Shoulder Exercises These exercises help relieve pain and increase mobility in most conditions that affect the shoulder and general aches and pains caused by overuse and bad posture. Before doing these exercises, read the cautions on page 10.
Elephant trunk
1
Stand and bend over forwards, resting one hand on a chair back or table for support. Swing the other hand back and forth like an elephant’s trunk 10 times.
1
Stand straight, maintaining your natural spinal curves, with abdominal muscles tight, your feet shoulderwidth apart and your arms hanging down at your side. Rotate your arms so that the palms of your hand turn out to face sideways and then repeat in the other direction. Move slowly but rhythmically. Repeat five times, making sure that your shoulders stay relaxed and down and do not hunch forwards.
1
Stand straight with your feet shoulderwidth apart and place one hand as far down your back as possible. Place the other hand on your back as far up as possible and try to interlock the fingers. Hold for a count of 10 and then change sides.
Then, with your arm hanging loosely, swing the arm from side to side across the front of your body in a relaxed way 10 times.
Finish with a circular action, first clockwise and then counter-clockwise. Do this 10 times then change sides and repeat the whole sequence.
Neck and Shoulders
Alternative If you can’t touch your fingers, hold a scarf (or belt) in the top hand and let it dangle down your back. Grasp the scarf with your lower hand as far up it as possible. Gently pull down on the scarf and then pull up with your upper hand. Repeat 10 times and then swap sides.
Pole rotation
2 3
100
Hands-to-back stretch
Standing rotation
2
Lift the pole – keeping it horizontal – over your head.
3 2
Repeat Step 1 but hold your hands out to the side at shoulder height.
1
Stand upright with the spine in its neutral position and your abdominal muscles tightened. Hold a pole, stick, or broom handle, at either end in front of you, horizontally across the front of your body.
Bring the pole down behind you. Try not to bend your elbows or let one arm lead. Reverse the movement to bring the pole back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. To make the exercise easier, move your hands further apart, to increase the stretch, bring them closer together.
Shoulder Exercises
101