[sidewinder]

Often get very tight/sore in my upper trapezius/neck/shoulder area, particularly on the left side.  Recently it has become pretty bad and I'm struggling to loosen it, I have been trying all of the general shoulder stability type stuff which helps somewhat but a lot of it seems to be targeted more at the rotator cuff.

I was wondering if any of the ukb massive have come up with/discovered any particularly good stretches/exercises to target the trap area.  My current best one involves putting one arm either side of a doorway and then leaning through the doorway to get the stretch across the top of my back, but I am yet to find one that really works.  Want to get it sorted soon as am off sport climbing for a week this weekend and when it's bad it then tends to lead to me getting tendonitis in my elbows as my shoulder/s is/are compromised.

Fairly certain the main cause is sitting too stiffly at my desk (which I am working on) and an imbalance in my pelvis which means it is almost exclusively the left shoulder that gets tight.  Attempting to also get a physio/sports massage session this week but figure among  the hordes of injured desk dwelling climbers on here I can't be the only one with this problem?

Thanks in advance.

[erm, sam]

I am a huge evangelical fan of using a golf ball to massage/batter tight muscles into submission.
Get a golf ball and lean your back against a wall using the golf ball in between to press hard on the muscles. It is hard to do the neck like this but the mid and upper traps can really be got at. You can also put the golfball into a long sock to beter control the height..

I also have just had a sports massage which works wonders..

Google scapula wall slides also, I find these good for stretching/working scap stabilisers.

[Muenchener]

One tip that worked for me, that I learned in a seminar for a technique called "Structural Stretching", is stretching combined with trigger point pressure.

You need an assistant for this. The assistant applies fairly firm pressure with their forearm on the upper trap - and could also help to hold your shoulder down and stable with the other hand - while you stretch your head down and away diagonally, with your chin turned abut 45 degrees away from the shoulder being stretched.

I find this stretch, without the assistant, generally useful anyway, but the addition of pressure on the muscle during the stretch magnifies the effect to an astonishing degree. You can experiment with varying the position and intensity of the forearm pressure until you find the point of greatest effect.

[Muenchener]

Or if it's more the middle/lower traps that are the problem, rolling your thoracic spine on two balls duct taped together can be useful. I use tennis balls, but something slightly smaller & slightly harder might be better.

[Andrew B]

Foam rolling is good. Have a read of this. If the foam isn't doing it for you some people use PVC pipe, but I find the foam roller is painful enough (in a good way).

[magpie]

I'm disapointed I can't share my knowledge on how to trapeze.

I do Sam's golf ball thing, but I use a tennis ball instead, and I find it works really well, it can be pretty sore at first but it does loosen things up.

[Stu Littlefair]

those of you rolling on golf balls etc to release your muscles I can recommend a "pocket physio". Basically a firm-ish rubber pyramid that you can lie on to press on trigger points.

http://www.bodylogicsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/pocket-physio.html

[robertostallioni]

I can recommend a "pocket physio". Basically a firm-ish rubber pyramid that you can lie on to press on trigger points.

[Stu Littlefair]

You've got worse in your old age

[Paul B]

one of these:

NSFW  :

[sidewinder]

Thanks for all the suggestions (except maybe the last couple), I have used tennis/cricket balls before, the foam roller tip was a great one, I have one but have only ever used it for my legs, should of thought to use it for the back works better than I expected.

Did two positions in yoga this week which also seemed to work nicely Plough and Shoulderstand.
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/theplough.asp
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/shoulderstand.asp
Not necessarily the easiest things to do so take care!

Anyway everything seems freer and I am no longer in continual pain, whoop!

[GCW]

If you can find one, one of those hard dog balls covered in knobbly bits is very effective.

[erm, sam]

Since reading about the tennis ball I have been doing this instead of using a golf ball. Loads better!

[sidewinder]

Since reading about the tennis ball I have been doing this instead of using a golf ball. Loads better!

Pleased you are enjoying it, tennis ball best for back, the cricket ball works really well on the arches of feet if suffering from Plantar Fascitis(sp?).  I have to say since starting to use the foam roller on my back I now don't seem to need to do anything else, 2/3 5 min sessions a week easily works out any tightness.  In between using it as a therapeutic aid I  have also discovered the fun/challenge/work out of trying to do v sits on a foam roller ... brutal!