The upper trapezius stretch is a sideways neck stretch for the muscle that runs from the base of your skull to the top of your shoulder (upper trapezius). One hand holds the edge of a table to keep that shoulder down while you tilt your head the other way. People often use it when the neck and the tops of the shoulders feel tight.

How to do the upper trapezius stretch

Stand tall next to a sturdy table, close enough to rest one hand on its edge.
Hold the edge of the table with the hand nearest to it. Let that shoulder settle down, away from your ear.
Keep your face pointing forward and slowly tilt your head away from the table, taking your other ear toward your other shoulder.
Stop when you feel a stretch along the side of your neck and the top of the shoulder on the holding side. Hold it there.
Bring your head slowly back to the middle, rest for a moment, and repeat.

What you should feel

A pulling stretch along the side of your neck and across the top of the shoulder on the side you are holding. A pull, not pain.

Common mistakes

Letting the holding shoulder hitch up toward your ear. That takes the stretch away.
Turning the face or dropping the chin as you tilt. Keep your nose pointing forward.
Forcing the stretch. The weight of your head is usually enough.

How often

Stretches like this are often held for 15 to 30 seconds and repeated 2 to 3 times on each side, once or twice a day. Your physio may set different numbers for you.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, faint or unsteady. Stop and get medical advice the same day. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
Things look double, your vision suddenly blurs or goes, your speech slurs or becomes muddled, swallowing becomes hard, your face or lips go numb, one side of your face droops or one side of your body goes weak or numb, you suddenly become so dizzy or unsteady that you fall or cannot stand or walk, your legs suddenly give way but you do not black out (a drop attack), or you get a sudden severe headache. Stop and call emergency services, even if it goes away.
Pins and needles, numbness or pain travels down into your arm or hand.
The stretch turns into sharp pain in your neck.

From the clinic

You can also do this sitting, holding the side of the chair seat instead of a table, which makes it easy to fit in at a desk. Either way, the hand is only there to anchor the shoulder. Hold on firmly. Do not yank. After neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, check with your surgeon or physio before you start.

Small changes in head position move the stretch. With your nose forward, you feel it at the side. Turn your face down toward the opposite armpit and the pull shifts to the back of the neck and the shoulder blade, which is really the levator scapulae stretch.

If holding a stretch feels like too much at first, the neck side bend moves the head the same way without the long hold.

Reviewed by the PocketPhysio by VirtueLife expert physiotherapy team. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Upper trapezius stretch