Intermediate Shoulder Rehabilitation Post-Fracture

Program Overview — Shoulder Rehabilitation After Fracture (Intermediate, 11 Weeks) This is an intermediate, 11-week shoulder rehabilitation program for people recovering from a shoulder fracture. It runs three sessions per week at about 60 minutes each. You will work on the rotator cuff, labrum, AC joint, and biceps tendon using balance boards, pull-up bars, ankle weights, weight vests, therapy putty, and resistance bands. Clinic-based treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, joint mobilization, and taping may be included under your clinician's direction. The plan moves you gradually from protected motion toward controlled strengthening.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program suits people past the initial fracture-healing stage who have some shoulder movement but still need to rebuild strength, control, and confidence. The goal is to restore comfortable shoulder motion, improve rotator cuff and shoulder-blade (scapular) strength, and return you to everyday use of your arm. It is not for someone with severe muscle wasting in the shoulder, because that needs individual medical review before loading. Your clinician should confirm this level fits you.

Before You Start Before beginning, have your clinician or physical therapist review this program with you. They will check your fracture healing, confirm your movement limits, and teach you the correct setup for each exercise. Do not start loading, overhead work, or bar exercises without their approval. Tell them about any other shoulder conditions, prior surgery, or numbness and tingling. Ask them to show you how to use the balance board, vest, and ankle weights safely, and make sure your home or gym space is clear and stable.

Safety Notes, Contraindications, and When to Stop This program is not appropriate if you have severe muscle wasting in the shoulder; that needs clinician-led assessment first. Always keep your spine in a neutral, comfortable position and avoid slumping or twisting during exercises. Stop immediately if pain increases beyond what your clinician has approved, or if you feel sharp pain, new weakness, numbness, or a sudden loss of movement. Contact your clinician if symptoms worsen, do not settle with rest, or if you notice swelling or redness. Mild soreness that eases is expected; escalating pain is not.

Weekly Structure Each week has three sessions of about 60 minutes, with rest days between them. The 11 weeks are grouped into phases: early protected motion, then early passive motion, followed by progressive active motion and strengthening. Early on, you focus on gentle movement, posture, and shoulder-blade control; later you add resistance bands, putty, ankle weights, and weight-vest work. Balance-board and bar exercises come in only when your clinician confirms you are ready. The equipment listed supports this progression, not every session uses every item.

How the 11-Week Plan Is Organized Think of the plan in stages rather than a fixed calendar. In the first weeks you protect the shoulder and keep pain low while keeping the shoulder blade and elbow active. In the middle weeks you work on passive and then active-assisted movement, guided by your clinician. In the later weeks you build strength and control with bands, putty, weights, and functional tasks. You move forward only when you meet the stated criteria, so some people progress a little faster or slower. Three sessions a week, about 60 minutes each, gives enough practice without overloading the shoulder.

What a Typical Session Looks Like A session usually follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. You start with gentle shoulder-blade setting, posture work, and light range-of-motion drills, sometimes with therapy putty for the hand and wrist. The main portion includes the day's focus: mobility and control work, then band or weight-based strengthening as approved, and balance or bar work only when cleared. The cool-down uses slow, relaxed movement and light stretching. Your clinician adjusts the mix of clinic treatments and exercise each visit.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down With Your Equipment Warm up for several minutes with posture drills, shoulder-blade squeezes, and easy arm swings, plus light putty squeezes if approved. In the main work, use resistance bands for rotator cuff and scapular strengthening, ankle weights or a weight vest for controlled arm and trunk work once cleared, and the pull-up bar only for approved hanging or assisted drills. Balance-board work targets trunk and shoulder stability when you are ready. Cool down with slow range-of-motion movement and gentle stretching, keeping your spine neutral throughout.

Tracking Progress Keep a simple log of each session: what you did, how the shoulder felt during and after, and any pain score your clinician uses. Note your home exercises and how consistently you complete them. Your clinician will recheck measures such as the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, the ASES score, range of motion with a goniometer, rotator cuff strength, scapular control, and your own functional goals. These give an objective picture of progress alongside how you feel day to day. Bring your log to visits so adjustments are based on real information.

How Progression Criteria and Outcome Measures Are Used You move to the next phase when you meet the criteria set for your current phase, such as low pain at rest or with movement, improving passive motion, and good shoulder-blade control. Your clinician confirms these during visits; do not push ahead on your own. Outcome measures track change over time and help decide whether to hold, adjust, or advance your program. If you are not meeting criteria, that is information, not failure; it usually means more time at the current level or a modified approach.

Recovery and Self-Care Between sessions, prioritize sleep, steady hydration, and balanced meals to support healing. Do your home exercises as prescribed, but avoid adding extra loading or overhead work on your own. Use ice or heat only as your clinician advises, and keep the shoulder supported in comfortable positions when resting. Pace activity across the day rather than doing too much at once. If a task causes pain that lingers, ease back and mention it at your next visit. Consistency matters more than intensity.

Pain Management Cautions, Rest, and Red Flags Follow your clinician's guidance on activity and any medication; do not change medication on your own based on this program. Expect some mild soreness after new exercises, but stop and report pain that keeps increasing, pain at rest that worsens, sudden swelling, redness, warmth, fever, numbness, tingling, or a new loss of strength or movement. These could signal a problem needing prompt review. Rest the shoulder if symptoms flare, and contact your clinician rather than pushing through.