9 Effective Home Exercises for Shoulder Impingement Relief

Prevent, strengthen, and relieve shoulder pain with these at-home shoulder impingement exercises. Rehabilitate effectively after an injury.

Shoulder impingement syndrome is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain, and its incidence increases with age. Impingement syndrome is used to describe pain when the shoulder is raised and rotated. It is also known as subacromial impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tendinopathy, and rotator cuff-related pain.

Without a doubt, in these shoulder exercises we will be training and rehabilitating one of the most important parts of our body, and as such we need to prevent, work on, or alleviate any type of problem in this area to avoid major problems or injuries.

This is a basic shoulder impingement exercises program to restore flexibility and normal shoulder motion, as well as a gradual return to activities of daily living and recreational activities that are important for a full recovery. Your orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist may recommend that you do the exercises for 10 to 15 minutes, two or three times a day during the initial recovery period. They may suggest some of the following exercises. The purpose of this guide is to help you better understand your activity and exercise program.

Therefore, we leave you with a series of shoulder impingement exercises to do at home to help relieve shoulder pain.

Shoulder Impingement Exercises: Stretching

EXERCISE 1

Bend your body from the waist until your trunk is parallel to the floor. Let the painful arm hang like a pendulum in front of you and swing it slowly and gently in small circles (Figure 2). As the muscle warms up, make the circles larger and larger. Practice for one minute.

EXERCISE 2

Place the hand of the painful arm on the opposite shoulder. With the other hand grasp the elbow from below and gently push it up as far as possible without pain (Figure 3). Hold that position for a few seconds and then gently bring the arm back to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 times.

EXERCISE 3

Stand with the painful shoulder about 60-90 cm from the wall. Extend your arm, place your fingertips on the wall and gently pull them up as far as possible (Figure 4). Next, move closer to the wall and see if you can raise your fingers a little higher. The goal is to reach the point where the arm is extended up against the wall. When you have reached as high as possible, hold that position for a few seconds and then lower your fingers down the wall. Repeat 5-10 times.

EXERCISE 4

Stand up straight and place the back of the hand on the affected side on your back. With the other hand, throw the end of a washcloth over the healthy shoulder and grasp it with the hand behind your back. Gently pull the towel with the healthy hand, elevating the painful arm (Figure 5). Do not pull the towel violently, but pull as far as possible without causing pain. Hold that position for a few seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 times.

EXERCISE 5

Place the hand of the painful arm behind your waist. With your palm facing your back, try to lift your hand over your back as far as possible, as if your fingers were walking up your spine (Figure 6). Hold that position for a few seconds and then allow the hand to slide down toward the waist. Repeat 5-10 times.

EXERCISE 6

Stand with your back against the wall. With your palms facing each other, interlace your fingers and place your hands on the back of your neck. Try to move your elbows back until they touch the wall (Figure 7). Hold them there for a few seconds and then move them forward. Repeat 10-15 times.

Shoulder Impingement Exercises: Strengthening

You will need 0.5 – 2.5 kg weights to perform these exercises; food cans are useful, but it is easier to hold gym weights.

EXERCISE 7

Lie on your back with your elbow next to your side and bent at 90 degrees, so that your forearm faces outward. Slowly raise the hand holding the weight until it points toward the ceiling; then return to the starting position (Figure 8) Repeat 10 times. As the shoulder strengthens, repeat up to 20 times.

EXERCISE 8

Lie on your side and keep your elbow close to your body and bent at 90 degrees, as in exercise 1. Slowly raise the hand holding the weight until it points toward the ceiling, then lower it (Figure 9). Repeat 10 times, building up to 20 times as the shoulder strengthens.

EXERCISE 9

In a standing or seated position, hold the weights in both hands and rotate the hands until the thumbs are pointing toward the floor. Extend the arms about 30 degrees forward, gently raise them until they are slightly below shoulder level and then lower them (Figure 10). (Do not raise them above shoulder level because this can damage the muscles and tendons from overexertion.) Repeat 10 times and gradually increase the number of repetitions to 20.