You Don’t Have to Have
Shoulder Pain
Ask your doctor about exercises that will help
strengthen your shoulder muscles and prevent injury.
Building stronger shoulder muscles can help protect your rotator cuff tendons from injury. Below are some exercises to try, but talk with your doctor first about your shoulder pain.
- Without weights: Stand an arm’s length from a wall. Raise your arms to shoulder height and lean your body forward toward the wall, placing your palms flat against it. Bend your elbows as you lower your body toward the wall to the count of four, like you’re doing a standing push-up. Pause, then slowly push yourself back up to a count of two. Repeat 10 times.
- With weights: Sit in an armless chair, holding a 1- to 2-pound weight in each hand. With your arms hanging down at your sides and your palms facing inward, raise both arms up and out from the body to shoulder height. Hold them for one second and then slowly lower. Pause, then repeat up to 15 times.
