Advanced Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation

Advanced Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation — Program Overview

This program is for people recovering from a shoulder fracture who have already completed earlier rehabilitation and are ready for advanced work. Its goal is to restore full shoulder motion, rebuild rotator cuff and scapular strength, and return you safely to the activities you did before your injury. You will work through four phases over fourteen weeks, guided by your clinician.

Before You Start

Do not begin this program without your clinician's approval, and do not use it if you have a recent fracture that is not yet healed or if you are at risk for a blood clot (DVT). Stop and call your clinician if pain keeps increasing, if you develop new swelling, warmth, redness or calf pain, or if you notice numbness, weakness or new instability in the shoulder. Always warm up before exercise and never push through sharp or worsening pain.

Weekly Structure

The plan runs fourteen weeks with four sessions each week, about twenty minutes per session. Early weeks focus on protection and gentle motion; around week five you add early motion work; around week nine you progress to strengthening; and by week fourteen you work toward advanced strengthening and return to function. Your equipment—stationary bike, therapy putty, wrist splint, and knee brace—supports warm-up, grip work, and safe positioning as your clinician directs. Your therapist may add modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, taping, traction, or heat to support your program.

What a Typical Session Looks Like

Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. A short stationary-bike warm-up raises blood flow. The main work uses therapy putty for grip and rotator cuff activation and your prescribed shoulder exercises, with your wrist splint or knee brace worn if your clinician advises. Cool-down includes gentle stretching after heat therapy and relaxed breathing. Your therapist may apply ultrasound, electrical stimulation, taping, or traction during the session as appropriate.

Tracking Progress

Your clinician uses set checkpoints at weeks two, five, nine, and fourteen to decide when you are ready to move to the next phase—looking at pain, swelling, motion, strength, and how your shoulder handles load. Standard outcome measures such as the ASES and Constant-Murley scores, pain scales, range-of-motion measurements, strength testing, and the SANE score help track your recovery over time. Progress is individual, so your clinician may adjust the timeline.

Recovery and Self-Care

Manage pain with the guidance of your clinician, and use rest and positioning as needed between sessions. Avoid heavy overhead or repetitive loading until you are cleared. Red flags to report promptly include sudden severe pain, new swelling or warmth in the arm or leg, chest pain or shortness of breath, fever, or a shoulder that feels unstable or gives way. These may need urgent medical attention.