This is my exercise procedure for my repaired shoulder. I’d like your opinion on whether I am pushing it doing all of these every day, or should I alternate days. Also, what other exercises would you recommend?
Heat the shoulder area for 15 minutes
Massage the area, my back and my bicep with an electric massage wand (recommended by my surgeon)
Pendulum (sometimes my shoulder has pain, sometimes my arm has pain, sometimes there is no pain – there is no pattern)
Shoulder roll – hold a PVC pipe or something, put your arms behind your back and lift. Hold for as long as you can (I find this pretty easy to do). If you do it with a band and force your arms apart, that can hurt.
Shoulder Roll
Using a 6 inch or so inflated ball just below my shoulder blades, squeeze my shoulders together in my back, holding each squeeze 5 seconds
With the ball still in place, do 30 shoulder shrugs using a band for resistance. I do both shoulders.
Shoulder Shrug
With the ball still in place, raise both arms straight out in front of my body and hold them out for as long as I can. I am now up to a count of 30, which is much better than the count of 5 I started with. The exercise is not painful, but it is fascinating to see the deltoid muscle slowly give way.
Using a bamboo cane, lie on my back, extend my arms up, and then lower them toward the floor behind my head. I’m not quite at the floor, but getting close.
Using a gallon jug of water, lie on my back, put my arms by my side, and lift the water up. A few weeks ago, I could not lift my arms at all, so this is progress. Going to start on weights soon.
Using bands, pull my arms (bent at the elbow) straight back, squeezing my shoulder blades together. Do this 30 times.
Sitting Rowing
Lat pulldown – Using bands, pull my arms straight down and behind my back. This one still causes some pain in my bicep/tricep, even when using the band with the least resistance
Lat Pulldown
Using bands, do bicep curls. I want to move up to a higher level band, but I am not pushing it yet.
Do the pulley (can go straight up now)
Repeat the “arms straight out” exercise.
Put my arm on a table with my wrist hanging over. Rotate wrist in each direction 30 times, then up and down 30 times, then back and forth 30 times.
Using a big yoga ball on a table, push down on the ball with the sides of my hands and lean forward to get a stretch. Do this at least 30 times.
Using the big ball, stand sideways and stretch the arm with the shoulder injury
Using the big ball, press down and rotate in a circle 30 times in each direction
Sometimes I repeat the “arms straight out” exercise.
Using a band, move my arms away from each other.
External rotation – this is just about impossible for me right now.
External Rotation
Internal rotation – this is pretty easy.
Internal Rotation
Using a wall, push into the wall with a fist, push into the wall with my elbow, push in with the back of my hand and then again with the front of my hand.
Stretch – arms across chest. Taking it easy with this one.
Arms Across Chest
Hand over hear stretch – the hard part with this is getting my hand over my head.
Hand over Head Stretch
And – drum roll – use the big ball to creep my fingers up the wall. This is VERY painful still.
Hot shower and ice.
All of this takes about an hour. Does anyone have suggestions for other exercise?
PS: I watch old episodes of Midsommer Murders when I heat and ice – about to run out. Any suggestions?
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