Intermediate Shoulder Rehab Post-Fracture

Program Overview — Intermediate Shoulder Rehabilitation After Fracture This 24-week program helps you rebuild strength, movement, and confidence in your shoulder after a fracture, including the rotator cuff, labrum, AC joint, and biceps tendon. It uses therapeutic exercise, gentle joint mobilization, scapular stabilization, rotator cuff strengthening, and proprioceptive training. The program runs three sessions per week at about 60 minutes each and is designed to progress in stages as your shoulder heals. The evidence supporting this approach is moderate. Your clinician will supervise and adjust the plan as needed.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program suits people recovering from a shoulder fracture who have moved past early healing and are ready for a structured intermediate plan. Your goal is to restore full, pain-free movement, rebuild shoulder and shoulder-blade strength, and return to daily activities and hobbies safely. It is not a substitute for individualized medical care—your therapist and doctor will confirm you are ready and guide you through each stage.

Before You Start Your clinician should confirm your fracture is healing, your wound is closed, and any wrist splint fits correctly. Have your equipment (wrist-splint, kettlebell, foam-roller, suspension-trainer) ready and set up a clear, safe space. Review your personal precautions with your therapist before the first session.

Safety Notes and When to Stop Do not exercise if you have acute inflammation, a wound that has reopened, or severe pain—these are reasons to pause and speak with your clinician. Keep loads gentle and never force a stretch. Stop immediately and contact your clinician if pain sharply increases, if you feel a sudden pop or new giving-way, if swelling or redness worsens, or if you develop numbness, tingling, or weakness.

Weekly Structure Plan for three sessions per week, roughly 60 minutes each, across 24 weeks. Space sessions with rest days between them. Your therapist may combine supervised and home sessions. Keep the same weekly rhythm so progress stays steady and you can spot changes early.

How the 24-Week Plan Is Organized The plan moves through four phases, each roughly around a quarter of the program, using the four phases in your progression criteria. Early weeks focus on protection, pain control, and gentle motion. Then come early movement, followed by progressive and then advanced strengthening. Each phase gates the next: you advance when your clinician confirms specific movement, strength, and healing milestones are met. Sessions use your wrist-splint, kettlebell, foam-roller, and suspension-trainer to support safe, graded loading.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a predictable pattern: warm-up, main strengthening and mobility work, then cool-down. Expect variety across the week, mixing range-of-motion, stretching, joint mobilization, scapular work, rotator cuff resistance, and balance/proprioception tasks. Your therapist adjusts difficulty within the phase based on how your shoulder responds.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Warm up with gentle arm swings, pendulum movements, and light foam-roller work on the upper back to prepare the shoulder. Main work includes joint mobilization, scapular stabilization, progressive rotator cuff resistance using the kettlebell and suspension-trainer, and proprioceptive drills. Finish with gentle stretching and cool-down. Wear the wrist-splint as directed, keep your spine neutral, and avoid overloading so pain does not rise during or after sessions.

Tracking Progress Track your symptoms, movement, and function after sessions using the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES), goniometric range of motion, manual muscle testing, Kerlan-Jobe score, and Patient-Specific Functional Scale. Note pain levels and any swelling. Bring these records to appointments so your therapist can compare trends and fine-tune your plan.

How Progression and Outcome Measures Work Your clinician uses the phase criteria—such as pain at rest, range of motion targets, strength grades, and fracture healing on imaging—to decide when you move to the next phase. Outcome measures show whether you are improving in pain, function, and strength over time. Do not self-advance phases; let your therapist confirm you meet the milestones safely before increasing difficulty.

Recovery and Self-Care Recovery happens between sessions. Prioritize sleep, balanced nutrition, and hydration, and avoid repetitive overhead or heavy lifting outside your program. Use the wrist-splint as advised and keep your posture relaxed with a neutral spine. Gentle movement on rest days can help, but respect soreness and give your shoulder time to adapt before the next session.

Pain Management and Red Flags Mild soreness that settles within a day is common; sharp, rising, or lasting pain is not. Avoid overloading and do not push through severe pain. Contact your clinician promptly for increasing pain, new swelling, wound changes, fever, numbness or tingling in the arm or hand, or a sudden loss of movement or strength. These signs mean you should pause the program and seek review.