Beginner Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation

Program Overview This is a seven-week, beginner-level rehabilitation guide for someone recovering from a shoulder fracture. It uses gentle, guided movement and light equipment to help you rebuild motion and strength safely. Sessions are short and structured so you can progress at a comfortable pace under the guidance of your care team.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for people early in recovery after a shoulder fracture who have been cleared by their clinician to begin supervised rehabilitation. The goal is to gradually restore shoulder movement, reduce pain, rebuild strength in the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles, and return to everyday activities—always within the limits your clinician sets.

Before You Start Please review this plan with your physical therapist or doctor before beginning. The equipment listed here should be introduced only under supervision, and your clinician will adjust or pause any exercise that does not match your healing stage. Never push through sharp pain, and always follow the specific instructions from your care team.

Safety Notes and When to Stop This program is not appropriate if your fracture fixation is unstable or your clinician has not cleared you for movement. Stop and call your clinician if you have sudden severe pain, new swelling, numbness or tingling, a feeling that the shoulder is giving way, or pain that keeps getting worse. Warm up before activity and cool down afterward, and keep fracture-site pain well controlled at rest.

Weekly Structure You will do two sessions per week, about thirty minutes each, for seven weeks. The plan moves through four general phases: early protection, gentle assisted movement, active movement, and light strengthening. Each phase builds on the last, and your therapist decides when you are ready to advance based on how your shoulder responds.

How the Seven-Week Plan Is Organized Sessions use a kettlebell, resistance band, ankle weights, cable machine, and TRX, but only as your phase allows—early weeks focus on supported positioning and gentle motion, later weeks add light resistance. Your therapist guides the exact exercises and doses. Think of the phases as stepping stones: protect first, then move gently, then move actively, then strengthen lightly.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. Your therapist may add manual therapy, soft tissue work, and pain-relief methods such as ice, TENS, or moist heat around your exercise. The specific exercises and resistance are tailored to your phase and tolerance, so follow your clinician's written plan for each session.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Begin with gentle movement and, if advised, moist heat to prepare the shoulder. Main work may include supported range-of-motion drills, scapular (shoulder blade) exercises, and light band or cable resistance as your phase allows, plus balanced work with the TRX or kettlebell only when cleared. Finish with a cool-down, gentle stretching, and ice if recommended to manage soreness.

Tracking Progress Keep simple notes on your pain (using a 0–10 scale), how far you can raise and rotate your arm, and how daily tasks feel. Your therapist will also track standardized measures such as range of motion, strength testing, and shoulder function questionnaires. These records help show whether you are ready to move to the next phase.

How Progression Criteria and Outcome Measures Are Used Your therapist uses the phase goals—like comfortable passive motion, then active motion, then light resisted work—to decide when to advance. Outcome measures such as pain scores, range of motion, strength testing, and function questionnaires give an objective picture of your recovery. You move forward only when goals are met without increased pain or irritation; this plan does not set exact numbers for you to self-advance.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest between sessions and follow your clinician's guidance on sling use, positioning, and activity limits. Ice, TENS, heat, and manual therapy are tools your therapist may use to support comfort and healing—use them only as directed. Good sleep, steady pacing, and avoiding sudden heavy lifting all support recovery.

Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Do not use ice, heat, or TENS without checking with your clinician, and never leave these on longer than advised. Avoid medications or dosing decisions on your own—ask your care team. Seek prompt care for severe or worsening pain, new deformity, numbness, weakness, fever, or inability to move the arm, as these may signal a problem needing review.