Neck pain is very commonly shown by most people to be in the region of the back of the neck and between the base of the neck to the shoulder, primarily indicating the region of the trapezius muscle.

Trapezius is a big diamond shaped muscle with 3 parts: the upper, middle and lower portions. Trapezius forms the slope of the shoulder. It arises from the back of the skull and from the spines of the C7 to T2 vertebrae. It attaches to the outer one third of the collarbone and acromion and the spine of the shoulder blade. It receives nerve supply from the accessory nerve and the C1 to C4 cervical nerve roots.

The trapezius functions to bring the 2 shoulder blades together toward the midline, draws the acromion backward and rotates the shoulder blade upward. It functions to shrug the shoulder, pull the head and neck backward, bend the neck sideways and also to turn the neck to the opposite side. Therefore with pain and spasm of the right trapezius, the patient will have difficulty bending the neck sideways to the right side. The patient will also have difficulty turning the face (rotation) to the opposite side.

Most patients who complain of neck pain or shoulder pain will be invariably show the pain to be at slope between the base of the neck and the shoulder, in the region of upper trapezius.
With pain and tightness in the trapezius, patients may have symptoms of headaches, dizziness, neck pain and midback pain.

When the latissimus dorsi (C6-C8 roots) and the deltoid (C5, C6 roots) have pain or spasm and/or weakness, the trapezius will help in lifting by shoulder shrug. Similarly, the trapezius will shrug the shoulder for maintaining the arm out in space.

To properly release the tightness in the trapezius, the entire spine muscles from the skull to the lower back, the latissimus dorsi and the gluteus muscles have to be treated.
Trapezius muscle is usually so tight that it is very difficult to treat and to find motor points, especially in the lower trapezius.

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