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• Method 1 of 4: Early signs of a pulled trapezius
• Method 2 of 4: Late signs of a pulled trapezius
• Method 3 of 4: Treating a stiff neck
• Method 4 of 4: Strengthen your trapezius
• Tips
• Warnings

Your trapezius is a triangular band of muscle tissue on the top of your back and on both sides of your neck. The muscles run down the back of your neck and your spine to the bottom of the rib cage. You can stretch the trapezius (aka the aconite muscle) in a variety of ways - from getting into a car accident to bumping into another player in a match. If you suspect that your trapezius is strained, scroll down to find out if this is actually the case and how to treat it.

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Method 1 of 4: Early signs of a pulled trapezius

1. Note any problems moving your head and shoulders. The job of the trapezius is to support the head. When you injure your head from a strain, it is more difficult for the trapezius to do its job. That is why it becomes more difficult to move your head, neck and shoulders just as usual.
2. Determine if you have loss of strength in one or both arms. In addition to being a workhorse to keep your head upright, your trapezius is also connected to your arms. When you have an injury to your trapezius, one or both arms may become weak, as if there is nothing left to support them.
3. Notice if there are involuntary muscle contractions or stiffness. When the muscle fibers in the trapezius are stretched or tear too far, the muscle fibers will simultaneously contract and become stiff. When this happens, a blockage can occur that prevents enough blood from flowing to that area.
   • This lack of blood can cause your muscles to spasm (it feels like your muscles are shaking under the skin) or stiffness (which feels like your muscles have turned to cement).
4. Watch for pain in the neck and shoulders. As noted above, when the muscle fibers in the trapezius become entangled, they impede blood flow to that area, which also means that less oxygen can be added. Oxygen helps break down lactic acid, so a lack of oxygen causes lactic acid to accumulate, ultimately resulting in pain.
   • The pain can be described as a sharp pain, a stinging sensation, or a feeling as if your muscles are tangled.
5. Also notice if you feel a tingling in your arms. In addition to the muscle contractions and pain caused by obstructed blood flow, a lack of blood in the area can also cause you to feel a tingling in your arms. This is because the muscle fibers in that area are trapped.

Method 2 of 4: Late signs of a pulled trapezius

1. Notice if you are more tired than usual. Depending on your sensitivity to pain, you will feel more tired than usual. This is because when your body is in pain, your brain works overtime to find a way to control the pain. This can make you terribly tired and run out of energy.
   • Someone who is not very sensitive to pain may feel that they have as much energy as usual, but that doesn't mean their injury is any less severe than someone who suffers from severe fatigue.
2. Due to the devastated trapezius, your concentration may be less than usual. Like severe fatigue, pain can also affect your ability to concentrate. While the pain doesn't actually affect your ability to concentrate, you are so busy with the pain that you are mentally unable to focus on anything else.
   • Even if you try to focus on something else, the pain can continue to distract you. It is similar to the situation where someone tells you not to think about an elephant, after which you can of course only think about an elephant.
3. Also watch out for insomnia. The pain from the stiff neck can certainly keep you awake. This time, this is not because your brain keeps thinking about the pain, but because the pain itself keeps you awake.
   • You will notice that every time you want to turn around, you will feel a sharp pain in your neck or the back of your head.
4. Headaches are also an additional problem. The muscles of the trapezius are connected to the neck muscles and the dura mater (the hard membrane of the brain that is sensitive to pain and covers the brain). Damage to the trapezius can cause headaches because the pain is easily transferred to the dura matter and the brain recognizes the pain easily.

