Dominic Stone
The trapezius muscle, commonly referred to as the traps or trap muscles, are two large muscles found on either side of the upper back. They play a crucial role in supporting and facilitating various movements of the head, neck, and back. The trapezius muscle works in conjunction with other muscles, such as the rhomboids, levator scapulae, and deltoid, to enable smooth and coordinated motions. These muscles help with actions such as lifting, throwing, and maintaining posture. The trapezius muscle is also unique in its innervation and vascular supply, making it an important structure in the human body.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of trapezius muscles | Two (one on either side of the upper back) |
| Shape | Trapezoid |
| Sections | Three (upper, middle, and lower) |
| Function | Supports the body and helps with movement |
| Movements | Turning the head, twisting the torso, shrugging the shoulders, and moving the shoulders |
| Nerve | Cranial nerve XI (the spinal accessory nerve) |
| Sensory nerves | C3 and C4 cervical nerves |
| Muscle pairings | Rhomboids, levator scapulae, deltoid, pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi, supraspinatus, serratus anterior |
| Exercises | Yoga, Pilates, shoulder stretches, and trap exercises |
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What You'll Learn
Trapezius muscles help with head, neck and back movement
The trapezius muscles are two large, paired muscles on either side of the upper back. They are named after their shape, which resembles a trapezium or diamond-shaped quadrilateral. Each trapezius muscle has three sections, starting at the base of the neck and extending across the shoulders and down to the middle of the back.
The trapezius muscles help with head, neck, and back movement. They are involved in turning the head to either side, maintaining and adjusting posture, twisting the torso, shrugging the shoulders, and moving the shoulders when lifting the arm or throwing something. The upper fibres of the trapezius elevate the scapulae, the middle fibres retract the scapulae, and the lower fibres depress the scapulae.
The trapezius muscles also work in conjunction with several other muscles to produce coordinated movements, primarily involving the scapula. For example, the rhomboids (major and minor) work with the trapezius to retract and stabilise the scapula, playing a key role in shoulder movement and posture. The deltoid muscle works with the trapezius for arm elevation, with the deltoid initiating the movement and the trapezius stabilising and rotating the scapula to allow a full range of motion.
The trapezius muscles are supplied by the accessory nerve (CN XI), as well as the anterior rami of the C3 and C4 spinal nerves. They receive their sense of feeling from the C3 and C4 cervical nerves in the neck.
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They also help maintain and adjust your posture
The trapezius muscle, commonly referred to as the "traps", is a large, paired trapezoid-shaped muscle that extends from the base of the neck down to the middle of the back. It is the most superficial of the extrinsic back muscles and plays a crucial role in maintaining and adjusting posture.
The trapezius muscle works in conjunction with several other muscles to facilitate coordinated movements, especially those involving the scapula (shoulder blade). Its main function is to stabilize and move the scapula, with the upper fibres elevating the scapulae, the middle fibres retracting them, and the lower fibres depressing them. This scapular movement helps maintain and adjust posture, allowing for smooth and controlled movements during activities such as rowing or pulling motions.
Additionally, the trapezius muscle assists in abduction of the shoulder above 90 degrees by rotating the glenoid upward. It also works with muscles like the rhomboids and levator scapulae to produce downward rotation of the scapula, ensuring balanced movement during shoulder actions. This coordination helps maintain proper posture and prevents issues like winged scapula or scapular dyskinesia.
The trapezius muscle is innervated by the spinal accessory nerve (cranial nerve XI) and receives sensory input from the C3 and C4 cervical nerves. Its extensive vascular supply provides blood flow to the muscle, ensuring its proper function in maintaining posture and facilitating movement.
Maintaining the health of the trapezius muscle is important for overall posture and movement. Stretching and exercises such as yoga or Pilates can help improve flexibility, range of motion, and muscle strength. However, it is important to warm up properly and stop if pain is experienced to prevent overuse or injury to the trapezius muscle.
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Traps are skeletal muscles and part of the musculoskeletal system
The trapezius muscle, commonly referred to as the "traps" or "trap muscles", is a large, paired trapezoid-shaped muscle that extends from the base of the neck down to the middle of the back. It is the most superficial of the extrinsic back muscles, and each side of the body has one. The trapezius muscle is a skeletal muscle and is part of the musculoskeletal system.
The trapezius muscle works in conjunction with several other muscles to produce coordinated movements, primarily involving the scapula (shoulder blade). For example, the rhomboids (major and minor) work with the trapezius to retract and stabilise the scapula, playing a key role in shoulder movement and posture. The upper trapezius also works with the levator scapulae to lift and rotate the shoulder. The trapezius muscle is involved in many motions, including turning the head from side to side, maintaining and adjusting posture, twisting the torso, shrugging the shoulders, and moving the shoulder when lifting the arm or throwing something.
