@drjoedamiani: 🔥 Neck pain across the tops of your shoulders—especially when you use your arms? The problem might not be that your upper traps are too weak. They may actually be doing TOO MUCH. Here’s what’s happening... ⚡ Your shoulder blade essentially “floats” on your rib cage and relies heavily on muscles to control its position and movement. ⚡ The trapezius has upper, middle, and lower portions that need to coordinate whenever you reach, lift, or move your arms. ⚡ If the middle and lower portions aren't contributing enough, the upper trap may compensate, working harder to control and elevate the shoulder blade. That can mean more tension and pain across the tops of your shoulders—especially during activities that involve your arms. So what do we do? ✅ Strengthen and activate the middle + lower trapezius to improve control of the shoulder blade. 💡 PRO TIP: Try these exercises immediately BEFORE an activity or workout that normally aggravates your neck. The goal is to activate the muscles you want participating in the movement before you need them, so your upper traps don't have to do all the work. Better shoulder blade control = less unnecessary compensation through the neck. 🙌 #NeckPain #UpperTrap #Trapezius #ShoulderPain #ShoulderBladePain

Dr. Joe Damiani, DPT

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Saturday 15 August 2026 12:00:00 GMT