Pendulum swing
Lean forward, let the arm hang. Swing it gently in circles using your body, not the shoulder.
- 1 minute
- 4 times a day
Should feel: The shoulder loosening Should not feel: Sharp pain
Home / Patient library / Exercise sheets / Sheet 10
Shoulder exercises
Shoulder & elbow · Frozen shoulder
How to use this sheet. Do the exercises slowly. Stop before the pain builds — mild discomfort is fine, sharp pain is not. A little every day beats a lot once a week.
A4 PDF, 0.4 MB. Free to download — no sign-up, no email address needed.
Table slide
Sit at a table, slide the hand forward, letting the body follow.
- 10 times
- 3 times a day
Should feel: A stretch at the end of the range Should not feel: Pinching at the top
Stick-assisted external rotation
Hold a stick in both hands in front of you, elbows bent at a right angle. Keep the elbow of the affected arm against your side. Use the good arm to push the stick across, so the hand of the affected arm turns outwards. Hold, then return.
- 10 times
- 3 times a day
Should feel: A stretch at the front of the shoulder Should not feel: Sharp pain
Towel internal rotation
Hold a towel behind your back and gently pull the lower hand up.
- Hold 15 seconds
- 5 times
Should feel: A stretch at the front Should not feel: Pinching
Wall climb
Face a wall, walk the fingers up as high as comfortable, hold, then walk down.
- 5 times
- 3 times a day
Should feel: A stretch overhead Should not feel: Shrugging to cheat height
Cross-body stretch
Pull the arm across your chest with the other hand.
- Hold 20 seconds
- 5 times
Should feel: A stretch at the back of the shoulder Should not feel: Pain in the front
Shoulder press against a wall
Stand side-on to a wall with the affected arm nearest it, elbow bent at a right angle and a folded towel between the outside of the elbow and the wall. Gently press the elbow out into the wall without moving the arm, and hold. Then face the wall and press the fist forward into it in the same way. If the muscle is too weak to press yet, just try to tighten it.
- Hold 5 seconds
- 10 times each direction
- Once or twice a day
Should feel: The muscle at the top of the shoulder working Should not feel: Sharp pain
Stop and telephone us if
- The pain is getting worse, not better, after two weeks
- You get new numbness, tingling or weakness
- The joint swells up or locks
- You feel unwell or feverish
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