- Lie stomach down on a bed or couch and let the affected shoulder hang over the edge. Be sure that the bed or couch leaves plenty of room for your arm to hang and not touch the floor. Relax your entire shoulder and arm, right down to the fingertips. Slowly let your shoulder blade completely relax and drop down. Gently begin swinging the arm back and forth, slowly, at a 15-degree angle. It may help to have someone start your arm swinging for you. Swing the arm for 15 seconds. As pain subsides over time, you can increase the angle of the swing to 30 to 45 degrees and can increase the swing time to three to five minutes.
You can also practice this exercise by leaning on a sturdy chair, supporting yourself with your good arm. Let your injured shoulder relax and hang down just as you did in the earlier routine. Begin the swinging motion at a 15-degree angle to warm up. After 15 seconds, start slowly swinging the shoulder in a circular motion. Continue clockwise for 15 seconds and switch to counter-clockwise for another 15 seconds. Over time, you can increase the size of the circles and duration of the exercise to three to five minutes. - These exercises help keep a healthy shoulder limber and in shape. Begin by lifting your right arm out in front of you and then up to the sky, until your inner arm is aligned with your ear. Slowly bring the arm back down and repeat with the left arm. Try again with the right arm and try to bring the arm as far back past the ear as it will go without hurting yourself. Slowly bring the arm down and repeat with the left.
Bring your right arm sideways and out until your arm is at a 90-degree angle with your body. Continue to bring the arm up and over your head as far it will go. Slowly return the arm to the normal position. Repeat the movement with the left arm. Then bring the right up and across your chest, reaching toward your left shoulder. Slowly bring the arm down and repeat with the left.
Shrug your shoulders up as high as they will go without moving your arms and then slowly bring them down. Rotate them forward and back to the starting position, and then toward your back and return to the starting position again. Slowly rotate your shoulder in one even and smooth circle. Once you complete the circle, rotate the shoulders in the opposite direction, again in an even and smooth circle. - Practice these exercises twice a day. Never stretch until your shoulder hurts and never exercise longer than you need to.