Intermediate Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehab

Program Overview This is a 15-week, twice-weekly shoulder rehabilitation program for people recovering from a shoulder fracture, using a TRX, dip station, and rower. Sessions run about 30 minutes and progress through four gradual phases. It combines hands-on therapies like ultrasound and TENS with gentle range-of-motion work in water and progressive strengthening with bands and a pulley system.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program suits adults past the early healing stage of a shoulder fracture who have clearance from their treating clinician and want to build motion, strength, and function. The goal is to restore comfortable, near-normal shoulder movement and strength, return you to everyday and overhead tasks, and reduce pain—always progressing at a pace your shoulder tolerates.

Before You Start Please review this plan with your physical therapist or doctor before beginning, and get clearance that your fracture is stable enough for strengthening. Have someone show you how to set up and use the TRX, dip station, rower, bands, and pulley safely. If you have severe osteoporosis, this program's loading portions are not appropriate without close clinician supervision and possible modification.

Safety Notes and When to Stop Because you have severe osteoporosis, avoid heavy or jarring loads and maintain a neutral spine throughout—no rounding or arching under resistance. Stop and call your clinician if you have sharp or worsening pain, new swelling, a feeling of instability or "giving way," numbness or tingling, or any new deformity. Mild muscle soreness that settles with rest is generally acceptable; anything sharper deserves a check-in.

Weekly Structure You will train two days per week for 15 weeks, about 30 minutes each session, with rest days between. The plan moves through four phases: protection and pain control, early motion, intermediate strengthening, and advanced strengthening. Expect the early weeks to feel gentle and the later weeks to feel more like active strength training, always guided by your symptoms.

How the 15-Week Plan Is Organized Weeks are grouped into phases that build on each other. Early on you focus on calming pain, reducing swelling, and gentle supported movement. As motion returns, you add light rotator cuff and shoulder-blade work. Later phases add resistance through the TRX, bands, and rower, with the dip station reserved for controlled, later-stage loading once your clinician agrees.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern so your shoulder is prepared before loading and settles afterward. The mix shifts by phase, but the overall rhythm stays consistent, helping you build confidence and track how your shoulder responds from week to week.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Warm up with gentle pulley-assisted motion and easy rower work at a light pace. Main work uses resistance bands and the TRX for rotator cuff and shoulder-blade strengthening, with aquatic therapy for supported motion and the dip station only in later phases under supervision. Cool down with slow, pain-free stretching, TENS if recommended for pain, and therapeutic ultrasound as directed by your clinician.

Tracking Progress Keep a simple log of your pain before and after sessions, how far you can raise and rotate your arm, and which exercises you completed. Your clinician may also measure your shoulder with standardized scores and strength and motion tests. These records help you and your therapist see trends and decide when to advance.

How Progression and Outcome Measures Work You move to the next phase when you meet that phase's goals—such as reaching a target range of motion pain-free or showing steady strength—and your clinician confirms it. Outcome measures like the ASES and Constant-Murley scores, pain scales, range-of-motion measurements, strength testing, and the FAST score give an objective picture of progress alongside how you feel day to day.

Recovery and Self-Care Between sessions, prioritize sleep, gentle daily movement within comfort, and the home exercises your therapist assigns. Ice or heat may help based on your clinician's advice. Pace yourself—consistency over weeks matters more than pushing hard on any single day.

Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Do not push through sharp pain, and avoid overloading the shoulder or letting your spine round or arch under resistance. Rest when symptoms flare. Seek prompt care for sudden severe pain, new swelling, numbness, weakness, fever, or any change in the shape of your shoulder.