Home Exercises for the Weak Shoulder.
Last updated Tuesday, April 11, 2006
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Strengthening and coordination One of the most important actions to strengthen a weak shoulder is forward elevation. The main exercises are illustrated below.Supine press
The nice thing about these exercises are that you can do them by
yourself and can adjust your rate of progress according to what is most
comfortable for you. The series proceeds in small steps. Start by lying
on your back, grasping a bar with both hands together. Push the bar
straight up toward the ceiling. At the end of each push, lift your
entire shoulder off the bed or floor. When you can do this 20 times
easily, separate your hands an inch or so when you push the cloth
toward the ceiling. This places slightly more of the load on the
muscles of your weaker shoulder. As the exercise gets easier, separate
your hands more on the washcloth until you can push your hand toward
the ceiling without any assistance from the opposite arm. Practice this
exercise with nothing in your hand until you are able to repeat it 20
times. Then take an empty pint container and perform the same movement,
pushing it toward the ceiling. Add water to increase the resistance
slowly. When the container is full of water, the weight is about one
pound. Make sure that with each press-up you end by lifting your
shoulder blade up off the bed or floor. Be sure that you can perform
the movement comfortably 20 times at each stage before advancing to the
next stage. When you can press one pound toward the ceiling 20 times,
the next step is to perform the exercise with your back propped up
slightly on pillows or by using a recliner or garden chair. When 20
comfortable repetitions are possible, increase the degree to which your
back is propped up. At each level, push the shoulder all the way up: "press plus".
Continue this process until you are able to push the one pound weight
20 times toward the ceiling in a sitting position. Work for smooth,
slow, controlled motions. This program optimizes the mechanics of your
shoulder and gives you the best chance of regaining good function.
You should add other strengthening exercises as your shoulder permits. Rotator cuff strengthening exercises Diagrams:
Movies:
- Internal Rotation
- External rotation
Shoulder shrugs to strengthen trapezius Other important strengthening exercises Coordination exercises
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