Some Simple Shoulder Exercises to Help You

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  Shoulder Exercises

  PhysioWorks has designed you a group of 38 shoulder exercises utilising resistance band exercises that are regularly used in our clinics. 

  These shoulder exercises are now available for you online now.

  The shoulder exercises include:

  • easy-to-understand descriptions 
  • clear and concise illustrations

  
  

  Download Your Shoulder Exercises Now 

  Start safely exercising your shoulders effectively right now! Immediate download available. 

  To perform these shoulder exercises you will require resistance band, which is also available on our website.
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• What Force Can Resistance Band Generate?

What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis is a common source of shoulder pain. 

While frozen shoulder is commonly missed or confused with a rotator cuff injury, it has a distinct pattern of symptoms resulting in severe shoulder pain, loss of shoulder function and eventually stiffness.

The more precise medical term for a frozen shoulder is "adhesive capsulitis". 

In basic terms, it means that your shoulder pain and stiffness is a result of shoulder capsule inflammation (capsulitis) and fibrotic adhesions that limit your shoulder movement.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?

Unfortunately, there is still much unknown about frozen shoulder. One of those unknowns is why frozen shoulder starts. There are many theories but the medical community still debates what actually causes frozen shoulder.

What is Known about Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder causes your shoulder joint capsule to shrink, which leads to pain and reduced range of shoulder movement. Your shoulder capsule is the deepest layer of soft tissue around your shoulder joint, and plays a major role in keeping your humerus within the shoulder socket.

What are Frozen Shoulder Symptoms?

Frozen shoulder has three stages, each of which has different symptoms. 

The 3 Stages are:

1. Freezing – characterised by pain around the shoulder initially, followed by a progressive loss of range of movement. Known as the RED phase due to the capsule colour if you undergo arthroscopic surgery.
2. Frozen – minimal pain, with no further loss or regain of range. Known as the PINK phase due to the capsule colour if you undergo arthroscopic surgery.
3. Thawing – gradual return of range of movement, some weakness due to disuse of the shoulder. Known as the WHITE phase due to the capsule colour if you undergo arthroscopic surgery.

Each stage can last on average 6 to 8 months if left untreated.

How is Frozen Shoulder Diagnosed and Treated?

Frozen shoulder can be diagnosed in the clinic from your clinical signs and symptoms. 

A clinical diagnosis of frozen shoulder can be determined by a thorough shoulder examination. Your physiotherapist will ask about what physical activities you are having difficulty performing. 

Read more about: Frozen Shoulder

Rotator Cuff Syndrome: What to do?

What is Rotator Cuff Syndrome?

What is your Rotator Cuff?

Rotator cuff syndrome is very common shoulder injury. 

Your shoulder joint is a relatively unstable ball and socket joint that is moved and controlled by a small group of four muscles known as the rotator cuff.

The subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor are your small rotator cuff muscles that stabilise and control your shoulder movement on your shoulder blade (scapula). 

As the name suggests, the rotator cuff muscles are responsible for shoulder rotation and form a cuff around the head of the humerus (shoulder ball).

  

What Rotator Cuff Injuries are Common?

Your rotator cuff muscles and tendons are vulnerable to rotator cuff tears, rotator cuff tendonitis and rotator cuff impingement and related rotator cuff injuries.

Rotator cuff injuries vary from mild tendon inflammation ( rotator cuff tendonitis), shoulder bursitis (inflammed bursa), calcific tendonitis (bone forming within the rotator cuff tendon) through to partial and full thickness rotator cuff tears, which may require rotator cuff surgery.

Some shoulder rotator cuff injuries are more common than others. 

These include:

• Rotator Cuff Impingement
• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis / Tendinopathies
• Shoulder Bursitis (fluid-filled sac that provides a cushion between a bone and tissues)
• Calcific Tendonitis
• Rotator Cuff Tears
• Bicipital Tendonitis

Where are your Rotator Cuff Muscles?

