3 Early Shoulder Stretches To Try Post-Surgery

Recovering from shoulder surgery requires a delicate balance between rest and rehabilitation. While the initial post-operative period demands careful attention to healing, strategic movement plays a pivotal role in preventing stiffness and promoting excellent recovery. Many patients find themselves uncertain about when and how to begin exercising their shoulder, often fearing they might compromise their surgical results. Understanding the appropriate stretches and when to implement them can make the difference between a smooth rehabilitation process and prolonged discomfort. Let's explore three physician-approved exercises that can help navigate those critical first steps toward restored mobility.

Starting With Gentle Exercise

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After shoulder surgery, beginning with gentle movements is essential for proper healing and rehabilitation. The initial exercises focus on maintaining basic range of motion while preventing stiffness and fluid buildup in the affected area. These preliminary movements should be performed with careful attention to form and without using body weight for resistance.

The pendulum exercise serves as an ideal starting point, requiring you to stand whilst wearing your sling. With your surgical arm hanging freely, create gentle circular motions, completing 20 rotations clockwise and 20 anticlockwise. This movement helps warm up the shoulder joint before progressing to other exercises. Simple fist pumps can help maintain forearm strength and reduce swelling by promoting fluid movement away from the hand and forearm area.

At Activ Therapy's experienced physiotherapy team focuses on providing fast symptom relief while identifying underlying issues for lasting recovery outcomes. To address fluid accumulation and maintain joint mobility, incorporate elbow bends into your routine. Follow this with the stick device exercise, which involves pushing your surgical arm outward to a 30-degree angle. Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat 10-15 times, performing this sequence 3-5 times daily. As you progress, the forward elevation exercise introduces assisted movement using your non-surgical arm to guide the affected arm overhead. Hold each elevation for 10-15 seconds, repeating 10 times in three daily sessions. This helps gradually increase your shoulder's range of motion while maintaining control over the movement. Each exercise should be performed smoothly and without forcing the motion beyond your comfort level.

Building Range With Support

Support tools play a crucial role in expanding shoulder mobility during post-surgical rehabilitation. During the first six weeks after surgery, utilising assistive devices and your non-surgical arm can help maintain muscle strength while preventing excessive strain on the healing shoulder.

A stick device serves as an excellent support tool for controlled range-building exercises. By gripping the stick with your surgical hand and pushing your arm out to a 30-degree angle, you can safely work on increasing mobility. This exercise should be repeated 10-15 times, performed 3-5 times daily, ensuring proper form to avoid back pain or compensatory movements.

Forward elevation exercises incorporate your non-surgical arm as a support mechanism. This passive technique involves using your healthy arm to guide the surgical arm overhead, allowing for controlled movement without overtaxing healing tissues. Make sure to move slowly and stop if you experience significant discomfort.

Complementary exercises include elbow bends performed with arm support on a pillow, which helps manage fluid accumulation whilst maintaining joint flexibility. Simple fist pumps can effectively move fluid out of the forearm and hand while maintaining forearm strength. Before engaging in any of these supported movements, pendulum exercises serve as an essential warm-up, gently mobilising the shoulder joint through clockwise and anticlockwise motions. These preliminary movements help prepare the shoulder for more focused range-building exercises while minimising the risk of strain or setback.

Our experienced physiotherapists can guide you through proper technique and progression of these exercises to ensure optimal recovery outcomes.

Active Recovery Techniques

Building upon supported mobility exercises, active recovery techniques provide the next level of progression in shoulder rehabilitation. These techniques are designed to maintain muscle strength, reduce fluid buildup, and gradually increase range of motion in a controlled manner.

When getting back to normal activities, start with basic movements like fist pumps, which help maintain forearm strength whilst promoting fluid drainage from the hand and forearm area. Elbow bends serve a dual purpose by preserving elbow mobility and reducing fluid accumulation in the surrounding tissues.

For more structured exercises, utilise a stick device such as a golf club or PVC pipe. With this tool, guide your surgical arm to a 30-degree angle, repeating this motion 10-15 times during each session, performed 3-5 times daily. If your left arm is the non-surgical arm, it can assist in forward elevation exercises, where it helps raise the surgical arm overhead. This movement should be performed in sets of 10 repetitions, three times per day.

Before engaging in any of these recovery techniques, pendulum swings serve as an effective warm-up exercise. Allow your arm to hang naturally and create gentle circular motions both clockwise and anticlockwise. This movement helps prepare the shoulder joint for more intensive stretches and exercises to follow. Remember to perform these exercises within prescribed limits and avoid pushing through significant pain or discomfort. Understanding body mechanics and adaptation is crucial for proper rehabilitation, as the body's natural healing processes respond positively to appropriate stimuli.

Conclusion

Incorporating gentle post-surgical shoulder exercises promotes healing and maintains joint mobility during early recovery. The pendulum exercise, elbow bends and fist pumps form a foundational trio of movements that support rehabilitation whilst minimising strain. These controlled stretches help manage swelling, maintain flexibility and gradually rebuild strength. Following proper form and medical guidance ensures these exercises contribute effectively to post-operative shoulder rehabilitation.