Pendulum exercise

    Pendulum exercise
   

This exercise stretches the joint capsule of your shoulder joint to keep it from getting stiff.

  • Hold on to the back of a sturdy chair or table with your good arm.
  • Bend at the hips so that your painful, or injured arm, hands down freely.
  • Keep your back straight.
  • Rocking your weight from your hips, allow the arm to gently sway, or move, in a circle. Start out in small circles and slowly allow the circles to become larger.
  • Sway the arm in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
  • Perform this exercise for around 5 minutes, 4 to 8 times a day.

Avoid this exercise if you have back pain. After surgery, it is ok to do this exercise even if you have some shoulder pain.

Review Date:6/13/2021
Reviewed By:C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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