  Since we were on FaceTime he couldn't put his hands on my traps, but he said he thought it would be good for me to focus on strengthening my lower and mid traps.  He said the reason why my up traps (near my neck) are sore and tight all the time is probably due to overcompensating for weak mid and lowers traps.  So he gave me some exercises to do to focus on this.  Thoughts?

 

I use to think that, but is not so simple. If the upper traps are week then there will be alot of stretching load by the scapula being depressed. Once the traps are strong the tightness will go. As your upper traps get stronger you most likely find you have less knots in the muscle.