Intermediate Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation Program

Program Overview This is a 13-week intermediate rehabilitation guide for your shoulder after a fracture. It is designed to help you regain movement, strength, and confidence safely, using a mix of hands-on therapy and supervised exercise. Think of it as a gradual climb: each phase builds on the last, and your clinician will adjust the pace to match how your shoulder is healing. The program targets the rotator cuff, labrum, AC joint, and biceps tendon while protecting the healing bone.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for someone whose fracture is past the early healing stage and who has been cleared by a clinician for intermediate rehabilitation. The goal is to restore full, pain-free shoulder motion, rebuild strength in the rotator cuff and scapular muscles, and return you to everyday activities with confidence. It is not for a brand-new fracture or a shoulder that is currently swollen, hot, or acutely inflamed.

Before You Start Please read this short safety section before your first session.

Safety Notes and When to Stop This program is not appropriate during acute inflammation, such as a shoulder that is hot, very swollen, or intensely painful at rest. Always warm up before exercise, and stop any activity if pain increases rather than settles. Stop and contact your clinician if you notice sharp or worsening pain, new swelling, numbness, or a sudden loss of movement. These are signs to get checked rather than to push through. Clinician supervision is strongly advised throughout this program.

Weekly Structure Here is how the 13 weeks are laid out.

How the Plan Is Organized You will do about three sessions per week, each roughly 20 minutes, for the full 13 weeks. The equipment includes a balance board, barbell, suspension trainer, foam roller, and stationary bike. In plain terms, the plan moves through phases: early protection and gentle motion, then assisted movement, then active motion with light strengthening, and finally progressive strengthening. Your clinician decides when you are ready to move from one phase to the next.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Start with a gentle warm-up, such as easy stationary bike pedaling or light arm movements, to prepare the shoulder. The main work includes range-of-motion and stretching exercises, progressive strengthening with the barbell or suspension trainer, and balance-board work for control. Hands-on joint mobilization, laser, and taping may be part of supervised visits. Finish with a cool-down using the foam roller on surrounding muscles and gentle stretching. Your clinician guides the specific exercises.

Tracking Progress Tracking helps you and your clinician see how far you have come.

Using Progression Criteria and Outcome Measures Your clinician checks specific milestones, such as pain levels, movement ranges, and strength grades, to decide when you move to the next phase. You do not advance on time alone; you advance when your shoulder meets these goals. Outcome measures like the Constant-Murley Score, DASH questionnaire, Simple Shoulder Test, and range-of-motion and strength testing are used to track your progress and adjust the plan.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest and self-care are part of the program, not a break from it.

Pain Management, Rest, and Red Flags Keep activity within a comfortable range, and expect some mild soreness that settles with rest. Do not push through sharp or increasing pain, and avoid overloading the shoulder between sessions. Get adequate rest, and follow any sling or activity guidance from your clinician. Contact your clinician for worsening pain, new swelling, numbness, weakness, or any sudden change in your shoulder. Do not start or change medications without medical advice.