A fellow yoga teacher, Sarah, recently asked me about helping to release upper trapezius tension with the "block dock" technique created by Lillee Chandra from Yoga Tune Up.
I love this! I think this technique is awesome and creative. This is very similar to techniques that I give patients for self treatment routines in between patient visits with me. I just have them use a lacrosse ball instead. You can get one at a sporting goods store for about $2. Of course always consult with your healthcare professional before self-treatment to make sure that your symptoms are not from a more serious condition. The difficultly that I find in prescribing "home work" such as this is that patients sometimes don't know what they are looking for in the anatomy, but a good rule of thumb is that the really sore spot is probably the right spot! First do some general rolling around on the ball to warm up the tissue and search for that really sore spot. Then hold pressure on that spot for 30-60 secs to let the tension release.
One more thing that I would add is to be aware that this and many other myofascial release techniques often address only part of the issue. This is fine if the symptoms are from general wear and tear on the body due to regular use, but there is usually an underlying reason for the symptoms in the first place. A a common cause of upper trapezius soreness is poor posture. Many of us when not yoga-ing around sit in front of computers, in cars, and at desks in an forward rounded posture which puts the upper traps in a weak position to constantly hold your head up. It's like reaching your hand out as far as you can then constantly holding a 10 lb weight in it. This will strain the muscles and create tender points which can cause pain.
One more thing that I would add is to be aware that this and many other myofascial release techniques often address only part of the issue. This is fine if the symptoms are from general wear and tear on the body due to regular use, but there is usually an underlying reason for the symptoms in the first place. A a common cause of upper trapezius soreness is poor posture. Many of us when not yoga-ing around sit in front of computers, in cars, and at desks in an forward rounded posture which puts the upper traps in a weak position to constantly hold your head up. It's like reaching your hand out as far as you can then constantly holding a 10 lb weight in it. This will strain the muscles and create tender points which can cause pain.
Think Tadasana (mountain pose) spine for good posture to save your traps in the long run. This long, tall spine will help balance the work of the muscles in the front and back of your neck to help keep it stable making all of the muscles around the neck do their jobs! Otherwise, the muscles in the front of the neck, the deep neck flexors, will be lazy and get weak, and the problem will only get worse. In Tadasana, I cue my students to "lift your crown" and "stack your ears over your shouder" to align the neck (cervical spine). Sometimes I cue for a slight tuck of the chin, but it is more difficult to predict how people react to this cue. Of course there are other yoga poses and exercises that can be involved to help this issue, but good posture is a great start! Thanks for the question, Sarah! And thank you for reading!
Nasmaté
Nasmaté
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