Stiff shoulder
When it comes to stretches and exercises there are several
kinds.
Active exercises - here you use your own muscles to create the movement.
Active assisted - here you use your muscles, and get assistance either in the
form of someone helping you, or you helping yourself with your good arm for
example, or a pulley or similar.
Passive exercises - Here you use none of your shoulder muscles, but movement is generated
by something or someone else. The most simple of these are pendullum exercises,
alternatives include a therapist moving your arm or you using a pulley.
Pendullum exercises
This is most commonly done with your arm hanging down by your side.
Lean forward slightly or over to the side a little,start with small circles
clockwise and anti clockwise increasing the arc of the circle as comfort allows
and as the shoulder lossens up. Variations include swinging your arm forward and
backwards, making an increasing arc.
If you lean further forward and support yourself with your other arm on a desk
or bed by leaning forward and letting your arm hang forward you can achieve
shoulder flexion to around 80-90 degrees with very little effort.
It is a good idea to start off with some pendullum exercises to warm up the
shoulder and then proceed to more active exercises.
External rotation
The easiest exercise here is to hold a walking stick or similar in both hands,
keep your elbows tucked at your sides, then use your good arm to push the bad
arm into external rotation.
Elevation
Remember you cannot achieve full elevation till you have good external rotation.
In the morning after your bath or shower face the wall and place your hand on
the wall and walk up the tiles, each day going just a little further.
Stretch all day it is better gaining 1cm 3 to 4 times a day than trying to force
it first thing in the morning.
If sitting at a desk, put a duster or piece of paper on a desk and lean into it,
sliding your hand forward.
When your standing next to a lampost, on the bus or the tube walk your arm up
the pole and stretch.
At home or work put a pulley on the back of the door. There are several simple
shoulder pulley kits available online. Hold onto the handle with the bad arm
and use the good arm to pull the bad arm up.
Internal rotation
Internal rotation and adduction, reaching up behind your back is one of the
hardest movements and the last movement to return usually.
After your bath or shower in the morning, flick your towel over your shoulder
hold it with the good and bad arms and gently pull up the bad arm. Everytime you
walk into the kitchen flick the dish cloth over your shoulder, again stretching
all day.
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