Training

levator scapulae hurts when doing pullups

andybossySep 8, 6:13 PM

I don't know a lot about anatomy but I'm pretty sure it's the levator scapulae on the right, it kind of hurts when I turn my head and when I trace the place that "hurts" and use pictures as reference it looks like that muscle. I've had this problem for years, every time I start doingpull ups consistantly. It starts hurting after a couple of days. I try to make sure I pinch my shouldblades back and together, try to keep my chin tucked. The first few times I had a tendency to look sideways while doing pullups but i stopped doing that but the problem persists. I also make sure to go slow and steady. Is there some progression I can do to strengthen the muscles needed, could it be some kind of inbalence. It's also always, and i mean always the right levator scapulae it has never been the one on the left. I've also had this happen while bouldering (once). (if it matters, i can do about 7-10 pullups) I'm not really looking for medical advice but more for form cues or exercises that can help strengthen the right muscles.

10 replies

theriverinyou_2·Sep 8, 8:28 PM
Are your feet in front of you or behind you when doing pullups?
andybossy_2·Sep 8, 9:31 PM
they're in front of me
round_situation_4491·Sep 9, 4:13 AM
I am not a physiotherapist but I have had pain in that area and here are some ideas that couldn’t hurt… I’m guessing you’re maybe tensing that muscle inadvertently during pulls, particularly during the end of the set when reps are harder. I would work on scapular pulls before your pull-ups. I like to focus on one side by holding lightly with the left hand and biasing the right side, or you can do one handed if you are already strong. One to two prehab sets can make a big difference. You don’t need to retract your scapula at the bottom of the rep (see overcoming gravity’s posts abt this). You’re right about keeping your head straight and tucked. Second, you can adjust your form with your arms. Many people report less pain with neutral grip pull-ups that put your arms more perpendicular to the torso, and it won’t meaningfully affect lat activation during the exercise. That’s usually related to elbow pain though.
andybossy_3·Sep 10, 5:57 AM
thank you for the tips! I will start doing those scapular pulls and see if that helps
norooster1790_4·Sep 11, 4:04 AM
I'd guess you're elevating that shoulder, like this https://youtube.com/shorts/6GsRzj3xhPY?si=mNNwtt2l1mtNok_p
andybossy_4·Sep 11, 1:27 PM
that's very possible but im not sure, I will film myself next time I do pullups, thank you
zestyclosebattle23_3·Sep 11, 5:47 PM
Might be worth backing off volume a bit first. I notice small form issues show up fast when fatigued.
mujartible_2·Sep 13, 2:22 AM
>I try to make sure I pinch my shouldblades back and together, try to keep my chin tucked Hi, a physio here. Try not to tuck your chin next time and see how that goes. The levator scapulae goes from the first 4 cervical vertebrae to the inner-upper angle of the scapula. When working with the upper trap, it raises the scapula, when working alone or with rhomboids, it rotates the scapula downwards (descending the gleno-humeral joint, aka "shoulder"). But there are other muscles working on your scapula during pull-ups, among them, the lower traps. This muscle descends the scapula, rotates upwards and pulls from it towards your spine. Well, there are a lot of muscle actions actually occuring over your scapula during a pull-up, some are primary actions and some are stabilizer actions, depending on the specific moment, it's a bit complex to explain here all the sequence, but bear with me. The thing is that the levator scapulae ain't just a scapular muscle, it's also a cervical one. In a b
andybossy_5·Sep 14, 2:54 PM
thank you for the clear and tought out response. It would kind of makes sense that tucking the chin causes that discomfort now that I think about it. When you say "that should be checked" do you mean that as in to know the reason or as in it's best to get that checked in case there's something wrong?
mujartible_3·Sep 14, 8:16 PM
>When you say "that should be checked" do you mean that as in to know the reason or as in it's best to get that checked in case there's something wrong? As in to know the reason, but how would you know if there's something wrong if you don't know the reason, anyway?

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