7 Stretches to Loosen Your Tight Trapezius

Whether your days are filled with back-to-back meetings, driving around, house projects, or some level of repetitive manual labor, there’s a fair chance you’ve experienced pain in your trapezius muscle at some point. You may just not have known it was your trapezius (commonly referred to as the “traps”) that was ailing you. 

The trapezius muscle is a large back muscle that looks like a trapezoid. It starts at the base of your neck, extends across your shoulders, and then goes down to the middle of your back. It’s involved in a lot of different motions, such as shrugging your shoulders, sitting up straight, tilting your head up and down, and twisting your torso. When your trap muscles are tight, it can have an impact on your upper body mobility, leading to discomfort. 

You can experience trapezius pain for a lot of different reasons. But whether it’s something that bothers you regularly or on occasion, there are some relatively simple measures — most notably targeted stretching exercises — that can help you prevent and manage trapezius pain, says Cody Anderson, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. 

Read on to learn about how strengthening your trapezius muscles can improve everyday function and reduce pain, especially with these stretches recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.

Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.

7 Trapezius Stretches for Tightness and Pain Relief

This helps strengthen the front neck muscles, which can help alleviate some load on the upper trapezius muscle when it comes to neck support.

How to do it: 

• Stand in a comfortable position, and nod your head slightly to bring your chin toward your chest.

• Glide or retract your chin back, focusing on relaxing your jaw muscles while you hold this position.

• Relax your neck muscles to move back to the starting motion.

These strengthen your middle trapezius muscle so that there’s less stress on your upper trapezius.

How to do it:

• Secure the middle of a resistance band around the bottom of one or both feet and hold the ends of the band in each hand.

• Extend your legs so there’s tension in the band and extend your arms toward your feet. 

• Bring your hands to the side of your ribcage by bending your elbows and pulling the band toward you.

• Extend your arms again to return to the starting position.

“This is a great exercise to strengthen your entire trapezius muscle because it works all of the parts — the upper, middle, and lower regions,” says Dr. Anderson.

How to do it:

• Secure the middle of a resistance band around the bottom of one or both feet and hold the ends of the band in each hand.

• Extend your legs so there’s tension in the band and extend your arms toward your feet. 

• Move your arms out to the sides, away from each other, bringing them into a “T” position. Stop at about shoulder height.

• Move your arms back together to return to the starting position.

For many people, the lower part of their trapezius muscle is weaker than the other parts. This means that when you go to do any activity that involves a lot of lower trapezius movement, like painting a ceiling or lifting boxes, you may strain the muscle, says Dr. Anderson. The Resisted Y, which requires you to lift overhead, does a good job of strengthening it to prevent injury. 

How to do it:

• Secure the middle of a resistance band around the bottom of one or both feet and hold the ends of the band in each hand.

• Extend your legs so there’s tension in the band and extend your arms toward your feet. 

• Raise your arms overhead into a “Y” position. 

• Lower your arms back down to the starting position.

These help work your upper trapezius and make overhead motions, like lifting something above your head, easier. 

How to do it:

• Sit up tall with your arms at your sides.

• Slide your hands up your sides towards your underarms as your elbows move up and out to the sides. It’s okay if your shoulders shrug up. 

• Slide your hands back down to the starting position.

This is one of the best trapezius stretches for pain, says Dr. Anderson. It lengthens out your middle trapezius muscle and gets it moving, which is good if it stiffens up during the day.

How to do it: 

• On a yoga mat, start on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and hips under your knees.

• Lift one hand off the floor and reach it underneath your stomach to your opposite side, as you let your shoulder lower toward the floor. Allow your chest and head to rotate as you do this gentle twist.

• Twist as far as is comfortable, and hold the stretch. 

• Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

This simple move stretches out your upper trapezius muscle. Just make sure to tilt your head to the right, then the left, to get the whole muscle stretched out.

How to do it:

• Start by standing or sitting comfortably.

• Slowly tilt your head to the side, lowering your ear toward your shoulder.   

• Hold here, then lift your head back to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side.

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

If you have persistent trapezius pain and stiffness, physical therapy may help provide the pain relief you need. “A physical therapist can do a full assessment to check for muscle, tendon, and ligament tightness and weakness,” explains Dr. Anderson. They can also work with you to find modifications for certain movements to decrease your trapezius pain and allow you to get back to the activities you love. You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit.

Why Does My Trapezius Hurt? 

There are a few factors that can contribute to trapezius pain, including:

• Hunching over for too long while sitting. There’s no such thing as perfect posture, but staying in any position for too long can contribute to joint and muscle pain. “For example, if you’re stuck in a position where your shoulders are elevated, like hunching over a keyboard, you’ll have to use your traps for a long time,” explains Dr. Anderson. This can cause pain all along your trapezius muscle — especially the upper part — if you don’t get a break. The good news is that frequent movement snacks are very effective in preventing and treating upper back pain.   

• Muscle strain. “The trapezius provides stability to the upper back and neck, so some activities, like lifting or push-pulling motions, put more pressure on it,” says Dr. Anderson. That’s not to say that these movements are bad or dangerous. But if you do more than your body is prepared for, it could lead to a strained trapezius muscle. 

• Stress. Research shows that trapezius muscle activity increases during stressful situations. “We carry stress in our shoulders, which can put an extra burden on the trapezius,” says Dr. Anderson. Stress can also decrease your tolerance to pain, so you may be more likely to notice — and be bothered by — trapezius pain if you’re under a lot of pressure. 

PT Tip: Do a Reset

Do you get trapezius pain when you sit at your desk? Every thirty minutes, take a break and pull your shoulder blades back and down. Make sure that you lift your shoulders all the way to your ears and push your shoulder blades all the way down to get the greatest relief. “That will help stretch out your trapezius muscle so it doesn’t stiffen up while you’re sitting still,” says Dr. Anderson.

How Hinge Health Can Help You

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program. 

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you. 

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References 

1. Steffan Wittrup Christensen, Thorvaldur Skuli Palsson, Hans Jørgen Krebs, Graven-Nielsen, T., & Rogerio Pessoto Hirata. (2023). Prolonged slumped sitting causes neck pain and increased axioscapular muscle activity during a computer task in healthy participants – A randomized crossover study. Applied Ergonomics, 110, 104020–104020. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104020

2. Luijcks, R., Vossen, C. J., Roggeveen, S., van Os, J., Hermens, H. J., & Lousberg, R. (2016). Impact of early life adversity on EMG stress reactivity of the trapezius muscle. Medicine, 95(39), e4745. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000004745

3. Ourieff, J., & Amit Agarwal. (2018, December 6). Anatomy, Back, Trapezius. National Institute of Health. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK518994/

4. Trapezius Muscle. (2021, June 3). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21563-trapezius-muscle#:~:text=The%20trapezius%20is%20a%20muscle,%2C%20arms%2C%20shoulders%20and%20torso.