General Shoulder Rehabilitation Strengthening Exercises

After an injury or shoulder surgery, your doctor or physical therapist will prescribe a rehabilitation program for you. This program is likely to consist of several phases and include shoulder rehabilitation exercises. Many of these exercises may be done at home by yourself. Consult your doctor for specific guidelines for how often and with what resistance level you perform these exercises.

Bench Press Plus

This exercise strengthens your shoulders through a full shoulder extension off an exercise bench. A dumbbell provides the weight you need to do the bench press plus exercise. The plus refers to the added lift of the shoulder forward off the bench compared with doing a regular bench press. Lie with your back on a bench and your feet on the floor with your legs straddling the bench. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and press your arm straight toward the ceiling with your palm facing toward your lower body. Lift your right shoulder blade off the bench. Lower your shoulder back to the bench to complete a right bench press plus. Do the exercise the same way on the left side.

Dumbbell Scaption

This is another exercise that targets the shoulders. Your shoulder muscles work through flexion and rotation as they lift the arm and a dumbbell up and across the body as if drawing a sword from a scabbard on the hip. To perform this exercise with your right shoulder, stand up tall with your right hand in front of your left hip. Hold your arm with a slight bend in the elbow and turn your forearm so that the dumbbell is horizontal and the thumb side of your hand is closest to your hip. Then, swing your arm forward and up toward the right side of your body. Lift your arm until it is above your shoulder and about 30 degrees diagonally from the top of your shoulder. Your palm faces forward. Reverse the motion to return your hand to the starting position in front of your left hip. Perform the exercise the same way with the left arm.

Barbell Bent-Over Row

This exercise works the muscles of the back, the rotator cuffs and the rear deltoid muscles of the shoulders. You have the option of doing a bent-over row with a barbell, a pair of dumbbells or a resistance cable, but to do the barbell bent-over row use a barbell with a light weight. Stand with your feet hips-width apart and bend your knees to pick up a barbell off the floor. Hold your arms straight with your hands shoulders-width apart. Hinge forward from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Extend your shoulders toward the floor, which moves your shoulder blades away from each other. This is the starting position. Next, pull the bar toward your chest as you bend your elbows. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return the bar to the starting position.