Preventative Exercises For a Dislocated Shoulder

If you've dislocated your shoulder, your chances of re-injury can be fairly high. Like a badly sprained ankle, this injury can leave the surrounding tissue damaged so badly it fails to do its job. During your recovery period, you should do no exercises that haven't been approved or prescribed by your physical therapist. After you've recovered, though, a regular regimen of moderate exercise can greatly reduce your chances of re-injury. Keeping the muscles of the shoulder strong and flexible will protect you.

Strength

• Work to build up the muscles that support the rotator cuff. Keep in mind that too much pressure in the wrong direction can easily dislocate your shoulder again. Recommended exercises include lateral raises, shoulder shrugs, over the head press and front shoulder raises. Use either dumbbells or resistance bands. For all these exercise, use light weights with lots of repetitions---18 to 20 per set, three to four sets. You should feel fatigued but not exhausted by the end of the last set.
  Exercises and activities to avoid are any that push your shoulder up and/or back. This is the easiest direction for your shoulder to dislocate. Some example exercises include pushups, dips and pull-downs. Avoid wrestling sports, as many grappling moves stress the shoulder in exactly the wrong way.

Flexibility

• Damaged tissue loses flexibility. Flexible tissue remains elastic, meaning your shoulder can take more pressure before becoming dislocated. Use gentle stretching to increase flexibility of your rotator cuff. These can include swimming motions, forward and backward shrugs and touching your hands together behind the back. For flexibility drills, continue the stretch or motion for 45 to 60 seconds, doing three to four repetitions per exercise. You should stretch to the point of discomfort, but not to the point of pain.

  Avoid harsh stretches that put strain on the muscles of the shoulder. If you aren't flexible enough for the full range of motion in a stretch, scale it back to a point of comfort. For example, if you can't touch your hands behind your back, hold a belt or rope in both hands to reach.

Safety

• A dislocated shoulder is debilitating and easy to re-injure. Even if you are eager to return to exercise, listen to your doctor and physical therapist. It takes grit to play hurt, but it takes more grit to wait on the sidelines until your body is ready. Likewise, get qualified instruction to do any exercise you're not familiar with. Improper technique can easily lead to re-injuring your shoulder, or injuring something else.