Exercises

It is very important that you do your physiotherapy movement exercises 3-4 times every day to prevent your shoulder becoming stiff, to help with healing, and to reduce the risk of complications.

All the exercises should be done within the limits of your pain, although it is common to feel a pulling sensation when performing these exercises and some temporary discomfort afterwards.

You should start your exercises with a posture check. You should be sitting or standing up straight with your shoulders level and relaxed.

Exercises for Days 1-7 or whilst drains in

These exercises are to be completed for the first 7 days after your surgery or whilst you still have drains in (even if you are over 7 days since your operation). We recommend that these exercises are completed in sitting. You should aim to complete these exercise 3 times daily.

Exercise 1: Shoulder Shrugging

Gently lift your shoulders up towards your ears then relax back down.

Repeat 5-10 times

Exercise 1
Exercise 31

Exercise 2: Shoulder Circling

Gently circle your shoulders forwards, then circle backwards.

Repeat 5 times.

Exercise 1
Exercise 32

Exercise 3 - Lifting your arm forwards

Bend your elbows to allow your hands to rest on your shoulders. Gently lift your elbows to point forwards. You may feel a pulling sensation however, this is not harmful.

Hold for 5 seconds then slowly lower your elbows back down to the starting position.

Repeat 5 times.

Exercise 33
Exercise 2

Exercise 4 - Lifting your arm out to the side

Bend your elbows to allow your hands to rest on your shoulders. Gently lift your elbows out to the side until they reach shoulder level then lower back down. You may feel a pulling sensation however, this is not harmful.

Hold for 5 seconds then slowly lower your elbows back down to the starting position. Repeat 5 times.

Exercise 33
Exercise 3

Exercise 5 - Hands behind your head

Bend your elbows to allow your hands to reach behind your head. Gently push your elbows backwards. You may feel a pulling sensation however, this is not harmful.

Hold for 5 seconds then slowly bring your arms back to the starting position.

Repeat 5 times.

Exercise 3
Exercise 5

Exercise 6 - Hands behind your back

Bend your elbows to allow your hands to reach behind your back. Aim to reach your hands higher up your back. You may feel a pulling sensation however, this is not harmful.

Hold for 5 seconds then slowly bring your arms back down by your side.

Repeat 5 times.

Exercise 1
Exercise 6

Comfort in sitting in first few weeks

You may find it comfortable to sit with your arms supported on pillows in front of you. This will allow you to relax your shoulders more and open the armpit to help lymph fluid flow. This position is really useful to relieve discomfort.

Try this for 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a day in the first few weeks.   

Exercise 11
Exercise 12

Exercise for days 7 - 21 onwards

Click here to see exercises for 7 - 21 days onwards