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Posted - 02/26/2008 :  10:00:31  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Our user asked: "I recently injured my trapezius muscle doing shoulder shrugs. Last year I pulled the same muscle and it seems to be turning into a chronic weak spot. What can I do to accelerate the healing and prevent future trap pulls? Thank you!"

Ask a PT Response: "Repetitive injury to this area could suggest a few things. They can include but are not limited to: poor posture and technique when performing shoulder shrugs, weakness (weight was too much) which could lead to injury, instability at the joint of the shoulder or neck, decrease flexibility or having structural/anatomical abnormalities. When a patient has pulled a muscle, physical therapists generally instruct the patient to abide by the following guidelines to help promote healing: avoid activities which would exacerbate the condition (ie. lifting heavy weights), apply modalities such as hot packs or cold packs, perform gentle stretching, perform gentle strengthening, and maintain good posture. It may be a good idea to see a physical therapist so that an evaluation can be conducted to see if you have any of the issues which were mentioned above. The physical therapist will be better able to address your problems which you may be having and develop a plan of care based on the findings of the evaluation. You can learn more about a trapezius strain by visiting http://www.cyberpt.com/cptcondtrt10trapRhm.asp . I wish you the best of luck in your recovery and thank you for using CyberPT."