Trapezius Muscle: Stiff Neck, Headache, Eye, Jaw, Pain

The trapezius muscle covers much of the upper back and has three parts, upper, middle, and lower.

The trapezius causes pain in the neck, upper back, and shoulder.  It is also a significant contributor to headaches and jaw pain. If you have frequent headaches,  shoulder pain, or an aching tight upper back, you should check the trapezius for trigger points (TrPs).

The trapezius covers a large portion of the neck, back of the shoulder, and upper to mid-back. It connects the skull, neck vertebra, upper and mid-back vertebra to the shoulder blade.

What Movements Does The Trapezius Control?

• Pulls the shoulders back and the shoulder blades toward the spine
• Raises and lowers shoulders – shrugging your shoulders
• Lifts and lowers the arms to the front of the body
• Straightening and bending neck back
• It helps to tilt the head side to side
• Helps to turn head side to side

See the Trapezius Anatomy page for detailed muscle anatomy information, including origin, insertion, and agonist and antagonist for each muscle action.

A large muscle that covers most of the upper back, the trapezius contributes to pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulder, pain around the inner edge of the shoulder blade, and aching and stiffness in the upper back.

Mostly known as a contributor to stiff necks, one symptom many people do not connect to the trapezius is headaches. Trigger points (TrPs) in the muscle can be a source of jaw pain, pain behind the eye, headaches that seemingly start behind the eye and travel down the side of the head to behind the ear. If you tend to have headaches at the bottom of the skull or in the temple area, it may be TrPs in the trapezius.

Because the trapezius moves the shoulder blade, the trigger points that cause neck and shoulder pain can occasionally cause tingling, numbing, or pain when you raise your arms.

The symptoms:

• Stiff neck
• Headaches at the base of the skull
• Headache in the temple area
• Pain behind one eye
• Pain in the jaw that travels down into the neck and over behind the ear
• Tension headache
• Contributes to dizziness
• Ache or burning sensation in the middle of the back
• Pain or tingling during raising or lowering the arms
• Women with large, heavy breasts often develop trigger points in the upper back muscles

How To Avoid Development of Trigger Points In The Trapezius

• The most preventative measure that you can take to avoid trigger points in the trapezius is to manage your stress levels. When you are stressed, be conscious of your shoulders and neck area. Do shoulder and neck rolls and make an effort not to keep your shoulders raised, which is an unconscious action we do when stressed.
• When you work and do activities with your arms extended out in front of the body for long hours, you will have problems with the trap muscle.
• People who work at a desk, drive for extended amounts of time or play and practice the piano for hours are particularly vulnerable. If you work at a desk, you need a chair with armrests to support the elbows and take the workload off the traps. If you are doing activities that giving the elbows support is not an option, take breaks and stretch out the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and upper back.
• For women who have large and heavy breasts, your bra fit is essential. Find a bra that not only supports the breasts but provides support for the upper back.

If you have suffered a whiplash injury

Whiplash can affect all the muscles of the neck, shoulders, chest, and upper back. If you have ever had whiplash, you need to check all these muscles, including the trapezius, for trigger points. Pain and symptoms may return months and even years after the initial injury.