Many dental professionals have extremely tight and rigid trapezious muscles (specifically the upper traps) and oftentimes, develop pain in this area known as trapezius myalgia (TM).
The pain could be when they are working (prepping or scaling teeth, for example) or chronically during the day/night.
Many of us have also developed trigger points in the traps, further causing localized and referred pain and reduced range of motion.
Why is this?
There are many reasons for TM; previous trauma such as whiplash, skeletal issues, and other various medical conditions. But, a common factor is poor posture. In dentistry, unfortunately, we are prone to poor posture when working on our patients.
Motions that contribute to overworking the traps:
Repetitive reaching (when the arm is fully extended)
Elevating our shoulders
Forward head position
Arm abduction (chicken wing)
All of these movements when done for prolonged periods of time or done repetitively, cause tightness in the traps that can become chronic and lead to trapezius myalgia (TM).
Symptoms of TM are:
Headaches
Neck pain
Shoulder pain
Jaw pain
Stiff neck
Reduced range of motion of the neck and shoulder
Burning/tingling in the shoulder and arm
Tingling/numbness down the arm and into the hand
When I'm assessing clinicians, a common reason for the dangerous motions listed above is incorrect patient positioning. The patient's position dictates our own. If they aren't positioned correctly (for example, not being low enough), we tend to chicken-wing our arms and elevate our shoulders, which engages the traps. If not corrected, this becomes the "norm" and pain and dysfunction ensue.
This is why I created an on-demand video course, "All About Patient Positioning." It demonstrates in numerous videos exactly how we need to position our patients. It also describes a mirror technique to reduce the abduction of our mirror arm (something I also see during assessments).
Whether you take my course, get an assessment, or simply work on body awareness, please limit these awkward and repetitive motions so you don't develop rock-hard traps!
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