Your rotator cuff muscles hold your arm (humerus) onto your shoulder blade (scapula). Most the the rotator cuff tendons are hidden under the bony point of your shoulder (acromion), which as well as protecting your rotator cuff can also impinge into your rotator cuff structures.

What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury?

Your rotator cuff tendons are protected from simple knocks and bumps by bones (mainly the acromion) and ligaments that form a protective arch over the top of your shoulder.

In between the rotator cuff tendons and the bony arch is the subacromial bursa (a lubricating sack), which helps to protect the tendons from touching the bone and provide a smooth surface for the tendons to glide over.

However, nothing is fool-proof. Any of these structures can be injured - whether they be your bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments or bursas.

Rotator cuff impingement syndrome is a condition where your rotator cuff tendons are intermittently trapped and compressed during shoulder movements This causes injury to the shoulder tendons and bursa resulting in painful shoulder movements.

What are the Symptoms of Rotator Cuff Injury?

While each specific rotator cuff injury has its own specific symptoms and signs, you can suspect a rotator cuff injury if you have:

• an arc of shoulder pain or clicking when your arm is at shoulder height or when your arm is overhead.
• shoulder pain that can extend from the top of your shoulder to your elbow. 
• shoulder pain when lying on your sore shoulder.
• shoulder pain at rest (in more severe rotator cuff injuries).
• shoulder muscle weakness or pain when attempting to reach or lift.
• shoulder pain when putting your hand behind your back or head.
• shoulder pain reaching for a seat-belt.

How is a Rotator Cuff Injury Diagnosed?

Your physiotherapist or sports doctor will suspect a rotator cuff injury based on your clinical history and the findings from a series of clinical tests.

A diagnostic ultrasound scan is the most accurate method to diagnose the specific rotator cuff injury pathology. MRI’s may show a rotator cuff injury but have also been known to miss them. X-rays are of little diagnostic value when a rotator cuff injury is suspected.

How to Treat a Rotator Cuff Injury?

Read more about: Rotator Cuff Syndrome

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Scapular Stabilisation Exercises: What are they good for?

Which are the Shoulder Stabiliser Muscles? Your scapular stabiliser muscles help your shoulder's rotator cuff to stabilise the shoulder joint while in motion. Your rotator cuff muscles arise from the scapula (shoulder blade) and attach to the head of the upper arm bone (humerus). If your shoulder blade is not dynamically stable, rotator cuff tendinopathy or impingement may occur. Strengthening the muscles that support the scapula are important. The exercises that focus on these muscle groups are known as scapular stabilisation exercises. The most important scapular stabilising muscles that tend to weaken include:  trapezius (upper, mid and lower fibres) serratus anterior Correct Your Scapular Posture The correct position for the scapula (shoulder blade) is back and rotated down. Essentially, this means maintaining a good 'military posture', with shoulders back and chest out. A round-shouldered or hunched posture is to be avoided at all times. To achieve the correct scapular position, you need to use your  mid and lower trapezius muscles to retract the shoulder and pull the scapula down medially. However, it is also important not to dip the acromion, so your upper trapezius and serratus anterior muscle also play an important scapular positioning role, otherwise you will be likely to suffer rotator cuff impingement or future rotator cuff tears. When you perform any upper body weight training exercise, always get into thehabit of starting with good upper body posture and pinching the shoulder blades together. You should feel that the scapula is a solid platform which keeps the shoulder correctly positioned while you perform the exercise. What you might find is that exercises that were painful, will not be painful if you stabilise your scapula correctly. In effect, by using the scapular muscles you can achieve better shoulder mechanics and avoid injury. Correct scapular stability is difficult to learn and demands a great deal of practice and concentration. You first need to understand what the correct position is, and often this requires a physiotherapist to guide you. Then, during your training sessions, instruction and observation from a trainer can help you achieve and maintain the correct shoulder position. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online How to Normalise Your Scapulo-Humeral Rhythm Your physiotherapist is an expert in the assessment and correction of your scapulo-humeral rhythm. Any deficiencies will be an important component of your rehabilitation. Researchers have identified poor scapulo-humeral rhythm as a major cause of rotator cuff impingement. Plus, they have identified scapular stabilisation exercises as a key ingredient for a successful rehabilitation. Your physiotherapist will be able to guide you in the appropriate exercises for your shoulder. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online Can a Shoulder Posture Brace Help? Some patients benefit from the use of a passive or intuitive posture brace. More information about Posture Braces. Helpful Products Available Online Related Treatment Information Early Treatment Core Stability Exercises Scapular Stabilisation Exercises Active Foot Posture Correction Exercises Gait Re-Education Biomechanical Analysis Balance Enhancement Exercises Proprioception & Balance Exercises Agility & Sport-Specific Exercises Medications? Real-Time Ultrasound Retraining Soft Tissue Massage Electrotherapy & Local Modalities Heating Pads Joint Pain Relief Techniques Kinesiology Taping Neurodynamics / Neuro Mobilisation Physiotherapy Instrument Mobilisation (PIM) Prehabilitation Strengthening Exercises Stretching Exercises Supportive Taping & Strapping TENS Machines

