Shoulder Post-Fracture Advanced Rehabilitation

Program Overview This is a 10-week advanced shoulder rehabilitation program for people recovering from a shoulder fracture. It combines guided exercise, hands-on therapy techniques, and progressive strength work. The program is designed to be delivered under the supervision of a licensed clinician, who will adapt it to your specific fracture, healing timeline, and goals.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for people whose shoulder fracture is healing and who have been cleared by their clinician to move into more advanced rehabilitation. The goal is to restore full shoulder motion, rebuild strength in the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles, and return you to daily activities and sport safely. It is not a do-it-yourself plan — your therapist will guide each phase.

Before You Start Before beginning, have your clinician confirm your fracture is healing and that it is safe for you to move your shoulder. You will need a balance board, resistance bands, dumbbells, and ankle weights. Some sessions may include therapeutic ultrasound, shockwave therapy, blood flow restriction training, or aquatic therapy as directed by your care team.

Safety Notes and When to Stop Do not start this program if you have signs of compartment syndrome, a known risk of deep vein thrombosis, severely limited motion that has not been assessed, or severe pain. Stop and call your clinician right away if you develop sudden severe pain, swelling, chest pain, shortness of breath, calf pain, numbness, or a cold, pale arm. Avoid overloading your shoulder and keep your spine in a neutral position during exercises.

Weekly Structure You will complete five sessions per week, each about 60 minutes, for 10 weeks. Sessions use your bands, dumbbells, ankle weights, and balance board. Your therapist may add ultrasound, shockwave, blood flow restriction, or pool work at set points. The plan moves through four phases: protection and early motion, controlled motion, early strengthening, and intermediate strengthening.

How the 10-Week Plan Is Organized The program is built in four phases that progress in difficulty. Early on, the focus is protecting the healing bone and gently restoring motion. As you meet specific checkpoints, you move into controlled motion, then early strengthening, then intermediate strengthening. Your therapist decides when each phase begins based on your progress, not just the calendar.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. You might start with gentle range-of-motion and scapular setting drills, then move into band and dumbbell strengthening for the rotator cuff and shoulder blade. Balance-board and ankle-weight work may be added for control and stability. Cool-down includes gentle stretching and breathing to help you relax.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Warm-up with light band work and pain-free shoulder circles. The main work uses dumbbells, bands, ankle weights, and the balance board for strengthening and control, always keeping your spine neutral and loads manageable. Cool-down uses slow stretching and relaxed breathing. Your therapist will adjust each part based on how your shoulder responds.

Tracking Progress Your therapist will track your range of motion with a goniometer, your pain with a visual scale, and your function with questionnaires such as the ASES, WOSI, Constant-Murley, and Simple Shoulder Test. These measures show whether you are ready to advance and help catch problems early. Keep note of any pain, swelling, or activities that feel harder than usual.

How Progression Criteria Are Used You move to the next phase only when you meet the checkpoints your therapist sets, such as pain-free motion, strength close to your other side, and stable joints on exam. These criteria are guides, not strict cutoffs. Outcome measures and your therapist's assessment work together to decide when advancing is safe and when to slow down.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest between sessions and get enough sleep. Use ice or heat only as your clinician advises, and avoid pushing through sharp pain. Keep your shoulder supported during rest and follow any activity restrictions your therapist gives you. Gentle movement within your limits helps healing, but overdoing it can set you back.

Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Do not use this program to self-treat severe pain or to "work through" warning signs. Avoid overloading and keep your spine neutral. Call your clinician if pain steadily worsens, if you notice new swelling, numbness, weakness, or color changes in the arm, or if you have calf pain or breathing trouble. These can be signs of serious problems that need urgent care.