Tight muscles or an injury to the shoulder joint may decrease your shoulder range of motion. Exercises to improve the range of motion at your shoulders may be done passively or actively. Passive exercises do not require any work from you while an active exercise requires you to participate physically in the exercise to increase the range of motion at a joint, according to Peggy Houglum in her book, "Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries."
Flexion and Extension Pendulum
This is a passive range-of-motion exercise which means you do not actually contract your shoulder muscles. Perform this exercise first with your legs in a short lunge position and your uninjured arm resting on a table, supporting your body weight; your trunk is bent forward so your injured arm is hanging in the open space. Then, shift your weight between your front leg and your back leg, moving only from your hips so your arm swings from your shoulder joint like a pendulum, forward and backward.
Horizontal Flexion and Extension Pendulum
The horizontal flexion and extension pendulum exercise is also a passive range-of-motion exercise, but it is performed in a side-to-side direction. This exercise is done with your feet adjacent to each other and slightly wider than your shoulders. Your uninjured arm is resting on the table, and your trunk is bent forward. Complete this exercise with your injured arm dangling in front of your hips and passively moving left to right as you shift your body weight from one leg to the other.
Doorway Stretch
The doorway or anterior capsule stretch is used to increase extension and outward rotation of the shoulders by stretching your anterior deltoid and your pectoralis major. This is an active stretch you do under a doorway with your feet in a short lunge position. First, bend your elbows and shoulders to hold the doors with your forearms. Then, position both elbows at shoulder level to stretch the middle of your pectoral muscles. Next, step through the doorway a little further from your starting position to increase the range of motion of the stretch. You may raise your elbows above your shoulders to stretch the upper portion of your pecs or drop your elbows below your shoulders to stretch the lower portion.
Wand External Rotation
This exercise as an active stretch, requiring the use of a light dowel or stick 3 to 4 feet long, improving the ability of the shoulder joints to extend and rotate backward. Perform this exercise first by holding the dowel above your head with your hands shoulder-width apart. Then, lower the wand behind your neck as far as possible. Raise the bar back up, and repeat.
References
- "Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Peggy Houglum; 2005
- "Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Sandra Shultz, Peggy Houglum and David Perrin; 2005
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