Trapezius muscle strain is an extremely uncomfortable condition in which you just cannot move your shoulders in any direction, nor can you perform any head activity without discomfort or pain in the area. You can't even move your neck around easily. The trapezius muscle is one of the biggest muscles in your body, and also one of the most hard-working ones. Triangle in shape, it passes through your shoulder and neck to the mid-back region. Any kind of repetitive stress on this region, such as repetitive pulling or pushing, lifting overhead activities or others can cause strain in this muscular region, and cause significant disability and pain. Here at oneHOWTO, we are going to tell you more about the condition, and how long does a trapezius muscle strain last.
Causes of trapezius muscle strain
In most cases, trapezius muscle strain is caused due to repetitive activities involving the shoulders. When you perform repetitive motion of your shoulders, your tissues do not get enough time to rest, due to which they become inflamed and irritated. The area gets strained, due to which you experience so much inability and pain that you even cannot use your affected arm. Construction workers who have to constantly push and lift heavy materials, athletes associated with sports that repetitively use arms like tennis, swimming or others, and other such individuals have common risk of developing trapezius muscle strain.
For more information, make sure you know all the possible cause for trapezius muscle strain.
Symptoms of trapezius muscle strain
You know that you have trapezius muscle strain when you have pain in your arm muscles and it radiates to the back of your neck. You may also have pain in your thoracic region and your shoulder blades. Pain in your shoulder makes it impossible for you to use your hands. You may experience constant pain in your trapezius muscle area, and you may also have difficulty moving your shoulder in any direction. You may even have difficulty sleeping, as you may not find a comfortable position to rest on. You may also experience palpable tenderness and warmth in the strained area, and sometimes even swelling. Sometimes, a person with trapezius muscle strain may also have neck pain, followed by headache.
How long the pain lasts
Obviously, there cannot be a single answer as to how long the trapezius muscle strain lasts. It will largely depend on a number of factors, including the cause and source of pain, the lifestyle changes you make after the strain, and your body’s individual response to the treatment. Once you have got your muscle strained, it is important to give some serious time for the area to heal itself. This can take from one week to 6 weeks, depending on the severity of the strain. Also make sure to stay hydrated and follow a well-balanced diet, especially during the healing period.
To prevent this condition from appearing again, we adivise you to take a look at the following articles How To Stretch Neck Muscles Properly, and How To Relieve Muscle Knots And Cramping
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How Long Does A Trapezius Muscle Strain Last, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.
- Always follow the treatment prescribed to you by a professional to make sure your trapezius muscle strain lasts as little as possible.