Why do the three parts of the trapezius muscle have three different actions?

Video transcript

Hi, everyone. Let's take a look at this practice problem together which of the following describes the primary function of the upper trapezius. The answer options are a helps bring the shoulder blades toward the spine. B elevates the shoulder girdle. C brings the shoulder girdle down and D none of the above. Now recall that the trapezius is a broad muscle that covers the upper back of the shoulders and neck. Now, the trapezius has three regions and each region has a different function. Recall that the three regions of the Trapezius are the upper descending, the middle and the lower ascending. Now, each of the answer options A through C describe the function of one of the Trapezius regions. Let's identify the function of the upper trapezius option A, the part of the Trapezius that brings the shoulder blades toward the spine. This is the function of the lower ascending Trapezius region. So option A is not the correct answer. Option. C bringing the shoulder girdle down is the function of the middle region of the trapezius. So option C is incorrect as well. It is the upper descending region of the trapezius which is responsible for elevating the shoulder girdle. So the correct answer is option B elevates the shoulder girdle. All right, everyone. I hope you found this helpful and I'll see you soon for the next practice problem.