A shoulder impingement is one of the most common injuries that present in physiotherapy clinics. The shoulder is capable of a variety of different articulations and because of this, it is a very complex joint.
We've put together 3 key exercises to help you ease the pain and increase your range of movement.
1. Pendulum
Stand near a table to chair and rest one arm on it while bending over and supporting your weight. Let your injured arm hang down and gently circle it around in circles. Make the circles big but not big enough to cause pain. Gradually increase the size of the circles as your movement increases and the exercise gets easier.
You can progress this exercise by holding something in your hand to weight your arm down slightly. This could be anything from a dumbbell to a bottle of milk.
2. Shoulder Circles
Standing or sitting up straight, circle your shoulders up and around, making sure you are squeezing your shoulder blades together. Complete the exercise in both directions: clockwise and anticlockwise.
To make it harder you can slow down the circles, hold the shoulder blade squeeze for a few seconds longer, or even hold a weight or something heavy in your hands for added resistance.
3. Resistance Band External Rotation
Stand in an upright position. Hold a tensioned exercise band in both hands and bend your elbows to a right angle. Keep your shoulder blades back and down and rotate your symptomatic arm outwards, keeping your elbow loosely by your side and your shoulder blades in a good position. Control the movement then return back to the start position.
Relax and repeat.
Enjoy!
Give those exercises a try every day at home. You can purchase a resistance band relatively cheaply on Amazon if you don't already have one at home. Get them done first thing in the morning before you go to work!
Remember, if you haven't already, get hold of our Shoulder Impingement digital rehabilitation programme below to learn how to manage your injury the most effective way, reduce your pain and recovery faster.
