Shoulder rope and pulley exercises: Health Benefits, How to do? Variations

What are shoulder rope and pulley exercises?

A shoulder rope and pulley is a simple exercise you can start at home where you can use a rope and pulley with adjustable handles, attached to a pulley system and door anchor. The door anchor can be wedged over the door frame, allowing you to do shoulder pulley exercises in different positions.

Using a shoulder pulley for physical therapy will gradually improve your range of motion and help to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles and other shoulder joint muscles. This is important for regaining full mobility of the shoulder after shoulder surgery, or for those who suffer from shoulder impingement or weak/stiff shoulders.

A rope and pulley system—that is, a block and tackle—is characterized by the use of a single continuous rope to transfer a tension force around one or more pulleys to lift or move a load—the rope may be a light line or a strong cable.
A pulley is one type of wheel that carries a flexible rope, cord, cable, chain, or belt on its rim. Pulleys are mainly used singly or in combination to transmit energy and motion. Pulleys with grooved rims are called sheaves.

Health benefits of Shoulder rope and pulley exercises

• Helps to Decrease pain in the shoulder and arm.
• Helps to Improve shoulder muscle strength.
• Helps to improve range of motion (ROM) mainly in Frozen shoulder
• Helps to maintain good posture.
• Helps to Regain the normal function of your hands.
• This is an excellent exercise to improve rotator cuff muscle strength.
• Helps to improve the shoulder’s range of motion after injury or surgery.
• Helps to improve the overall function of the shoulder.
• This is an excellent exercise to use active assistive motion to regain motion in the shoulder after injury or surgery
• Helps to improve blood flow to the shoulder joint.
• You also bring Shoulder pulleys for therapy to the comfort of your own home.
• Regularly doing this exercise will help to increase overall shoulder mobility.
• You can also use the rope and pulley when you have a general weakness or of decrease in flexibility in one or both shoulder joints.
• This is an ideal recommendation for passive exercise for the elderly or those who have to suffer from bad shoulder joints.

How to do exercises with a shoulder rope and pulley for physical therapy?

Exercises with Shoulder Pulley In this post I will show you a series of seven shoulder pulley exercises which you can move gradually or step by step, to rehabilitate an injured shoulder. And at the end are two exercises for general stretching/strengthening which are great if you are having any trouble in either one or both shoulders.

Shoulder rope and pulley exercises list

For shoulder rehabilitation do these exercises two times a day. You can do 4-5 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for each exercise. Hold the stretch in the finishing position for about 10 to 15 seconds.

Only move to another exercise when you feel comfortable with the first one. If your movement is very limited you should spend several days just on the first exercise before starting the second exercise. But if you already have good movement and range in your shoulder then, you may be able to do all the exercises from the first day.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 1

• In this first exercise, your chair faces the door square on, with the door anchor fixed over the door.
• The normal arm pulls the affected arm, gently stretching it forward and upward. Hold the final position for 10 to 15 seconds and then lower the arm downward. this exercise is recommended to improve shoulder flexion range of motion.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 2

• Once you are more comfortable with the first exercise, and you smoothly doing the first exercise then go for this exercise turn your chair to 90 degrees and perform the same exercise from your side.
• Gradually stretch your shoulder and increase its range of motion.
• This exercise is recommended to improve shoulder abduction range of motion.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 3

• When you feel that your range of motion has increased, you can turn the chair so you are facing away from the door.
• Using the normal arm, lift the affected arm directly in front of you, holding for 10 seconds to 15 seconds in the final position.
• This also improves your shoulder flexion.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 4

• The next step is to adjust the angle of your arm from your body to 45 to 50 degrees.
• Do the same movement at this angle, stretch your affected arm as high as possible for you without too much pain. Always hold for 10 seconds to 15 seconds in the final position.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 5

• Next, move your arm so that it is at 90 degrees from your body, and stretch your arm high as much as possible.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 6

• The next progression of this exercise is done in a standing position. raise the affected arm behind your back.
• Start slowly with only small movements and gradually increase the range of motion.

Shoulder Rope and Pulley Exercise 7

• Once you have achieved a good level of range you can start rotational shoulder exercises.
• For this, you have to Stand side to the door, pull the injured arm so that it is rotating outside, always hold for 10 seconds to 15 seconds in the final position, and gradually increase the range of motion.

• Don’t let your shoulder hunch up or move forward.
• Keep sure your posture should be upright, and keep sure your elbow is fixed by your side.
• Holding a rolled-up towel between your elbow and body will help with this exercise.

Once you are comfortable with all the above exercises, you may want to move to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles by using a resistance band.

Shoulder stretching exercises

As in exercises 3-5 above, your chair is facing away from the door with the pulley wedged into the door frame’s upper edge. you have to start with the passive exercise first with your arms directly in front of you and then with your arms to the side:

Do these exercises in a continuous motion, first, you have to stretch one arm up, hold this stretch for a couple of seconds, and then switch to another side.

Continue the movements as long as you will do with comfort.
Adjust the length of the rope suit to your height rope length change by the knot under the handle.

While performing these exercises, you can use some opposing tension in your arms when you pull down. performing in this manner will build more strength in your rotator cuff and other shoulder muscles, and you greatly get healthy shoulder joints.

When are you not to do shoulder rope and pulley exercises?

• If you have suffered from any pain.
• If your limbs are recently injured.
• If you are recently undergone any surgery.
• If your doctor advises you to take a rest.
• If you have a fractured arm.
• If exercise will increase your pain or painful exercise must be avoid

Author: Priti Tirgar