Shoulder injuries are common to athletes. Though they’re doing the best they can to have an injury-free career life, it seems like injuries are part of their life. With this, shoulder rehabilitation is what they’ll mostly need. And it’s not only limited to athletes, ordinary people may suffer from shoulder injury at some point in their life.  

Shoulder rehabilitation, as with other types of rehabilitation, focuses on the restoration of the functions that were normal before the impairment. An exercise program, or therapy, prescribed to the patient signals the start of the rehabilitation stage. However, medical experts say that rehabilitation actually begins from the time the patient has been seen by a health care practitioner, and ends right after the patient’s release. 

Two common shoulder injuries that need shoulder rehabilitation are Subacromial Syndromes and Shoulder Instability. The first type means a rotator cuff tear, which is characterized by frequent shoulder pains. The aim of shoulder rehabilitation for this particular injury is to bring back the muscular balance between the elevators and depressors. A person suffering from instability of the shoulder would need shoulder rehabilitation, as it will restore the muscular balance between internal and external rotators of the shoulder. 

Reducing activity, compressing the injured shoulder, elevating the injured shoulder above heart level, and taking medication like anti-inflammatory drugs, are some of the things that comprise dislocated shoulder rehabilitation. Its objectives include strengthening the muscles, increasing flexibility, and establishing painless movement. Extreme injury cases however, would mean avoidance of activities that would cause shoulder pain. 

There are shoulder rehabilitation exercises that have to be done on both sides of the body to maintain balance. Doing these exercises can increase the strength of both shoulders, and may prevent the occurrence of injury to either of the shoulders. Some of the shoulder rehabilitation exercises that you may be required to practice by your doctor are: shrugs, bicep curls, triceps curls, chest raises, saws, pendulum swings, shoulder rotation, shoulder flexion, towel stretch, and flexed elbow pull. 

Aside from these, your doctor may prescribe other exercises instead of, or on top of the ones mentioned earlier, depending on the nature and intensity of the injury. There are also exercises that don’t necessarily require movement from the injured area, some of which are: stationary bicycle, walking, jogging, and swimming. These exercises can be done if the pain is tolerable. 

Always remember to consult your doctor before doing any exercises or treatment for your shoulder injury. This is to ensure that shoulder rehabilitation will be properly addressed. Your doctor is the one who knows best what kind of shoulder rehabilitation you need to undertake, depending on the degree of severity of your shoulder injury.