Pendulum Exercise for Use with Shoulder Repair Surgeries

Doing the pendulum exercise

• Follow any special instructions you were given. If you feel pain, stop the exercise. If you keep feeling the pain after stopping, call your healthcare provider or physical therapist.

• Start this exercise with your affected arm as soon as you are told to do so:

  • Lean over with your good arm supported on a table or chair.

  • Relax the arm on the painful side, letting it hang straight down.

  • Slowly start to swing the relaxed arm by moving your body. Move it in a circle, then reverse the direction. Next, move the arm backward and forward. Lastly, move it side to side.

  • Let gravity gently sway your arm. Do not actively lift or move it with your shoulder muscles.

  • Do the exercise  3 times a day, for 5 to 10 minutes each time, or as your healthcare provider told you to do. Change the direction of your movement after 1 minute of motion.