A reminder, not a programme
Exercises are easy to follow in the physiotherapy rooms and surprisingly hard to remember at home a few days later. The videos below demonstrate common shoulder exercises that a physiotherapist may prescribe, so that you can check your technique.
Important: follow your own programme
This page is a reference library, not a treatment plan. Please follow the exercise programme given to you by your own physiotherapist, and do only the exercises on it.
Many of the exercises shown here are not suitable immediately after shoulder surgery. Starting advanced exercises too soon after an operation could put your reconstruction at risk. The sequence and timing of what you do matters as much as the exercises themselves, which is why it is prescribed individually.
If you are not sure what is on your programme, or whether a particular exercise is one of yours, contact your physiotherapist and ask. Physiotherapists are highly qualified professionals who spend years at university learning how to care for patients, and the question is a reasonable one to put to them.
Exercise demonstrations
The videos below are presented in the order they appeared on our previous site.
With thanks
With thanks to Lucy, physiotherapist from Extend Therapy, who appears in the videos.
Related information
See our rehabilitation page for how recovery generally progresses, and correct shoulder posture, which underpins a great deal of shoulder rehabilitation. If you are recovering from a cuff repair, our post on rehabilitation after a rotator cuff repair sets out the usual stages.