uneven traps
- Thread starter mw525
- Start date
DR.D
Well-known member
They have those neck machines at the gym that offer good isolation, might try to work the small one up and avoid working the other as best is practically possible. Or maybe a chiropractor could help? I'm not sure because I've never used a chiro, but lots of guys have told me it can work wonders sometimes.
fightbackhxc
Well-known member
are you doing them with an over/underhand grip?
slacker86
Active member
If your shoulder blade is winging which it kinda sounds like it is, it could be a nerve problem running through your shoulder that will not allow the muscle in your left shoulder blade to be worked. I sustained an injury lifting and it was because I pinched a nerve and it caused my trap to almost disappear then start to come back. It wasnt until i saw a doctor and physical therapist that they diagnosed what was wrong. On the bad side if this is the case there will be some lifts that will not be able to perform for about 6 months (mostly over the head lifts). The good side is you can still continue working out if you wish. The nerve eventually heals itself. My suggestion would be to see a doctor and ask about a winged scapula. Good luck.
sportsbro21
Member
dumbbell shruggs, force you to use both evenly. and it might help if you stop jerkin off with you right hand and start using ur left haha
John Smeton
Legend
thats a good point. I know doing deads with under/over can work one side of the lat differently and cause it to look different than the other
one sided training is very common for bringing out uneven bodyparts
dumbbell shrugs make sense to work it more evenly.
I know your trying to be funny..as far as working traps that wouldn't matter matter cause your not using much resistance.
lonewolf0420
Well-known member
What exercise did they give you in physical therapy? I have a paralyzed thoracic nerve on my left side. Causes winged scapula and has made my left side weaker. I paralyzed it several years ago, back in high school. I've been workingout hard again in the last 9 months, and put more emphasis on the big muscles, and left the little guys behind. Now I paying for.
OP, you got to pay extra special attention to your everyday posture, and form. Keep that shoulder blade in. Chest out, shoulders back.
slacker86
Active member
In physical therapy they really didnt give me any exercises at all they just tested my strength and ROM which where both dramatically effected by the injury. I was instructed that i COULD keep lifting however nothing over head or any shoulder exercises. So traps and shoulders as well as any other overhead exercises. The problem was that my nerve was impinged in a sensitive area and that there is no real surgery to fix it, so time alone had to do it. I did notice after a good 2 months after leaving it alone my winging stopped for the most part and within 6 months (probably could start sooner but i just wanted to make sure i made a full recovery) everything is fine now. the winging stopped my trap has come back to its normal size and everything is working fine.
and the only real posture changes i was instructed to do was to sleep on my stomach and keep as much weight as possible off the injured side. For example im a student so carrying my backpack i would use the side that was not injured just to not irritate the injury more. In the gym I made myself get much more strict on form and paid a lot of attention to how my body moved, so if ur noticing ur shoulder moving irreguarly compared to your other you should probably drop the weight, thats what i did and i seem to be fine.
sportsbro21
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sportsbro21
dumbbell shruggs, force you to use both evenly. and it might help if you stop jerkin off with you right hand and start using ur left haha
dumbbell shrugs make sense to work it more evenly.
I know your trying to be funny..as far as working traps that wouldn't matter matter cause your not using much resistance.
i am
Originally Posted by sportsbro21
dumbbell shruggs, force you to use both evenly. and it might help if you stop jerkin off with you right hand and start using ur left haha
dumbbell shrugs make sense to work it more evenly.
I know your trying to be funny..as far as working traps that wouldn't matter matter cause your not using much resistance.
i am
celc5
Well-known member
Thoracic nerve impingements do happen but it's super unlikely. It doesn't even sound like there's any pathology going on here. Just poor scapular stability.
Look up small light movements for serratus anterior. That should help the winging within about 2 weeks. Then start over from square one with all the good aforementioned exercises in this thread to ensure symmetry as you build your way back up.
It's very possilbe that you "big" trap is trying to do a stabilizing job for your scapula that it just can't do mechanically. So it sort of "tries" harder, grows, but you never get proper scapular positioning. The serratus is tough to contract and 99% of bodybuilders don't ever work it. Some are lucky and get away with it and some end up winging. See my logic?
Look up small light movements for serratus anterior. That should help the winging within about 2 weeks. Then start over from square one with all the good aforementioned exercises in this thread to ensure symmetry as you build your way back up.
It's very possilbe that you "big" trap is trying to do a stabilizing job for your scapula that it just can't do mechanically. So it sort of "tries" harder, grows, but you never get proper scapular positioning. The serratus is tough to contract and 99% of bodybuilders don't ever work it. Some are lucky and get away with it and some end up winging. See my logic?
DR.D
Well-known member
I think this is usually the case. Most of us have some degree of asymmetry we have to deal with, and it results in compensatory adjustments. With squats, I have to position 1 foot about 5-10' out more than the other or it doesn't "feel" right. My legs look symmetrical, but the mechanics indicate some small degree of asymmetry. It becomes second nature to deal with these idiosyncrasies after you've lifted enough years.
brk_nemesis
yea!!!!!
yup,... my traps are kinda Asymmetrical to a degree. When relaxed they arent noticeable but when doing a front bicep pose, it is noticeable that the trap insert on my right side is lower than the left. I have attributed this to many years of my early childhood, walking around with my shoulders slouched forward. I still have to constantly remind myself to keep my shoulders back, so i look like im doing a back pose all the time, ..lol.