Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises
Level 1
Level 3
Supine
Level 1
- Lie on your back with your shoulder at a 90 degree angle to your body. Elbow also bent to 90 degrees.
- Use a small towel to support the upper arm
- Rotate the hand forwards and backwards, ensuring you are going all the way through the available range
- Keep the movement slow and controlled throughout
Level 2
- Remove the supportive towel, but keep the arm in the same position
- Ensure you can still achieve the same amount of movement as the supported position
Level 3
- Add a small hand weight
- Ensure you can still achieve the same amount of movement as Level 1 & 2
Level 1
Prone
Level 1
- Lie on your front with your shoulder at a 90 degree angle to your body. Elbow also bent to 90 degrees.
- Use enough towels to support the upper arm at the same level as your back
- Rotate the hand forwards and backwards, ensuring you are going all the way through the available range
- Keep the movement slow and controlled throughout
Level 2
- Remove the supportive towel, but keep the arm in the same position
- Ensure you can still achieve the same amount of movement as the supported position
Level 3
Level 3
- Add a small hand weight
- Ensure you can still achieve the same amount of movement as Level 1 & 2
Seated Rotator Cuff Strengthening
Seated
Level 1
- In sitting, rest your elbow on a stable surface.
- With the fist squeezed and your elbow bent to 90 degrees, slowly rotate the hand towards the floor and then towards the ceiling.
- Repeat
Level 2
- As the level 1 exercise becomes easier, consider adding a small weight, up to 1kg, to this movement.
Supine rotation with band
Level 1
- Lying on your back place a loop of resistance band around your foot, place the foot on the floor with the knee bent.
- Hold onto the other end of the band with your elbow at shoulder height and bent to 90 degrees.
- In a slow and controlled manner, rotate the back of the hand towards the floor and return to the starting position
- Repeat
With band and weight
Supine Rotation with Band and Weight
- As the exercise above becomes easier, consider adding a small weight (up to 1kg) to this exercise.
Standing
Supported External Rotation in Standing
- In standing, place a bent elbow against the wall for support. - Maintaining around 90 degrees of elbow flexion, rotate the hand towards the floor and ceiling in a slow, controlled manner.
- A small weight can be added to this exercise to make it more challenging
Standing Shoulder Press
- In standing, tie some resistance band around a door handle.
- Holding onto the band, perform a shoulder press movement towards the ceiling.
- The aim of this exercises is to maintain the position of the wrist and hand over the shoulder. The band will pull the hand forwards, resist this movement throughout a smooth shoulder press movement.