This exercise is used to help increase range of motion in the shoulder in the combined movement of shoulder flexion and external rotation. This is paricularly helpful for injuries such as frozen shoulder or post surgery where there may be a lot of capsule tightness or restriction.
Demonstration and Instructions
Start by looping a power band around a pole close to floor height. Lie on your back and loop the other end of the band around your wrist. Your body will be lying perpendicular to where the band is anchored. Move your body away from the band so that you can feel some gentle resistance against the band but not too much. Start with your elbow by your side, the inside of your wrist facing towards you and your elbow bent at 90 degrees. Allow the band to drag you slighly back towards the anchor point, then slowly assist your elbow up off the floor and bring your arm over head. As you move your hand higher, make sure that you keep the same amount of external rotation through your shoulder by not allowing the palm of your hand to roll in towards your body. Keep your elbow at 90 degrees as you slowly bring your shoulder up. Go only to the point where you start to feel tightness, or slight pain but do not push past this point. Keep the tension on the band and make sure your elbow doesn't come in towards your body by gently guiding it with your other hand. Once you reach the limit of your movement, slowly lower your shoulder back to starting position and repeat, keeping the same alignment of your hand and wrist.
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