L position. Grab your wrist on the bottom arm with your other hand. Gently, push the bottom arm down towards your feet while keeping the elbow bent. Do this until you feel a stretch.
Strengthening Exercises ‚
Strengthening exercises keep your muscles firm and strong. Start by repeating each exercise 2 to 3 times. Work up to doing each exercise 10 times. Try to do the exercises 2 to 3 times each day. Hold each exercise for 3 to 5 seconds. Do all exercises slowly. ‚
- Shoulder blade squeezes ¢ ˆ ’ Pinch your shoulder blades together on your upper back and hold 3 to 5 seconds. Relax.
- Cane shoulder exercises:
- Overhead flexions ¢ ˆ ’ Lie down and grab the cane with both hands. Start with your arms straight and the cane resting on your upper legs. Keep your arms straight and lift the cane over your head.
- Abductions or side-to-side motion ¢ ˆ ’ Stand and grab the cane with both hands. Turn your thumbs to the right to stretch your right shoulder. Start with your arms straight and the cane resting on your upper legs. Push the cane to the right, raising your right arm. Keep your right elbow straight. Keep pushing until you feel a good stretch. Switch the position of your hands to point your thumbs to the left and push the cane left to stretch your left shoulder.
- External rotations or side-to-side rotations ¢ ˆ ’ Lie down and grab the cane with both hands. Start with your elbows bent and touching your body. Put the tip of the cane in the palm of your right hand to stretch your right shoulder. Grab the cane at the other end with your left hand. Push the cane sideways into your right palm until you feel a stretch in your shoulder. Be sure to keep your right elbow close to your body while you are stretching. Switch hands to stretch the left shoulder.
- External rotations on side ¢ ˆ ’ Lie on your side with your sore arm on top. Put a small towel roll in between your upper arm and side. Have your elbow bent in a 90 degree angle. Start with your lower arm resting across your body. Keep your elbow bent and in place on the towel, lift your lower arm up and hold it. Return your arm across your body. To make this exercise harder, add a small weight.
- Internal rotations on side ¢ ˆ ’ Lie on your side with your sore arm on the bottom. Have your elbow bent in a 90 degree angle. Start with your arm in a relaxed position. Keep your elbow bent and in place, lift your lower arm up to your body and hold it. Return your arm to resting on the bed. To make this exercise harder, add a small weight.
Image(s)
These are 2 images of a woman stretching the back of her shoulders. In the first image she has her left arm crossed straight in front of her body at shoulder height. Her right arm is bent at the elbow around her left, causing the stretch. In the second image her right arm is crossed in front and her left arm is bent.
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These are 2 images of a woman stretching the back of her shoulders. In the first image she has her left arm crossed straight in front of her body at shoulder height. Her right arm is bent at the elbow around her left, causing the stretch. In the second image her right arm is crossed in front and her left arm is bent.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. His left upper arm is extended straight away from him on the bed. His left wrist and forearm are pointing straight up in the air. He is holding his left wrist with his right hand. There is a callout showing him pressing his left forearm down towards his waist.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. His left upper arm is extended straight away from him on the bed. His left wrist and forearm are pointing straight up in the air. He is holding his left wrist with his right hand. There is a callout showing him pressing his left forearm down towards his waist.
View Original
These are 2 images of a womans back as she stands up straight. In the first image, her arms are down at her sides. In the second image, she has bent her elbows in and is bringing them towards the center of her back.
View Original
These are 2 images of a woman's back as she stands up straight. In the first image, her arms are down at her sides. In the second image, she has bent her elbows in and is bringing them towards the center of her back.
View Original
This is a series of images of a woman doing exercises with a cane. In the first image, she is lying down and starts with the cane resting on her upper legs and her arms straight. Then she lifts her arms straight over her head while holding onto the cane. In the next image, she is standing and holding the cane near her waist with her right palm facing her body and her left palm facing away. Then she pushes the cane up to her left so the cane is parallel to her body and her left arm is extended. In the last image she is laying down and holding the cane with her arms bent. She is gripping one end of the cane in her right hand and the other hand is around the shaft of the cane. Then she is pushing the cane toward her right hand.
View Original
This is a series of images of a woman doing exercises with a cane. In the first image, she is lying down and starts with the cane resting on her upper legs and her arms straight. Then she lifts her arms straight over her head while holding onto the cane. In the next image, she is standing and holding the cane near her waist with her right palm facing her body and her left palm facing away. Then she pushes the cane up to her left so the cane is parallel to her body and her left arm is extended. In the last image she is laying down and holding the cane with her arms bent. She is gripping one end of the cane in her right hand and the other hand is around the shaft of the cane. Then she is pushing the cane toward her right hand.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. He has a small towel roll under his right upper arm and his right arm is bent to 90 degrees at the elbow, laying down across his chest. There is a callout showing him rotating his lower arm up so he ends up with his forearm extending straight up from his body.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. He has a small towel roll under his right upper arm and his right arm is bent to 90 degrees at the elbow, laying down across his chest. There is a callout showing him rotating his lower arm up so he ends up with his forearm extending straight up from his body.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. His left upper arm is right next to his body. His elbow is bent to 90 degrees and his forearm is extended straight away from his body. There is a callout showing him bringing his forearm next to his chest, keeping his elbow bent to 90 degrees and his upper arm next to his body.
View Original
This is an image of a man lying on his left side with his head on a pillow. His left upper arm is right next to his body. His elbow is bent to 90 degrees and his forearm is extended straight away from his body. There is a callout showing him bringing his forearm next to his chest, keeping his elbow bent to 90 degrees and his upper arm next to his body.
View Original
What will the results be?
- Less pain and stiffness
- Better range of motion
- Less swelling
- Increased strength
- Easier to do daily activities
Helpful tips
- Stay active and work out to keep your muscles strong and flexible.
- Keep a healthy weight to avoid putting too much stress on your spine. Eat a healthy diet to keep your muscles healthy.
- Be sure you do not hold your breath when exercising. This can raise your blood pressure. If you tend to hold your breath, try counting out loud when exercising. If any exercise bothers you, stop right away.
- Always warm up before stretching. Heated muscles stretch much easier than cool muscles. Stretching cool muscles can lead to injury.
- Try walking and swinging your arms at an easy pace for a few minutes to warm up your muscles. Do this again after exercising.
- After exercising, it is a good idea to use ice. Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Ice after activity may help decrease pain and swelling. Never ice before stretching.
- Never bounce when doing stretches.
- Doing exercises before a meal may be a good way to get into a routine.
- Exercise may be slightly uncomfortable, but you should not have sharp pains. If you do get sharp pains, stop what you are doing. If the sharp pains continue, call your doctor.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00665 ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-02-12 ‚
List_set bdysylist
- Adult
- Exercise
- Neuromuscular and Skeletal
- Therapy (Occupational, Physical, Speech, etc)
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