Shoulder exercises

I had a stroke 7 years ago and I still cannot raise my right shoulder. I think it my upper trapezius muscle and deltoid. Anyone know a good exercises to get my working “normally” again?

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Welcome to our forum. I have the same problem. I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke 6 years ago resulting in left side paralysis. I have a subluxation and struggle to lift my shoulder. I’ve tried lots of different exercises and have also used an FES machine on my shoulder, unfortunately without success. If I’m watching tv I practise shrugging my shoulders while the adverts are on.

I’m sure one of our merry band of contributors will have some tips or suggestions. I’m looking forward to reading some new ideas.

Regards Sue

Welcome @Chris2 i’m not 100% sure if this will help as i used it as couldn’t raise my arm above my head which had made my shoulder a bit stiff.

I used something like this (see link)

It worked for me but i’d advise trying with caution initially as i’m not medically trained & would hate for you to do more damage.

Thank you much Chris

@Chris2

Hi Chris,

Just wanted to share, but appreciate this might be not what you need or direct answer. But I have an old exercise app on my phone and have spotted it has some ‘arm’ exercises. Perhaps search on each one (how to do) and see if any are useful?

Exercises

Overhead press
Bicep curls
Tricep extension
Bent over row
Front raises
Reverse bridge dips
Half push-up
High side plank

For those who want more, contact me directly and I’ll give you the app’s details. Not sure I should really put it here! :slight_smile:

Jonty.

Thank you Regards Chris

Chris,
I did several exercises for my stroke-side arm lying on a bed.
I also used a pole to link both hands … good arm can help the stroke-arm
I also found rubber rings 20lb - 30lb that exercise the hand, but also bulk up the shoulders - resistance bands are next
good luck !! Roland

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Hi @Chris2 and welcome to the forum :smile:

A few people on here have recommended this lady on youtube as they seem to be having positive results.
.
https://www.youtube.com/@PostStrokeOrg/featured

Have you considered stretch and resistance training at a gym, that’s where I go. For me, I’ve found a lot of it was to do with building muscle back up as I seemed to have lost an awful lot of muscle after my stroke, couldn’t even push a hoover around the room. I’ve built myself back up over the past year and can now carry heavy bags of compost and large heavy pots around again when gardening :grin:
The gym I go to, which is actually called The Gym Group, has a number of personal trainers for hire, some of whom specialise in rehabilitation as well as a sports physiotherapist. Might be worth looking into.

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I showed my occupational therapist the you tube videos of post stroke she was impressed with them

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I work as an OT for NHS , met around 1200 stroke suvivors, when I talk about shoulder there are two things - shoulder and shoulder blade, if both are not moving then shoulder does not work. Shoulder is the foundation of arm, hence, if shoulder is not strong then rest of the arm does not feel quite right. I would suggest the following exercises

  • Shoulder shrug
  • Bringing shoulder blades together
  • Rolling shoulder backwards (slowly)

In addition, there is no substitute for massage. I normally get results within 10-15 minutes. You should benefit too, please do not carry out exercises if you experience any pain or any other discomfort from these exercises. If you are under a therapist, please always seek advice.

Thanks Kusal Stroke OT

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@Kusal hi & welcome. Thank you for the shoulder exercises. Hopefully they will help many people on the forum.

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Hi @Kusal and welcome to the forum. We use those exercises in my strength & balance class, great for doing even while you stand at the cooker :smile:

Dear all, thanks for your kind messages. If I can be of help to any stroke survivor, please message me - I believe that my treatment approaches are very unique and I get results when others give up. I would like to share my exeperience with all of you.

Kind regards Kusal Stroke Occupational Therapist