These exercises are designed to increase motion after rotator cuff repair surgery. While performing them, the stiff shoulder will be assisted by the normal arm, by gravity, or by a pulley.
- Be sure to apply moist heat and take your pain medication one half hour prior to exercising.
- Perform three to five repetitions of each exercise.
- Do this set of exercises two to three times daily, each session lasting no more than 5 minutes.
- Do not exercise within two hours before going to bed.
Pendulum Exercise
Use your normal arm to hold the side of a table or bed for balance. Bend over at the waist, bringing your back parallel to the floor. Let the still arm relax and dangle like a pendulum. Gently swing it in a small circle that is parallel to the floor for 10-15 seconds. Then allow the arm to swing back and forth (as if you were bowling) for the same amount of time).
Assisted Elevation
Lie down flat on a bed or couch facing the ceiling. Do not use a pillow. Grasp the wrist of your post-operative shoulder with your normal hand, pulling it toward the ceiling and then gently overhead. Hold this position for five seconds.
Assisted External Rotation
Again, lie flat on your back, on a bed or couch without using a pillow. Place a folded towel under the elbow of your stiff arm. The entire upper arm should be parallel to the floor while your elbow is bent at a 90 degree angle (see figure 3A). Grasp a stick approximately 1 ½ feet long with both hands (see figure 3B). Letting the non-operative arm do the work, allow the stiff arm to rotate left and right, as pictured. Keeping the elbow bent at a 90 degree angle, move your elbow no more than 2 – 4 inches from side to side.
