Following a shoulder injury or surgery or when your shoulders become stiff, gentle exercises can can relieve discomfort, according to University of Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Perform slowly and evenly at first, then increase weight resistance and intensity as the stiffness abates. Increased range of motion and decreasing pain usually accompany gentle shoulder exercises, even when arthritis is present.
Aerobics
Aerobic exercise that gently moves the arms through a range of motions helps to lubricate stiff shoulder joints. The University of Washington says exercises such as walking while swinging the arms, rowing, cross-country skiing and elliptical training machines can provide the necessary movement. Aerobic exercises such as swimming may be included as long as they don't increase the pain levels. Aerobic exercise does not have to be performed rigorously for the joints to loosen up.
Stretching
The soft tissue and muscles in the shoulder need to be stretched with light pressure that continues up to the point of pain. Stretching a stiff shoulder should never be jerky or sudden. Use your other arm to gently pull and stretch your stiff shoulder. For example, place your still arm across your body and hold it just above the elbow with the other hand. Pull gently and hold the stretch for a count of 100. Or lie down on a mat on the floor on your back and raise your stiff arm up and backward as far as you can. With the other hand placed just above the elbow, push backward on the arm to stretch the stiff shoulder.
Circles
Chiropractor Joanne Terrans says tugging at a stiff or frozen shoulder causes the knots and pain to increase. She recommends gentle circle exercises to loosen up. Start with very small circles performed while lying down on one side. Bend your arm to that your elbow points toward the ceiling and make small circles with it. As your shoulder heals, perform the circles while standing. Hold your arms out straight at the sides and slowly move then concentrically forward 10 times. Stop and reverse the circles. As your arm feels better, widen the circumference of the circles.
Pendulum Swings
As your healing progresses, continue to move slowly through your exercises and add weight to build the muscles back up. An effective exercise to begin a weight-training program is to hold a free weight in each hand, with your hands hanging loosely at your sides. Start with a light weight, about 1 lb., so you don't re-injure your shoulder. Let your arms hang loose and just swing them out and back very lightly and slowly for about five minutes. Don't swing your arms further than 12 inches. Increase the weight by 5 pounds at a time as you build strength.
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