If you have shoulder pain and it does not go away on its own, consult a doctor. Common causes of shoulder pain include arthritis, fractures, sprain, rotator cuff injury, nerve damage and tendonitis. With your doctor's approval, you may do rehabilitation exercises to improve function in the shoulder. Other treatment options may include steroid injections, over-the-counter pain relievers or ice therapy.
Range-of-Motion Exercises
Range-of-motion exercises can be done to improve the flexibility and movement of the shoulders. For instance, stand next to a chair and grip the back with the left hand. Bend the upper body forward with a slight bend in your knees as well. Let your right arm hang loose. Swing your arm in small circles using your shoulders to control the movement. Aim to continuously make the circles for 30 seconds. Expand on this time for each exercise session.
Rotator Cuff Exercises
To work the rotator cuff for shoulder pain, you should wrap a resistance band around a doorknob. Stand next to the door and grab the grip with the hand closest to the door knob. Bend your arm to a 90-degree angle and pull the resistance band across the abdominals. Release and repeat for a total of 12 reps. If you don't have a resistance band available, use any type of plastic tubing.
Weight Training
Weight-training may be done to relieve shoulder pain by strengthening the muscles in the area. If you use resistance exercise machines, look for machines that require you to pull the shoulder blades and elbows down simultaneously. Weight machines recommended for shoulder pain by the American College of Sports Medicine include shoulder presses, chest flys, pull-downs and bench presses. Start with a low amount of weight to prevent injury.
Considerations
You may need to make some modifications when performing exercises to relieve shoulder pain. When using a shoulder press, keep barbells in front of shoulders slightly and over the ears. For pull-down bars, use an underhand grip and pull the bar in front of the head. If you do bench presses, the barbell should be a couple of inches above chest area and your arms should stay close to the body.
