5 Best Exercises For Shoulder Pain

The rotator cuff is a key part of our shoulder musculature. Not only do they allow for independent movement of the arm and shoulder blade, but they also play an important role in shoulder stabilization when moving our arms as well.

What is it?

Rotator cuff tendonitis is when the tendons of the muscles of the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) get irritated and become inflamed.

Signs and symptoms

Common signs and symptoms are pain in the outside shoulder with shoulder motion, especially with external rotation and elevation motions (1).

How does it happen?

Rotator Cuff (RC) tendonitis happens when the rotator cuff muscles are overloaded or overworked, whether it is from a sport, work-related injury, or randomly over time. This is the #1 reason why we see RC injury occurring, mostly seeing the injury in the dominant limb (1). Oftentimes, this injury occurs from an increase in activity level, which varies between individuals (1). This can also happen due to shoulder instability as these muscles are our main shoulder stabilizers (1). If they are overloaded in a stabilizing piston, they may become damaged and irritated (1).

Irritation occurs due to a decrease in the subacromial space when the RC muscles get fatigued along with delayed recovery to get back to normal (1). Muscle activation is the other side of this coin of where irritation occurs and it is noted that people who suffer from RC tendonitis have delayed muscle activation of the RC muscles which means they have some instability when moving their shoulder (1).

How is it treated?

Treatment of RC tendonitis is multifactored. At Kinach Chiropractic, we focus on treatment starting with reducing pain in the shoulder, increasing the capacity of the tendon that is injured through corrective exercises, and reprogramming how the arm bone (humeral head) is controlled through motion by the muscles surrounding it (1).

We also need to assess how the rest of the body moves around the shoulder. When we are throwing, reaching, or lifting something with our shoulder, there is an energy transfer throughout our body to get our shoulder into those positions. If we have movement deficiencies in other areas (mainly hips and upper back mobility) then this could put more strain on the shoulder muscles, causing early fatigue and irritation (1).

It is important to note that an active exercise program that is well-structured and graduated is expected to get the same results as surgical intervention (1).

5 Best Exercises to Combat Shoulder Pain

The goal in exercise treatment for RC tendonitis is to exercise in the direction of symptoms that stay below a 5/10 on the pain scale. The most common directions are shoulder flexion and external rotation, then full shoulder range of motion or functional movements that are determined by the individual.

Banded Front Raises- 2x/day 3 sets of 10 reps

Stand on a band and grab the band with the affected side's hand. Holding your arm by your side, begin to raise your arm to 90 degrees or as high as you can without hitting over the 5/10. Slowly bring the arm back to your side and repeat. Work your way up to 10 reps

Banded Overhead Raises- 2x/day 3 sets of 10 reps

Stand on a band and grab the band with the affected side's hand. Bring your arm to 90-degree shoulder flexion and adjust the band tension to what feels right to you. Keeping the shoulder blade in place, raise your arm up overhead, trying to get your bicep in line with your ear. Slowly bring the arm down to 90 digress and repeat. Work your way up to 10 reps

Sidelying External Rotations- 2x/day 3 sets of 10 reps

Lying on your side, use a band or a lightweight and place it in your top arm's hand. If you like, you can put a towel between your elbow and your side. Keeping the shoulder blade in a neutral position, begin to move your hand away from your body. Slowly return to the starting position.

Supine Arm Abducted External Rotation- 2x/day 3 sets of 10 reps

Lying on your back, place a band or weight in the affected side hand. Bring your elbow out to your side so that it is at shoulder height, forearm, and wrist in line with the elbow. From here begin to let the back of your hand fall towards the floor. Slowly come back to the starting position and repeat.

Standing Snowangles- 2x/day 3 sets of 10 reps

Standing with your back against a wall, place a band under your feet and hold it in the affected side hand. With your arm at your side, palm facing out, slowly begin to bring your arm overhead, following the wall. Once at the top, slowly bring your arm back down to your side.

1. Lewis, J., McCreesh, K., Roy, J., & Ginn, K. (2015). Rotator cuff tendinopathy: Navigating the diagnosis-management conundrum. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 45(11), 923-937. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.5941