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What is a Rotator Cuff Injury? What's the Treatment?

Shoulder rotator cuff injury  is very common shoulder injury. What is your Rotator Cuff? The shoulder joint is a relatively unstable ball and socket joint. It is often likened to a golf ball on a tee. The subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor are your small rotator cuff muscles that stabilise and control your shoulder movement on your shoulder blade (scapula). Collectively, these four muscles are known as the rotator cuff. Each rotator cuff muscle has a contractile muscle belly (red) and a tendon (white) that inserts into the bone (head of humerus). What Rotator Cuff Injuries are Common? Your rotator cuff muscles and tendons are vulnerable to full and partial tears, tendinopathies and impingement related disorders. Rotator cuff injuries vary from mild tendon inflammation (tendonitis), bursitis (inflammed bursa), calcific tendonitis (bone forming within the tendon) through to partial and full thickness tendon tears, which may require surgery. Some shoulder rotator cuff injuries are more common than others.  These include: Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome Rotator Cuff Tendonitis / Tendinopathies Shoulder Bursitis (fluid-filled sac that provides a cushion between a bone and tissues) Calcific Tendonitis Rotator Cuff Tears Bicipital Tendonitis Where are your Rotator Cuff Muscles? Your rotator cuff muscles hold you arm (humerus) onto your shoulder blade (scapula).  Most the the rotator cuff tendons are hidden under the bony point of your shoulder (acromion), which as well as protecting your rotator cuff can also impinge into your rotator cuff structures. What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury? Your rotator cuff tendons are protected from simple knocks and bumps by bones (mainly the acromion) and ligaments that form a protective arch over the top of your shoulder. In between the rotator cuff tendons and the bony arch is the sub-acromial bursa (a lubricating sack), which helps to protect the tendons from touching the bone and provide a smooth surface for the tendons to glide over. However, nothing is fool-proof. Any of these structures can be injured - whether they be your bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments or bursas. Rotator cuff impingement syndrome is a condition where your rotator cuff tendons are intermittently trapped and compressed during shoulder movements This causes injury to the shoulder tendons and bursa resulting in painful shoulder movements. What are the Symptoms of Rotator Cuff Injury? While each specific rotator cuff injury has its own specific symptoms and signs, you can suspect a rotator cuff injury if you have: an arc of shoulder pain or clicking when your arm is at shoulder height or when your arm is overhead. shoulder pain that can extend from the top of your shoulder to your elbow.  shoulder pain when lying on your sore shoulder. shoulder pain at rest (in more severe rotator cuff injuries). shoulder muscle weakness or pain when attempting to reach or lift. shoulder pain when putting your hand behind your back or head. shoulder pain reaching for a seat-belt. How is a Rotator Cuff Injury Diagnosed? Your physiotherapist or sports doctor will suspect a rotator cuff injury based on your clinical history and the findings from a series of clinical tests. A diagnostic ultrasound scan is the most accurate method to diagnose the specific rotator cuff injury pathology. MRI’s may show a rotator cuff injury but have also been known to miss them. X-rays are of little diagnostic value when a rotator cuff injury is suspected. How to Treat a Rotator Cuff Injury? Once you suspect a rotator cuff injury, it is important to confirm the exact type of your rotator cuff injury since treatment does vary depending on the