Method 3 of 4: Treating a stiff neck

1. Follow the PRICE therapy. This is one of the best ways to heal your trapezius. The PRICE therapy is essentially a number of things you must do. The following steps cover the details of each part of the therapy. These are:
   • Protect.
   • Peace.
   • Immobilize.
   • Compression.
   • To cancel.
2. Protectyour trapezius. If your trapezius endures more pain than it already has, it can lead to even more serious damage, such as torn muscle tissue. To prevent this from happening, you need to protect the pulled muscle. To protect your muscles it is better to do the following to avoid:
   • Heat: Avoid hot baths, heat packs, saunas, or a hot environment as heat will dilate blood vessels, increasing the risk of bleeding, as more blood will flow to dilated blood vessels.
   • Excessive movement: Any excessive movement of the painful area can cause further injury.
   • Massage: Pressure on the affected area can contribute to further damage.
3. Give the damned trapezius enough peace. You should avoid any activity for at least 24 to 72 hours that could lead to further damage to the pulled muscle. Probably the pain you feel will keep you from making crazy movements anyway, but a reminder never hurts. Rest helps the healing process go smoothly without causing more damage to the injured muscle.
4. You trapezius Immobilize . As mentioned above, it is usually best to give the muscles some rest when they are injured. An injury to a muscle, such as that of the calf, can usually be connected with some kind of splint to keep the muscle as still as possible. The trapezius is a bit more difficult to wrap. In fact, you will never connect this muscle group, but your doctor may recommend that you wear a soft neck collar to keep the neck still so that there is no more damage to the muscles.
5. Bring one compresswith ice. Put an ice pack or a bag of ice on your neck or shoulders to make sure the swelling can go down and the pain can be kept to a minimum. The ice will stimulate the lymph nodes, transporting important nutrients to the damaged tissues. Lymph fluid also removes cell and tissue debris that performs an important function during the recovery phase of the affected site.
   • Do not leave the ice pack on the trapezius for more than 20 minutes at a time. Then wait two hours and then place another ice pack on the spot.
   • Repeat this procedure 4-5 times a day for the first days (24 to 72 hours) of the muscle injury.
6. Bring the muscle up. Always keep the affected area elevated. If you have an injury to the trapezius, make sure that you are always slightly tilted upwards. Put several kisses under your shoulders and head so that you are at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. Doing this will improve circulation in the affected area and speed up the healing process.
7. Take painkillers. Painkillers block the pain signals that go through the brain. If the pain signal does not reach the brain, then the pain cannot be interpreted and felt. Painkillers can be classified as follows:
   • Simple painkillers: These are freely available at the drugstore or pharmacy and contain Paracetamol.
   • Stronger painkillers: These are taken when the previous painkillers are not working properly and are only available with a prescription, and they contain codeine and tramadol.
8. There are also the NSAIDs. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work by blocking specific chemicals in the body that cause the affected area to swell. You should not take NSAIDs during the first 48 hours of your injury, as they can slow the healing process. During the first 48 hours, swelling is your body's way of doing something about the injury.
   • Examples of these are Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Aspirin.

Method 4 of 4: Strengthen your trapezius

1. Enlist the help of a physiotherapist. For help in strengthening the upper muscles of the trapezius and functioning optimally, you can be referred to a physiotherapist. Specific exercises can help prevent upper trapezius pain. Do 15 to 20 reps of the following exercises every hour throughout the day.
   • Pinching the scapular. You will be asked to move your shoulders back in a circular motion, after which you contract the shoulder blades.
   • Shrug. You lift the shoulders until they are level with your ears and then lower them again.
   • Neck rotations. Rotate your head to the right and then to the left.
2. Strengthen your trapezius with at-home exercises once it has healed. Once your trapezius feels normal again, it is wise to start with some light exercise to make sure the muscles don't get injured again. There are several exercises you can do to strengthen your trapezius. You may want to consult a physiotherapist or muscle specialist again before doing these exercises if you are unsure whether the muscle has fully healed.
   • Bend the head to the side. Stand up straight with relaxed shoulders. Look forward and then bend your head to the side so that your ear is almost against your shoulder. This shouldn't hurt or stretch your neck muscles too much. Hold this position for 10 seconds and then do the same with the other shoulder.
   • Bend forward with your head. Stand up straight with relaxed shoulders. Gently bend your head forward, chin towards your chest. Make sure that your shoulders are not hunched and that they remain relaxed. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Do this exercise 2-3 times a day.
3. If problems persist, talk to your doctor or physical therapist about surgery. If you've sustained a severe strain or a torn trapezius, you may need surgery, especially if your muscles are no longer getting stronger, even though you exercise. But you should only consider this if all other methods have failed. The operation repairs and reconnects the damaged muscle tissue of the trapezius to restore normal function.

Tips

• Acupressure and / or acupuncture by a licensed professional may be an alternative option to relieve pain from a pulled trapezius.

Warnings

• Although rare, there are cases where the trapezius has been stretched very far and causes immobility of the neck, shoulders and arms. If these symptoms occur, see a doctor immediately.