These exercises are the ones the Mr does for his upper body physical therapy. I am posting them because a few people have asked me to share our PT routines. These exercises have been tailored to his personal injury and therefore should not be construed as a plan for you to follow. I am not a health professional and this routine should not be construed as medical advice. Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your current routine.
Bent Arm Row with band- Tie a knot in the middle of the band (affiliate link) and close in the door. Grab the ends of the band, standing up straight with your core tight. Keep your shoulders relaxed, pull the band back focusing on bringing your shoulder blades together. Relax and repeat.
Straight Arm Row with band- Tie a knot in the band (affiliate link) in the middle and put into a door. Grab the ends, standing straight with core engaged. Keeping arms straight, pull band back bringing shoulder blades together using your back to do the movement. The arms are just along for the ride.
Banded External Rotation- Tie a knot in the band (affiliate link) and place in a door and close the door. Stand up straight, engaging core. Place a towel underneath your armpit in the arm that is away from the door. Rotate your arm away from your body using your back muscles and slowly return.
Swiss Ball Raises- Begin with your feet supported against a wall and a Swiss Ball (affiliate link) under the hips/stomach. Once you feel balanced, straighten arms, raise them out in front of you at an angle like you're making a big Y.
Pulling Prone Y with Pole- Lying face down, lift your arms up without using your upper trap and pull pole behind your head. Return to starting position and repeat. Focus on a neutral spine and activating your lower trap.
90/90 External Rotation- Start with your elbow bent at 90 deg and rotate your hand towards the ceiling, keeping your shoulder and elbow still stopping at a 90 degree bend.
Scapula Retract Wall Slide- Stand close to the wall holding a band with some resistance. Slide your arms a few inches up slowly and return to starting position slowly.
Lying External Rotation- Lay on your side with your elbow at your waist. Rotate your fist up keeping your elbow tight at your waist. Repeat.
Body Blade- Use various Body Blade (affiliate link) exercises to strengthen shoulder.
Scapula Push Ups- start in a plank position with your arms straight under your shoulders and your toes touching the ground. Move your hands in to bring them slightly closer than shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, which will lower your torso slightly. Do not, however, bend your arms. When you have brought your scapula together as much as possible, release the exercise and return to your starting position.
Close Arm Push Ups- Lie face down on the floor and place your hands closer than shoulder width. Lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor. Using your triceps and some of your chest muscles, press your upper body back up to the starting position. Repeat.
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I just bought a set of bands the other week. I was told by my P.T. years ago I needed one for my "floppy foot" to strengthen the foot and ankle. I never did it consistently, and here I am with a problem foot and a very weak ankle that swells all the time. So this is a good reminder for me to use the dang bands!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great exercises for the shoulders and arms. One I've done as well is the one where you hold a rolled towel stretched above your head and slowly lean from side to side to strengthen the oblique muscles (for me, it helped with my shoulders too). It's amazing how much that one would wear me out -- probably because I have a very weak core. =o)