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Pendulum swing
- Hold on to a table or the back of a chair with your unaffected arm. Then bend forward a little and let your affected arm hang straight down. This exercise does not use the arm muscles. Rather, use your legs and your hips to create movement that makes your arm swing freely.
- Use the movement from your hips and legs to guide the slightly swinging arm forward and backward like a pendulum (or elephant trunk). Then guide it in circles that start small (about the size of a dinner plate). Make the circles a bit larger each day, as your pain allows.
- Do this exercise for at least 1 minute. Do it at least 3 times a day.
As you have less pain, try bending over a little farther to do this exercise. This will increase the amount of movement at your shoulder.
Current as of: July 17, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
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