Shoulder Exercises for Arthritis

What is Shoulder exercise for Arthritis?

Exercises for Shoulder arthritis aim to improve your strength and range of motion. Arthritis can make many movements uncomfortable or painful if done quickly. These exercises concentrate on slow, deliberate motions and stretch to improve your shoulders and relieve pain and tension.

When you have osteoarthritis (OA) of the shoulder, it is essential to stretch and strengthen the surrounding muscles to provide more support and decrease stresses around the joint. The following Best Exercises will help you get started on your path to feeling more flexible and stronger, making utilizing your arms during daily activities easier and less painful. Remember: Exercise should not be painful – if you feel pain, discontinue and consult with your physician.

There are many causes of arthritis, and most of them happen in the shoulders. In general, a condition is known as arthritis when it causes one of your joints to become chronically swollen, uncomfortable, and stiff. Arthritis can be begun by the breakdown of joint cartilage or by your immune system attacking your joint lining. Because arthritis causes shoulder stiffness, gentle exercise can assist improve your range of motion and could prevent arthritis from getting worse.

Which are the Shoulder exercises for Arthritis?

Below is the list of exercises that can reduce pain and gives strength:

• Pendulum
• Crossover Arm Stretch
• Passive Internal Rotation
• Passive External Rotation
• Wall Crawl
• Wall Push-Up
• Shoulder elevation stretch
• Shoulder outward rotation stretch
• Shoulder blade rotations
• Door lean
• Door presses
• Strengthen the postural muscles
• Shoulder Pulley Range of Motion
• Internal Rotation Stretch
• Foam Roller 3-Way Range of Motion
• Scapular Squeezes
• Resisted Shoulder Flexion
• Modified Wall Plank

Pendulum

Take a standing position next to a table or counter.
Lean forward and put one hand on the table for support. Allow your opposite arm to hang freely at your side.
Gently swing the arm forward and back 10 times.
Gently swing the arm from side to side 10 times. Gently swing the arm in a circle 10 times.
Continue with the other arm. Repeat the entire steps one more time.
Make sure don’t round your back or lock your knees.

Crossover Arm Stretch

Stand straight, with the shoulders relaxed.
Gently pull one arm across the chest as far as comfortable, holding at your upper arm.
Pause the stretch for 30 seconds, and then relax for 30 seconds. Do it with the other arm.
Repeat the steps three more times.

Passive Internal Rotation

Get a lightweight stick, such as a wooden dowelyardstick, or cane.
Grab the stick behind your back with one hand, and lightly grasp the opposite end of the stick with your other hand.
Pull the stick horizontally so that you experience a pull in the front of your shoulder without pain.
Pause for half a minute, and then relax for 30 seconds. Do it on the other side.
Repeat the movement three more times.

Passive External Rotation

Get a lightweight stick, such as a wooden dowel, yardstick, or cane.
Grab the stick with one hand and cup the other end of the stick with your opposite hand (so the stick is horizontal in front of you).
Keep the elbow of the shoulder you are stretching against the side of the body and push the stick horizontally so you experience a pull at the back of your shoulder without pain.
Pause for 30 seconds, and then relax for 30 seconds.
Do it on another side.
Repeat the steps three more times.

Wall Crawl

Stand in front of a wall, about an arms’ reach away, so the fingers can just touch it.
Using the affected arm, slowly crawl your fingers up the wall as high as you can comfortably go. (Keep your shoulder down, without shrugging up toward the ear.)
Pause for 15 to 30 seconds; then crawl back down.
Do it one or two more times, trying to reach higher each time.

Wall Push-Up

Stand in front of the wall, with your arms extended and hands flat against it.
Put your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and tighten your stomach muscles.
Keeping your feet flat on the ground, bend your elbows and open your chest toward the wall.
Lower your torso toward the wall in a slow, controlled motion. Your scapulae will come together a bit in the back. Pause for one second.
Keeping your hands flat against the wall, slowly push yourself back until the arms are straight.
Repeat 8 times, and gradually improve to more reps.

Shoulder elevation stretch

Lie on the back.
Grab a broom handle or walking stick with both hands, keeping them shoulder-width apart.
Put the handle or stick gently on the thighs.
Slowly lift the pole past the chest, then over the head so that it is almost touching the ground above the head. Keep the arms as straight as possible throughout the motion.
Lower the handle or stick gently back down to the thighs.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions once a day.
You should experience a gentle stretch in the shoulders, back, and chest as the arms move overhead.

Shoulder outward rotation stretch

Lie on the back.
Keep the upper arms by the sides, flex your elbows, and hold the stick out above the chest with your hands shoulder-width apart.
Slowly move the pole to the right until you feel a stretch in the right shoulder.
Back to the starting position.
Do it on the left side of the body.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions once a day.

