The levator scapulae muscle lies within your upper back on either side of your spine, attaching to the top three or four cervical vertebrae on one end and to the top, inside part of the scapula bone on the other. The muscle acts to elevate your scapula bone, pull it forward and downwardly rotate its outside angle, and to rotate your neck and flex it from side to side. Any injury to the levator scapulae can reduce the muscle's flexibility and strength, so a well-designed rehabilitation program addresses these issues through physical therapy. Consult a professional t to develop a customized exercise program.
Flexibility Exercises
Stretching the levator scapulae can restore your flexibility after suffering an injury to the muscle. ExRx.net, a website endorsed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, suggests that the upper trapezius stretch is an effective flexibility exercise for the levator scapulae, even though the stretch targets the trapezius muscle, which lies nearby. To perform the exercise, place one forearm across your lower back, grab the opposite wrist and pull, tilting your head toward your higher shoulder. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds or tilt your head repeatedly to perform the stretch dynamically.
Isometric Exercises
The isometric shrug is an effective exercise for the levator scapulae if contracting the muscle concentrically and eccentrically causes pain, which will likely be the case for several days after you suffer an injury. This exercise requires that you raise your shoulders toward your ears as far as possible from a sitting or standing position and hold for 10 seconds or more at a time. You can hold a barbell in front of your thighs or dumbbells at your sides to make the exercise more challenging, if desired.
Strengthening Exercises
The traditional shrug is a dynamic-strengthening exercise that targets the levator scapulae. The exercise involves the same movement as the isometric variation, but you lift and lower your shoulders repeatedly instead of holding them at their highest point. Hold a barbell in front of your upper legs, a dumbbell at your sides, or perform the exercise on a weight machine to add resistance.
Recommendations
Perform the upper trapezius stretch, the isometric shrug and the traditional shrug without weights every day as soon as your physical therapist allows you to do so after suffering your injury. Begin adding weight gradually for the second and third exercises after two weeks or so, but perform them only three days per week instead of daily, allowing one to two days of rest between sessions. Check with your doctor if you suffer any setbacks.
References
- ExRx.net: Levator Scapulae
- "Essentials of Athletic Injury Management"; William Prentice and Daniel Arnheim; 2008
- ExRx.net: Back Exercise Menu
- "NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training"; Roger Earle and Thomas Baechle; 2004
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