A third stretch is bringing your arm up your back from the bottom going up toward your neck. You can use a towel or belt and have the other hand pull the towel to do the stretching. All stretches should be done for 20-30 seconds. Strengthening Your Rotator Cuff. After stretching, simple rotator cuff strengthening should also be done. The first exercise is resisted external rotation.
Shoulder pain can limit your ability to move your arm properly during basic tasks like reaching to put away dishes or brushing your hair. There are many causes of shoulder pain including arthritis, a rotator cuff or labrum tear, or a shoulder dislocation.
Physical therapy for shoulder pain typically focuses on decreasing your pain and improving your shoulder range of motion (ROM) and strength so you can regain normal function. Your physical therapist may use therapeutic modalities like ultrasound, heat, or ice to help you manage your pain. Although these may feel good, active exercises are essential to helping you regain normal mobility in your shoulder after an injury.
Exercises to help increase your shoulder strength may be prescribed by your physical therapist. The exercises contained in this step-by-step article are common shoulder exercises to help strengthen your shoulder and rotator cuff muscles.
If you have shoulder pain or have had shoulder surgery, you should ask your doctor if physical therapy is needed to help you improve your shoulder mobility. Also, be sure to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any exercise program and before attempting the exercises in this article.
Before starting these strengthening exercises, you must obtain a resistance band. You can purchase these bands at your local sporting goods store, or your local outpatient physical therapy clinic might be happy to provide you with some for a small fee. Be sure to get the right resistance. Usually, different color bands indicate different amounts of resistance in the band. Again, a quick consult with your physical therapist here can ensure that you are using a band with the proper resistance.
Shoulder External Rotation
The first rotator cuff exercise is shoulder external rotation. Start by tying your resistance band to a stable object or on a closet doorknob. Make sure you use a door that no one will open while you are performing the exercise.
Stand perpendicular to the door with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold the band in the hand of the shoulder you wish to exercise and bend your elbow 90 degrees. Keep your elbow tucked into the side of your body with your hand over your navel, and then slowly rotate your shoulder outwards.
Your hand should move outward until the back of your hand faces behind you. Hold the end position for two seconds, and then slowly allow your arm to return to the starting position.
Repeat for ten to fifteen repetitions. After a set of ten to fifteen repetitions, you are ready to move on to the next exercise.
Shoulder Internal Rotation
With your resistance band still attached to the door, turn around 180 degrees and hold the end of your band in the hand of the shoulder you are exercising. You should still be perpendicular to the door. You may need to step away from the door a step or two to keep tension on the band.
Keep your elbow bent 90 degrees and tucked into the side of your body. This time, though, your hand starts near the doorknob. Then, slowly pull your hand in toward your navel. Be sure to keep good posture and keep your elbow bent and tucked into the side of your body. Hold your hand into your navel for two seconds, and then slowly return to the start position.
Repeat this motion slowly for ten to fifteen repetitions. Then move on to the next exercise.
Resisted Shoulder Extension
Shoulder extension with a resistance band is done by making sure your band is securely tied to a closet doorknob or other stable object. Face the door with the band in one hand. Be sure there is slight tension on the band.
While keeping an upright posture, slowly pull the band backward while keeping your arm straight. Your hand should move just slightly past your hip. Hold this end position for two seconds, and then slowly return to the starting position. Be sure to control the motion; the band should not allow your arm to snap back to the starting position.
Repeat this motion ten to fifteen repetitions and then move on to the final shoulder strengthening exercise.
Shoudler Abduction Using a Resistance Band
Stand perpendicular to the door that has your therapy band attached to it, and hold the end of the resistance band in the hand furthest from the door. Keep your elbow straight with your arm at your side, and then slowly lift your arm out to the side. Be sure that your arm stays in line with your body and does not move too far forward or behind you.
Lift your arm out to the side until it is not quite parallel with the floor, and hold this position for two seconds. Then slowly lower your arm back to your side to the starting position. Repeat ten to fifteen repetitions.
These shoulder strengthening exercises are great for regaining strength in weakened rotator cuff muscles after injury or after shoulder surgery. Performing these exercises too often may cause significant muscle soreness, so it is a good idea to only do these exercises three to four times per week.
