Sports Physiotherapy Stefan Duell's video: MYOFASCIAL RELEASE TREATMENT OF THE TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE

The trapezius muscle is one of the largest superficial muscles that extend longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula. Its functions are to move the scapulae and support the arm. The trapezius has three functional regions: the superior region (descending part), which supports the weight of the arm; the intermediate region (transverse part), which retracts the scapulae; and the inferior region (ascending part), which medially rotates and depresses the scapulae. This muscle tends to develop too much tension for postural reasons, such as forward head posture (where it has to work overtime to stabilise the head and neck due to poor alignment). Other reasons include poor breathing patterns (shallow neck breathing all day), and muscle imbalances elsewhere. The trapezius muscle trigger points can lead to referred pain in the shoulder region and head (headache) as you can see on the red marked zones in the picture. They also can initiate trigger points in the jaw joint muscles. Additionally, the muscle can cause bio mechanical problems in the cervical and thoracic spine. The trapezius is innervated by the accessory nerve (Cranial nerve XI) which is content of the jugular foramen, where the accessory nerve can get compressed or entrapped. If so, it can lead to hypertension in the trapezius. That's why it is very important to treat (release) this foramen to give the nerve enough space to work properly.