Free printable handout · PDF
Shoulder Exercises PDF: Free Printable Sheet for Shoulder Pain
Talk to your doctor first. General education, not medical advice.This content is general education, not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get approval from your physician or another qualified healthcare provider before starting any exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition, a recent injury or surgery, are pregnant, or take medication. Stop and seek medical advice if an exercise causes pain, dizziness, chest discomfort or shortness of breath. You choose to exercise at your own risk. Read the full medical disclaimer.
A two-page printable sheet of shoulder exercises for shoulder pain: 11 mobility, posture and rotator cuff exercises in 4 phases, from gentle movement to strengthening. Every exercise has a video on this page. Print it, save it to your phone, or share it. No signup needed.
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- Shoulder Exercise Class
- Shoulder & Arm Stretch
- Wide Shoulder Stretch
- Pendulum Exercise (Codman)
- Table Slide (Shoulder Flexion)
- Scapular Squeezes & Posture Correction
- Doorway Pectoral Stretch
- Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercises
- Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises
- Wall Pushups Strength Exercise
- Overhead Arm Raise Strength Exercise
- Resistance Band External Rotation
- Resistance Band Row
- Shoulder & Upper Back Flexibility
- Upper Body Strength for Seniors
- Sets, reps and holds explained
- Pain guide with room for your limit
- Clinician notes and a 6-week tracker
What you’ll need Paid links
Most of this handout needs only a chair, a wall and some floor space. Some exercises use these items. Household swaps are listed where they work.
- Resistance bands · A set with several levels; start with the lightest. Some clinics give patients a starter band.
- Door anchor for bands · Holds a band in a closed door. Many band sets include one. A sturdy post or rail can work.
- Light dumbbells · Start light and build up slowly. Water bottles or food cans work to start.
Which exercises use each item, and what to look for: equipment guide.
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Watch each exercise
Start with Phase 1. Move to the next phase when the current exercises feel comfortable. Tap any exercise for step-by-step instructions.
Phase 1 starts here: Shoulder Exercise Class. Video embedded from its original publisher.
Phase 1 — Gentle Mobility
- Shoulder Exercise ClassUsual start: 10–15 min a day; strengthening 3–4 days a weekVideo + steps →
- Shoulder & Arm StretchUsual start: Hold each 10–30 sec, 3–5 times each sideVideo + steps →
- Wide Shoulder StretchUsual start: 3–5 holds of 10–15 sec, 2–3 times a dayVideo + steps →
- Pendulum Exercise (Codman)Usual start: 1–2 min, 3–5 times a dayVideo + steps →
- Table Slide (Shoulder Flexion)Usual start: 2 × 10, 1–2 times a dayVideo + steps →
Phase 2 — Shoulder Blades & Posture
- Scapular Squeezes & Posture CorrectionUsual start: 3 × 12, holding each squeeze for 3–5 secVideo + steps →
- Doorway Pectoral StretchUsual start: 3 holds of 30 secVideo + steps →
- Thoracic Spine Mobility ExercisesUsual start: 3 × 8 of each, once a dayVideo + steps →
Phase 3 — Rotator Cuff Strength
- Rotator Cuff Strengthening ExercisesUsual start: 2–3 × 10–15, 3–4 days a weekVideo + steps →
- Wall Pushups Strength ExerciseUsual start: 3 × 10, 2–3 days a weekVideo + steps →
- Overhead Arm Raise Strength ExerciseUsual start: 3 × 10, 2–3 days a week; start with no weightVideo + steps →
- Resistance Band External RotationUsual start: 2–3 × 10–15Video + steps →
- Resistance Band RowUsual start: 2–3 × 10–15Video + steps →
Phase 4 — Keep It Going
- Shoulder & Upper Back FlexibilityUsual start: Follow along, most daysVideo + steps →
- Upper Body Strength for SeniorsUsual start: Follow along, 2–3 days a weekVideo + steps →
Day-by-day plan
6-week shoulder pain plan →
Gentle holds first, then band and light-weight rotator cuff exercises, with a pain rule and a free tracker.
How much and how often
If a physical therapist, chiropractor or doctor gave you this sheet, follow the amounts they wrote in the boxes. If a box is blank, the usual start under each exercise above is a typical starting amount for most people, not a prescription for you. Start at the low end and build up slowly.
- Rep: one movement. Set: a group of reps in a row, with 30 to 60 seconds of rest between sets. 2 × 10 means 2 sets of 10 reps; 3 × 30 sec means 3 holds of 30 seconds.
- Stretches: hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times, most days. A gentle pull, never sharp pain.
- Strength: 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 slow reps, 2 to 3 days a week with a rest day between. The last 2 or 3 reps should feel like work while you keep good form.
- Balance: a few minutes most days, next to a counter or sturdy chair.
- Follow-along videos: 2 to 3 times a week to start. Skip any part that hurts and do the rest.
How much discomfort is OK? Some discomfort is common. On a 0 to 10 scale, pain up to about 3 to 5 that settles by the next morning is often acceptable, or use the limit your clinician gives you. If pain goes above that, is worse the next morning, or builds from week to week, do less next time.
When to do more: after a full week at your current amount stays inside your pain limit, add a little, one thing at a time: a few more reps, then another set, then the next phase. If you miss a few days, restart a step lower.
Stop and contact your clinician if you have sharp or severe pain, pain that keeps getting worse, new numbness, tingling or weakness, new swelling, dizziness or a fall. For chest pain or trouble breathing, stop and call 911.
Page 2 of the PDF has this guide, a box for your pain limit, notes from your clinician and a 6-week tick tracker.
For clinicians
You’re welcome to print this sheet and hand it to patients at no cost. Page 1 has a tick box to choose which exercises to do and blank boxes for sets, reps or hold, times a day and days a week for each one. Page 2 explains sets, reps and how often in plain language, with space for the patient’s pain limit, your notes and a next check-in date. Prefer to send it digitally with your own doses? Build a program in the free clinician portal. See also resources for providers.
More free handouts
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Whether the NHS, private health insurance or the HSE usually pays, what self-pay costs, and what to ask first.
- Shoulder injections and hydrodilatation: NHS, insurance and cost
- Can you get a shoulder injection on the NHS?
- Private shoulder injection prices
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In the US? How Medicare and insurance cover pain procedures
In Canada or Australia? Coverage in Canada · Coverage in Australia
Having surgery? Frozen shoulder exercises by stage, including after hydrodilatation (all recovery guides).
Educational use only. Not a substitute for medical advice. Videos are embedded from their original publishers and remain the property of those publishers.