By keeping your shoulders strong, you may be able to regain normal function. Strong shoulder and rotator cuff muscles may also help to prevent future episodes of shoulder pain. Again, be sure to consult your physical therapist or doctor before starting any exercise program.
As sports fans and athletes alike know, shoulder injuries are serious business. They can be extremely painful, limiting, and slow to heal.
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilize the shoulder and allow it to move. Physical therapist and founder of WebPT Heidi Jannenga says you should visualize the head of the arm bone as a golf ball, and the area of the shoulder blade as a golf tee. She says, “The rotator cuff serves as a sleeve that enables the ball to spin and roll while remaining on the tee.”
The most common rotator cuff injuries are impingements and tears.
- Impingement: An impingement occurs when a rotator cuff muscle swells and cramps the space between the arm and shoulder bones, causing pinching. Muscle strain, other overuse injuries, and bone spurs are common causes of swelling.
- Tear: A less common injury, a rotator cuff tear occurs when a rotator cuff tendon or muscle is torn. Most tears will not require surgery.
Repetitive, overhead motions can wear down the rotator cuff muscles and are thus a common cause of injury. This is why athletes such as baseball pitchers frequently have shoulder issues. A traumatic injury, such as falling onto your arm, can also cause injury. Regardless of how it happens, the risk of a rotator cuff tear increases as we age and the wear on our bodies accumulates.
Try using the “RICE” method immediately following an injury: Rest, ice, compression, and elevation work together to reduce pain and swelling. Once swelling has gone down and your arm is no longer painful to move, certain exercises can help you heal and prevent issues such as “frozen shoulder” or loss of range of motion. These exercises include:
- doorway stretch
- side-lying external rotation
- high-to-low rows
- reverse fly
- lawn mower pull
If you are comfortable adding weight to these exercises, try using a light dumbbell or resistance band for repetitions. If you do not have a light dumbbell, try using a can of soup.
- Warm up your muscles by standing in an open doorway and spreading your arms out to the side.
- Grip the sides of the doorway with each hand at or below shoulder height, and lean forward through the doorway until you feel a light stretch.
- Keep a straight back as you lean and shift your weight onto your toes. You should feel a stretch in the front of your shoulder. Do not overstretch.
- Lie down on the side opposite your injured arm.
- Bend the elbow of your injured arm to 90 degrees and rest the elbow on your side. Your forearm should rest across your abdomen.
- Hold a light dumbbell in the injured side’s hand and, keeping your elbow against your side, slowly raise the dumbbell toward the ceiling. Stop rotating your arm if you feel strain.
- Hold the dumbbell up for a few seconds before returning to the start position with your arm down.
- Repeat 3 sets of 10 up to 3 times per day. Increase reps to 20 when a set of 10 becomes easy.
- Attach a resistance band to something sturdy at or above shoulder height. Be sure it is secure so it doesn’t come lose when you pull on it.
- Get down on one knee so the knee opposite your injured arm is raised. Your body and lowered knee should be aligned. Rest your other hand on your raised knee.
- Holding the band securely with your arm outstretched, pull your elbow toward your body. Keep your back straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together and down as you pull. Your body should not move or twist with your arm.
- Return to start and repeat 3 sets of 10.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keep your back straight and bend forward slightly at the waist.
- With a light weight in each hand, extend your arms and raise them away from your body. Do not lock your elbow. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you do so. Do not raise your arms above shoulder height.
- Return to start and repeat 3 sets of 10.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place one end of a resistance band under the foot opposite your injured arm. Hold the other end with the injured arm, so the band goes diagonally across your body.
- Keeping your other hand on your hip and without locking your knees, bend slightly at the waist so the hand holding the band is parallel to the opposite knee.
- As if starting a lawn mower in slow motion, straighten upright while pulling your elbow across the body to your outside ribs. Keep your shoulders relaxed and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you stand.
- Repeat 3 sets of 10.
While these exercises can help build strength after a minor injury, a major or recurring injury requires more attention. Consult a doctor if you experience:
- pain or a deep ache
- difficulty raising your arm
- difficulty sleeping on your arm more than a few days after your injury
These are symptoms of a more severe injury.