ROBERT PETTIT, MD
Shoulder Home Exercise Program
This program restores shoulder motion and rebuilds the rotator cuff and shoulder-blade muscles that stabilize the joint — the same staged approach used in physical therapy. Warm up with 5–10 minutes of easy arm movement. Do mobility work daily; add the banded strengthening once motion is comfortable. Every band exercise should be slow and controlled, especially on the way back.
Lean forward with your good arm resting on a table and let the affected arm hang relaxed. Gently swing it in small circles and side to side, letting gravity do the work.
Bring the affected arm straight across your chest and use the other hand to gently pull it closer until you feel a stretch in the back of the shoulder.
Hold a cane or stick with both hands, elbows at your sides. Use the good arm to push the affected forearm outward until you feel a gentle stretch. Keep the elbow tucked in.
Hold a towel behind your back. Use the top hand to gently pull the bottom hand up your spine until a comfortable stretch is felt.
Lie on the affected side with that arm out in front and the elbow bent 90°. Use the other hand to gently press the forearm down toward the table.
Sit at a table with a small towel under your hand. Keeping your back straight, slide the hand forward across the table, leaning your trunk forward to gently raise the arm into forward flexion. Slide back and repeat.
Stand in a doorway with your forearms on the frame and elbows at about shoulder height. Step gently forward until you feel a stretch across the front of your chest and shoulders. Hold, breathing easily; do not force it.
Sit or stand tall and draw the shoulder blades together and slightly down, as if pinching a pencil between them. Do not shrug. Hold, then relax.
Lie face down with your arm hanging off the edge of a bed or table, thumb pointing up. Raise the arm out to the side to shoulder height to form a “T”, squeezing the shoulder blade, then lower slowly. Begin with no weight.
Lie on your back with the arm reaching straight up toward the ceiling, holding a light weight. Without bending the elbow, “punch” upward by lifting the shoulder blade off the floor, then lower slowly. Strengthens the serratus anterior.
Anchor a band at waist height. Pull the elbow straight back while squeezing the shoulder blade, then return slowly. Keep the wrist straight.
Elbow bent 90° and tucked at your side, rotate the forearm outward against the band, then return over 3–4 seconds (the eccentric phase). Keep a rolled towel under the elbow if it helps.
With the band anchored to the side, keep the elbow at your side and pull the forearm across your body, then release slowly.
With the upper arm raised to shoulder height and supported, rotate the forearm upward against the band until level with your head, then lower slowly.
With light weights and thumbs pointing up, raise both arms to shoulder height at a 30° forward angle (like pouring from a can). Lower slowly. Stop at shoulder height.
With forearms on the wall, slide your arms upward as high as comfortable while keeping the shoulder blades down and back. Lower with control.
Stop and call the office at (513) 354-3700 if any exercise causes sharp pain, new swelling, numbness, or symptoms that worsen into the next day. This general program is patient education and does not replace an individualized plan from Dr. Pettit or your physical therapist. If you are recovering from surgery, follow your specific post-operative protocol first.
