Kneeling Lower Trapezius Strengthening

  • The patient is kneeling with their hands placed on top of a bench or chair. Have the patient move their hips back until they are flexed to about 90º.
  • Instruct the patient to drop their chest down towards the floor so that their back is parallel to the floor (like a table top).
  • Their arms should be fully straight and their head in line with the trunk.
  • Ask the patient to lift their right hand off the bench with their thumb up (external rotation) and hold for 5-10 seconds.
  • They repeat 3-5 times initially, alternating arms. They gradually work up to 10 repetitions with each arm.
  • Watch to make sure that the patient does not raise up their back and/or drop their head when they lift the arm.
  • If with this exercise the patient reports feeling pain in the shoulder of their support arm, have them move their knees closer to the bench to unload the shoulder before they lift their other arm.
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