Anatomy and Function:

• The lower and middle trapezius muscles are not individual muscles, but rather they are the lowermost sections of fibers in the trapezius muscle.
• The middle trapezius muscle is the prime mover in scapula retraction. It is situated between the top of the shoulders and lies superficial to portions of the rhomboids, latissimus dorsi and infraspinatus.
• The lower trapezius muscle is the prime mover in scapula depression. It is located on the thoracic spinal region of the back. It’s in the most superficial layer of muscle, sitting atop portions of the rhomboids, lats and infraspinatus.

Reasons to Treat:

• The middle trapezius is mostly overworked when you do any type of job with your arms elevated in front of you, such as playing the piano or working on a computer without an arm rest. This is because your shoulder blade has to move outwards if you raise your arms in front of you. Performing this action over an extended period of time can lead to trapezius muscle stretching and trapezius trigger points.
• The lower trapezius generally gets overworked when you work in a bent over or slouched position for long periods, using your thoracic spine, as it may occur in cutting hair or gardening.

Massage Balls to Use:

Set-up:

Wall or Back of Office Chair

• Middle trapezius: Stand next to a wall and place a massage ball under the middle traps just to the right of your spine
• Lower trapezius: Stand next to a wall and place a massage ball on the wall at Trigger Point 3 (TP 3) position.
• If you have an injury or long-standing pain, you’ll need to apply lighter pressure against the ball and not put full body weight on it.

Floor

• Only after testing the pressure of the massage balls using a wall should you progress to the floor, which will apply a higher pressure to your tissues with less pressure control.
• Middle trapezius: Lie on a mat or on a rug and place the Peanut Massage Ball in a position straddling the spine in the middle traps or the Smooth Massage Ball just to the left or right of your spine.
• Lower trapezius: Lie on a mat or on a rug and place the Peanut Massage Ball in a position straddling the spine at Trigger Point 3 position.

Actions:

• Roll the ball over the middle traps and the lower traps with some pressure from the starting point. You will feel how tight it is and there will likely be one spot that hurts the most. Wherever that spot is, stay there with your massage ball and slightly push. Hold that for at least 90 seconds or until you feel a release of tension. Repeat this until you feel that they have become looser.

Anatomy and Function:

• The latissimus dorsi originates from the spine, thoracolumbar fascia, and posterior hips, and attaches on the humerus.
• The latissimus dorsi is responsible for extension, adduction and internal rotation of the arm.

Reasons to Treat:

• Much like the pecs, the lats can become short and stiff due to overtraining. This lack of extensibility can lead to overuse injuries and/or poor mechanics in many lifts, even those not targeting the lats (e.g. squatting, Olympic lifts).

Massage Balls to Use:

Set-up:

• Stand next to a wall with your arm outstretched overhead.
• Place a massage ball just behind your armpit, in between your lats and the wall.

Actions:

• From the starting position slowly roll the ball up and down along the outside of your armpit. Feel free to flex and extend your knees to increase the range of motion.
• Roll for 30-60 seconds, and then switch sides.