Beginner Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation Program

Program Overview This is a beginner, 13-week shoulder rehabilitation program after a shoulder fracture. It runs four days per week, about 30 minutes per session, and uses a TRX suspension trainer, a rower, ankle weights, and a foam roller. The program blends hands-on therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and hydrotherapy with a graded exercise plan to restore motion, strength, and shoulder blade control. It is designed to be adjusted by your treating clinician as your shoulder heals.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for adults recovering from a shoulder fracture who have been cleared to begin gentle rehabilitation, and who do not have severe osteoporosis or severe ongoing pain. The goal is to protect the healing bone early, gradually regain comfortable movement, then rebuild rotator cuff and shoulder blade strength so you can return to everyday activities with confidence. Progress is expected to be gradual, and small steady gains matter more than speed.

Before You Start Please review this plan with your treating clinician or physical therapist before beginning, and at each phase change. They will confirm your fracture is stable enough for exercise, check for severe osteoporosis or severe pain that would make certain movements unsafe, and set your personal starting point. Do not begin loading exercises until you have been cleared. Bring your outcome measures and any new symptoms to your appointments so your program can be adjusted safely.

Safety Notes, Contraindications, and When to Stop This program is not appropriate if you have severe osteoporosis or severe pain, and some movements may need to be modified or delayed. Avoid overloading the shoulder and always finish with a cool-down. Stop and contact your clinician promptly if you develop sudden sharp or worsening pain, new swelling, numbness or tingling in the arm or hand, a feeling of the shoulder giving way, fever, or pain that does not settle with rest.

Weekly Structure Plan for four sessions per week, roughly 30 minutes each, across 13 weeks. Sessions are built around your equipment: the TRX for supported movement, the rower for gentle whole-body and postural work once appropriate, ankle weights for light resistance, and the foam roller for soft-tissue and cool-down work. Your clinician may also provide ultrasound, electrical stimulation, manual therapy, and hydrotherapy alongside these sessions. Rest days between sessions help recovery.

How the 13-Week Plan Is Organized The plan moves through phases in plain terms. Early weeks focus on protection and pain control with gentle, supported motion. The middle weeks add early mobilization, active-assisted movement, and light strengthening. Later weeks build rotator cuff and shoulder blade strength and gradually return you toward daily activities. Each phase has clear checkpoints your clinician uses to decide when you are ready to progress, so the timeline can flex to match your healing.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a predictable warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. Your clinician will tailor the exact exercises and use of ultrasound, electrical stimulation, manual therapy, and hydrotherapy to your stage of healing. The equipment listed supports supported movement, light resistance, posture work, and soft-tissue care. Keep the effort comfortable and pain-free, and let your therapist know how each session felt so the plan can be adjusted.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down With Your Equipment Begin with gentle warm-up such as supported pendulum movements and light foam-roller work on the upper back. The main work uses the TRX for supported reaching and rowing motions, ankle weights for very light resistance, and the rower for gentle postural endurance once cleared. Finish with a cool-down: slow, relaxed range-of-motion, light foam rolling away from the fracture site, and easy breathing. Keep everything within a comfortable, pain-free range.

Tracking Progress Your clinician tracks progress using the ASES and Constant-Murley shoulder scores, a pain scale, goniometry for range of motion, manual muscle testing for the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles, and the SANE rating for shoulder function. Simple session notes, such as pain during and after exercise and what felt easier, help guide adjustments. These measures are reviewed regularly so progression is based on your actual response, not just the calendar.

How Progression Criteria Are Used You move to the next phase when you meet the checkpoints for your current phase, not simply when a week ends. Early checkpoints focus on low resting pain, tolerance of gentle motion, and stable fracture-site healing. Later ones add improving range of motion, isometric strength, and normal shoulder blade movement. Outcome measures support these decisions, and your clinician confirms each step. If a checkpoint is not met, the plan is adjusted or repeated safely.

Recovery and Self-Care Recovery matters as much as exercise. Get adequate rest, keep up your pain-management routine as advised by your clinician, and use ice or heat only as directed. Stay generally active within comfort, keep good posture, and avoid prolonged overhead or heavy lifting early on. Report any change in symptoms at your next visit, and never push through sharp pain to reach a checkpoint.

Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Mild, temporary soreness that settles with rest is common, but escalating or lasting pain is a signal to ease off and check in with your clinician. Do not add medication or change dosages without medical advice. Seek prompt care for sudden severe pain, new deformity, numbness, weakness, fever, or signs of infection, and stop exercises and contact your clinician if the shoulder feels unstable or a movement causes sharp pain.