The trapezius muscle has three sections: upper, middle, and lower. The upper section connects to the skull and neck (cervical spine), while the middle and lower sections attach to bones in the thoracic spine, the back (lateral) sides of the scapula, and the collarbone (clavicle). The upper fibres elevate the scapulae, the middle fibres retract the scapulae, and the lower fibres depress the scapulae. The trapezius also induces scapular rotation, with the upper and lower fibres rotating the scapula so that the acromion and inferior angles move up, and the medial border moves down.
The trapezius muscle is innervated for motor functions by the spinal accessory nerve (cranial nerve XI). The sensory fibres of the trapezius muscles, including pain and proprioception (the sense of position in space), occur via the ventral rami of the third (C3) and fourth (C4) cervical nerves.
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The traps work with other muscles to produce coordinated movements
The trapezius muscle, commonly referred to as the traps or trap muscles, is a large, paired trapezoid-shaped muscle on either side of the upper back. It is the most superficial of the extrinsic muscles of the back. The traps work with other muscles to produce coordinated movements, primarily involving the scapula.
The rhomboids (major and minor) work closely with the trapezius to retract and stabilize the scapula, playing a key role in shoulder movement and posture. The levator scapulae elevates the scapula and works with the upper trapezius to lift and rotate the shoulder. It also assists in downward rotation of the scapula, along with the rhomboids, which balance the action of the trapezius during shoulder movements.
The deltoid muscle is the primary muscle for shoulder abduction and works with the trapezius for arm elevation. The pectoralis minor assists the trapezius in stabilizing the scapula, which is crucial for movements involving pushing, reaching forward, or pulling down. The latissimus dorsi works with the lower trapezius to assist in downward rotation of the scapula and is heavily involved in actions such as pulling, rowing, or swimming. It also aids in shoulder adduction, extension, and internal rotation, providing stability during arm and shoulder movements.
The supraspinatus works with the upper trapezius to initiate the first 15 degrees of shoulder abduction, providing the necessary lift for arm elevation. It stabilizes the shoulder joint, making it essential for maintaining shoulder stability and function. The serratus anterior also works with the trapezius to optimize scapula position and scapulohumeral rhythm.
The traps are involved in various movements throughout the day, including turning the head, maintaining posture, twisting the torso, shrugging the shoulders, and moving the shoulders during activities such as lifting or throwing. These muscles help produce coordinated and smooth movements by working in conjunction with other muscles in the body.
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The trapezius is the most superficial extrinsic back muscle
The trapezius is a large muscle in the upper back, with one on each side of the body. The muscle gets its name from its shape, which resembles a trapezium or diamond-shaped quadrilateral. The trapezius is the most superficial of the extrinsic back muscles, meaning it overlies the remaining muscles in this group. These include the rhomboids, levator scapulae, serratus posterior superior, splenius capitis, splenius cervicis, spinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis muscles.
The trapezius is responsible for supporting the body and facilitating movement. It helps with turning the head, maintaining and adjusting posture, twisting the torso, shrugging the shoulders, and moving the shoulder when lifting the arm or throwing. The muscle is also involved in scapular translation and rotation, with the upper fibres elevating the scapulae, the middle fibres retracting the scapulae, and the lower fibres depressing the scapulae.
The trapezius works in conjunction with several other muscles to produce coordinated movements, particularly those involving the scapula. For example, the rhomboids work with the trapezius to retract and stabilise the scapula, playing a key role in shoulder movement and posture. The deltoid muscle also works with the trapezius during shoulder abduction, with the deltoid initiating the movement and the trapezius stabilising and rotating the scapula to allow a full range of motion.
The trapezius has an extensive vascular supply, which can be used for musculocutaneous tissue flap harvesting for reconstructive purposes, such as breast reconstruction. The muscle is innervated by the spinal accessory nerve (cranial nerve XI) and the anterior rami of the C3 and C4 spinal nerves.
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Frequently asked questions
The trapezius muscles are two large muscles on either side of your upper back. They are also referred to as "traps" or "trap muscles".
The traps help you move your head, neck, and upper back, as well as maintain and adjust your posture. They also assist in shoulder movements and arm elevation.
There are various exercises and stretches that can help strengthen and improve the flexibility of your traps, such as yoga and pilates. Specific exercises for the traps include neck extensions, pulling shoulder blades together, and drawing the shoulder blades downward while keeping arms straight.
Overuse, injuries, and nerve damage are the most common causes of trapezius muscle pain. Dysfunction of the trapezius can result in winged scapula, abnormal mobility or function of the scapula (scapular dyskinesia), and neck pain.
The trapezius muscles work in conjunction with several other muscles, including the rhomboids, levator scapulae, latissimus dorsi, deltoid, pectoralis minor, and supraspinatus.