Shoulder blade rotations

Stand in a neutral position with the hands at your sides.
Lift your shoulders towards your ears and hold for 5 seconds.
Gently squeeze the scapulae together and hold for 5 seconds.
Pull the scapulae downward and hold for 5 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.

Door lean

Stand facing toward a doorway and lift both hands above your head.
Put one hand on either side of the doorframe.
Gently lean forward until you feel a comfortable tension in the shoulders.
Pause this position for 15–30 seconds.
Repeat 3 times.

Door presses

Stand in a doorway and flex one elbow into a right angle with the thumb on that hand pointing toward the ceiling.
Press the back of the wrist into the doorframe.
Pause for 5 seconds.
Repeat with the palm, using the other side of the doorframe.
Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

Strengthen the postural muscles

Stand straight with the shoulders back.
Coil the exercise band behind a solid, vertical object and hold one end in either hand.
Relax your shoulders and flex your elbows at your sides.
Pull the elbows back while squeezing the scapulae together. If the exercise band does not give any resistance, take a step back or loop the ends of the bands around the hands.
Pause for 5 seconds.
Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions once a day.

Shoulder Pulley Range of Motion

Tie up your shoulder pulley to the door, and sit in a chair directly under the pulley.
Hold each end of the pulley in the hands with the palms facing each other.
Utilize your good arm to guide the stiff arm up by pulling the handle down toward the knee and beyond.
Guide the stiff arm up as high as you can go overhead and hold. Keep the arm you are stretching as relaxed as possible throughout the motion.
Pause for 5 seconds at the top range of each move.
Do it for 10 repetitions for 2-3 sets. You can draw the arm straight up overhead, out to the side, or some other combination in the middle of these with the pulley. If you don’t have a pulley you can also practice standing pendulum swings, use a cane, or even a yoga ball to do a guided range of motion as well.

Internal Rotation Stretch

Being able to internally rotate your arm is important for routine tasks like reaching behind your back. For this stretch, you’ll need a stretch towel or strap.
Grasp the handle with your stiff arm and bring the back of the hand to rest at the small of your back (if possible).
Grab the opposite end of the strap above your shoulder with the good arm so that the band is resting against your whole spine.
Utilize the upper hand to gently guide the lower hand up the back.
Continue until a strong stretch is felt in the shoulder and pause.
Pause for 20-30 seconds for 3-5 repetitions. Do not let the shoulder transfer forward or your neck tense up as you stretch.

Foam Roller 3-Way Range of Motion

Lie on a foam roller (directly under the spine), rolled towel, or the ground to get started.
Make sure your whole spine and back of the head are touching the roller or floor before starting the arm motions.
Changing between 3 moves: a “T”, “Y”, “I.”
The starting position is always with your arms straight out in front of you toward the roof.
Bring arms straight out to the side to create a “T.”
Back to the starting position and repeat with a “Y” and then “I.”
Change between all 3 moves 10 times for 2-3 sets total. You should observe an increase in mobility with each set. When finished, if you observe any particular stiffness in your mid-back you can turn the foam roller horizontally and roll out the upper back as well.

Scapular Squeezes

Grasp a light to moderate resistance band when you feel ready and secure it in a doorway or other static spot at about hip height.
Hold the ends of the band in each hand with the elbows flexed to 90 degrees and palms facing each other inward.
Squeeze the scapulae back and together as you pull the upper arms behind you toward the wall.
The neck should stay relaxed and you will experience a stretch in the front of the chest.
Pause for 3-5 seconds each time for 10 repetitions total. Repeat for 2-3 sets. Additionally, you can finish double-arm external rotation while squeezing your scapulae in the same setup. Simply switch your hand position to palms facing up and keep your elbows tucked into the sides as you pull the hands away from each other.

Resisted Shoulder Flexion

Grasp your band again, it’s always best, to begin with, light resistance for this one since you will be attempting to draw your arm overhead. This is great to finish after stretching to maximize your tolerated range and strength within that range.
Grab the band in both of your hands about 3 feet apart.
To strengthen your right arm, bring the left arm and band to your rest on your right hip to use as an anchor.
Lift the right arm straight up toward the roof as high as you can go before returning to the starting position.
Switch to the left arm when you have completed one set.
Do it for 10-15 repetitions for 2-3 sets total one each arm. Keep the motion slow and controlled in both directions. Also, keep the neck relaxed and do not force any painful range of movement.

Modified Wall Plank

This targets all of the shoulder muscles at once; however, with shoulder arthritis, we recommend doing this first against a wall rather than the floor.
Stand around 3 feet from the wall to get started.
Bring forearms to the wall so that they are aligned to each other at about shoulder-width apart.
With your arms in place, tighten your abs and bring your whole body into a straight line from your head to toes at a diagonal to the wall.
Keep core tight and breathe.
Do not flex hips or allow the low back slump.
Pause for 30+ seconds for 2-3 sets.

Author: Dr.Nidhiphysio

Physiotherapist in Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic Bapunagar, Ahmedabad