Mobile shoulder: online exercises after injury

The program is for you if:

• your doctor said you can exercise after a shoulder injury, but the arm still doesn't go up fully and the movements feel unsure;
• the shoulder feels "stuck" after long hours at the computer, and you want the mobility back;
• you want to swim, do yoga, play tennis, do pull-ups or lift weights again;
• it is hard to reach a high shelf, close clothes behind your back or sleep on your side because the shoulder is stiff.

The program is not for the first days after an injury or right after surgery. Your doctor decides when you can start and how much load is OK.

Sessions are in Russian or English, at a time for your time zone.

We go to the next stage when the shoulder is ready, not because a date came. The sign is this: the exercises of the stage feel comfortable in the full range, the lower back and neck don’t help the movement, and the next day the shoulder is not more tired than usual. If not, we stay one more week in the same stage. This is normal.

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, and it depends on its neighbours. If the shoulder blade moves badly and the upper back is stiff, the arm doesn't go up fully, even if you stretch the shoulder a lot. So in the program there is also work on posture and back and upper back mobility.

A simple check: stand with your back against a wall, press the lower back to it and slowly lift straight arms up. If your hands don't touch the wall or the lower back comes away, often the limit is not only in the shoulder, but also in the upper back and shoulder blades. One more check: put one hand behind your head, the other behind your back from below, and try to bring the fingers together. If one side is clearly different, we know what to work on first.

Video sessions one to one: Google Meet, Teams, Telegram or WhatsApp. I watch how the shoulder and shoulder blade move and correct your technique right away. In shoulder exercises small mistakes are very important.

Between sessions you do a short home routine and send me videos if you are not sure about the technique. Usually I reply within 3 hours. You need a mat, a fitness band and light dumbbells or bottles of water.

A normal session in the strength stage: 8–10 minutes of warm-up (shoulder circles, wall angels, upper back turns), 25 minutes of main work (turning the arm out with a band, band row to the chest, light side raises, moving the weight on hands and knees) and stretching for the chest and the wide back muscles. The reps, the band and the arm positions change every week.

What we work for:

• the arm goes up freely, and the lower back doesn't arch;
• rotations are comfortable: you can close clothes behind your back and reach a high shelf;
• the shoulder is strong enough for daily life and sport;
• you have a clear routine to keep the result.

We follow the progress with the same tests: arms up at the wall, hands behind the back, shoulder rotations lying and standing. We repeat them every 2–3 weeks and compare with the healthy side.

I can't promise exact timelines. They depend on the injury, your doctor's advice and how regularly you train.

Before we start, you need your doctor's clearance for exercise. Talk to your doctor and take a break from training if you notice:

• sharp pain or pain at night in the shoulder;
• numbness or tingling in the arm;
• a feeling that the shoulder "slips out";
• the shoulder suddenly moves much less.

The price of the program is on the Prices page. Not sure if it fits you? Start with a first session. I check how your shoulder and upper back move, and we choose the format.

If there was no injury and the shoulder is only stiff from desk work, single stretching and mobility sessions (€50 for 50 minutes) with a home routine between them can be enough.