Intermediate Shoulder Post-Fracture Rehabilitation

Program Overview

This intermediate shoulder rehabilitation program is designed for people recovering from a shoulder fracture who have already had their injury stabilized and assessed by a clinician. Over 23 weeks, with three sessions per week of about 60 minutes each, the goal is to gradually restore movement, strength, and everyday function in a safe, structured way. Timing of progression always depends on how your shoulder responds, not just the calendar.

Before You Start

This plan is meant to be followed with supervision from your physical therapist or doctor. Do not start if your fracture fixation is unstable or if you have severe pain, as these are reasons to pause and check with your clinician first. Always warm up before exercise and keep your spine in a neutral, comfortable position. Stop and contact your clinician if pain sharply increases, you feel new weakness or numbness, swelling worsens, or you cannot bear weight or move the arm as expected.

Weekly Structure

The plan runs 23 weeks with three sessions per week, each about an hour, using a back brace, ankle brace, and bosu ball as supportive tools. It moves through four broad phases: protection and pain control first, then early range of motion, then progressive range of motion, and finally strengthening. Each phase has goals your clinician checks before you move on, so progress is based on your shoulder's readiness.

What a Typical Session Looks Like

Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. The warm-up uses gentle movement and, where appropriate, hydrotherapy to help the arm move with less effort. The main work combines your prescribed exercises with the bosu ball for balance and control, while the braces support safe positioning. Cool-down includes slow, easy movement and stretches. Modalities such as low-level laser, ultrasound, TENS, and shockwave are applied by your clinician when appropriate.

Tracking Progress

Your clinician uses the phase progression criteria, such as pain levels, measured range of motion, and strength, to decide when you are ready for the next phase. Outcome measures including the ASES, Constant-Murley Score, Simple Shoulder Test, pain scale, goniometry, and hand-held dynamometry are repeated over time to track change objectively. These guide decisions rather than fixed timelines, so some people move faster or slower.

Recovery and Self-Care

Manage pain sensibly by pacing activity and resting when needed, and follow your clinician's guidance on any pain relief. Avoid pushing through sharp or worsening pain. Seek urgent care for sudden severe pain, new deformity, fever, or loss of feeling in the arm. Keep your follow-up appointments so healing and progress can be monitored.