specific or combination of rotator cuff injuries. Your rotator cuff is an important group of control and stability muscles that maintain “centralisation” of your shoulder joint. In other words, it keeps the shoulder ball centred over the small socket. This prevents injuries such as impingement, subluxations and dislocations. We also know that your rotator cuff provides subtle glides and slides of the ball joint on the socket to allow full shoulder movement. Plus, your shoulder blade (scapula) has a vital role as the main dynamically stable base plate that attaches your arm to your chest wall. Researchers have concluded that there are essentially 7 stages that need to be covered to effectively rehabilitate these injuries and prevent recurrence.  These are: Early Injury Protection: Pain Relief & Anti-inflammatory Tips Regain Full Range of Motion Restore Scapular Control Restore Normal Neck-Scapulo-Thoracic-Shoulder Function Restore Rotator Cuff Strength Restore High Speed, Power, Proprioception & Agility Return to Sport or Work For more specific advice about your rotator cuff injury, please contact your PhysioWorks physiotherapist. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online More Information about Rotator Cuff Injury What is Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome? What is the Impingement Zone? What Causes Rotator Cuff Impingement? Your PhysioWorks physiotherapist is an expert in the assessment and correction of shoulder rotator cuff injuries. Any deficiencies that they detect during your assessment will be an important component of your rehabilitation. Your physiotherapist will be able to guide you in the appropriate treatment and exercises for your rotator cuff injury after their thorough assessment. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online Common Rotator Cuff Injury Treatments Early Treatment Avoid the HARM Factors What are the Healing Phases for a Soft Tissue Injury? What to do after a Muscle Strain or Ligament Sprain Acupuncture and Dry Needling What is Sub-Acute Soft Tissue Injury Treatment? Scapular Stabilisation Exercises Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises Shoulder Stretching Exercises Biomechanical Analysis Proprioception & Balance Exercises Agility & Sport-Specific Exercises Medications? Soft Tissue Massage Electrotherapy & Local Modalities Heating Pads Joint Pain Relief Techniques Kinesiology Taping Neurodynamics / Neuro Mobilisation Physiotherapy Instrument Mobilisation (PIM) Prehabilitation Strengthening Exercises Stretching Exercises Support Brace Supportive Taping & Strapping TENS Machines Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online FAQs about Rotator Cuff Injury What is Pain? Physiotherapy & Exercise When Should Diagnostic Tests Be Performed? What are the Different Massage Styles and their Benefits? How Does Kinesiology Tape Reduce Swelling? How Much Treatment Will You Need? How to Stretch? Sports Injury? What to do? When? What are the Common Massage Therapy Techniques? What are the Early Warning Signs of an Injury? What Causes Rotator Cuff Impingement & Bursitis? What is a Tendinopathy? What is Chronic Pain? What is Scapulo-humeral Rhythm? What is Sports Physiotherapy? What is the Correct Posture Standing? What is the Shoulder Impingement Zone? What is Your Rotator Cuff? What Pillow Do Physiotherapists Recommend? When Can You Return to Sport or Work? Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online Helpful Products for Rotator Cuff Injury Related Rotator Cuff Injuries Acromioclavicular Joint Injury Biceps Tendonitis Muscle Pain: Strains or Tears Overuse Injuries Rotator Cuff Calcific Tendinitis Rotator Cuff Impingement Rotator Cuff Injury Rotator Cuff Tear Shoulder Arthritis Shoulder Bursitis Shoulder Dislocation Shoulder Tendonitis Swimmer's Shoulder

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