After a shoulderlabrum tear, you may benefit from physical therapy to help control your shoulder pain and improve your arm movement.Your physical therapist will guide you through your rehabilitation with exercises in the physical therapy clinic and will also prescribe exercises for you to do on your own at home.
Physical therapy for a shoulder labrum tear will likely focus on improving overall shoulder strength, and stability, and working to restore therange of motion (ROM)in your shoulder.
The labrum of the shoulder is cartilage tissue that helps to deepen the socket, and if it is torn you may experience a feeling like the joint is “loose” or that yourshoulder dislocateseasily. It may feel wobbly when you reach overhead or when you lift items.
Your physical therapy program after a shoulder labrum tear should be personalized and specific to your needs. Check with your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program to be sure that exercise is safe for you to do.
1Range of Motion ExercisesDNY59 / Getty ImagesA labrum injury typically causes a “loose” feeling in your shoulder or may feel like your shoulder will fall out of the joint.Therapy may include range of motion work because sometimes the shoulder motion is abnormal after a labrum tear.Exercise to restore thenormalway your shoulder moves may be necessary before progressing to any strengthening exercises. Exercises for shoulder ROM may include:Passive ROM exercises where your therapist moves your shoulder and arm for youShoulder pulley exercisesShoulder active range of motion exercisesBe sure to move your shoulder through its full ROM, and stop if you feel pain or shoulder instability as you perform the exercises. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of shoulder ROM exercises two to three times each day.
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Range of Motion ExercisesDNY59 / Getty ImagesA labrum injury typically causes a “loose” feeling in your shoulder or may feel like your shoulder will fall out of the joint.Therapy may include range of motion work because sometimes the shoulder motion is abnormal after a labrum tear.Exercise to restore thenormalway your shoulder moves may be necessary before progressing to any strengthening exercises. Exercises for shoulder ROM may include:Passive ROM exercises where your therapist moves your shoulder and arm for youShoulder pulley exercisesShoulder active range of motion exercisesBe sure to move your shoulder through its full ROM, and stop if you feel pain or shoulder instability as you perform the exercises. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of shoulder ROM exercises two to three times each day.
Range of Motion Exercises
DNY59 / Getty Images
A labrum injury typically causes a “loose” feeling in your shoulder or may feel like your shoulder will fall out of the joint.Therapy may include range of motion work because sometimes the shoulder motion is abnormal after a labrum tear.
Exercise to restore thenormalway your shoulder moves may be necessary before progressing to any strengthening exercises. Exercises for shoulder ROM may include:
Be sure to move your shoulder through its full ROM, and stop if you feel pain or shoulder instability as you perform the exercises. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions of shoulder ROM exercises two to three times each day.
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Rotator Cuff Strengthening
Jessica Peterson / Getty Images
The shoulder labrum helps maintain stability in your shoulder joint, and a tear may make your shoulder unstable. So how can you regain a stable shoulder joint? Rotator cuff strengthening can help improve the dynamic stability of your shoulder joint.
Exercises may include:
Each exercise can include 10 to 15 repetitions three or four times per week. Be sure to stop any rotator cuff exercise if you feel shoulder pain or if your shoulder feels like it may fall out of the joint.
Typically, exercises start with rotator cuff strengthening with your arm at your side; the shoulder joint is more stable in that position.
As you get stronger, your physical therapist may have you work on rotator cuff strengthening with your arm away from your body and up in the air. This is more challenging for your shoulder muscles, and it is a necessary progression to fully recover after a shoulder labrum tear.
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Scapular Stability
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Your scapula is a major component of your entire shoulder joint complex, and it should be included in your exercises after a shoulder labrum tear. Your physical therapist may prescribescapular stabilization exercisesto normalize your shoulder mobility and function.
Scapular stability exercises progress through exercises lying on your tummy to exercises performed in a side-lying position. The prone I, T, and Y and the prone row are standard scapular stability exercises; your PT can show you how to do them properly. You may also work on scapular strengthening and control using weight machines.
Scapular Shoulder Stabilization Exercises
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Shoulder Proprioception and Balance
Stanton J. Stephens / Getty Images
You need good balance in your shoulders to effectively use your arms. Awareness of where your shoulder is in space as you move around is important, and this awareness—proprioception—may be impaired after a shoulder labrum tear.Your PT may give you exercises to improve shoulder balance and proprioception.
The isometric dynamic shoulder exercise may be done with a resistance band. To do it:
In the clinic, aBAPS boardor wobble board may be used as an unstable surface to help improve your shoulder proprioception. Your PT may have you work in a push-up position or in quadruped—on all fours like crawling—to improve shoulder balance while using a wobble board.
5Return to Full FunctionHero Images / Getty ImagesOne of the most important components of your physical therapy program after a shoulder labrum tear is to help you return to your normal function and activity. Everyone’s activity level is different, so this part of your rehab should be personalized to your needs.If your work requires you to perform activities with your arms overhead, your PT may prescribe specific exercises that mimic your job responsibilities.Athletes working to return to their respective sports may need specific exercises to get back to normal participation.For example, if you are a tennis player, you may need to perform specific tennis swinging exercises, and golfers may need different exercises to get back on the course after a shoulder labrum tear.
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Return to Full FunctionHero Images / Getty ImagesOne of the most important components of your physical therapy program after a shoulder labrum tear is to help you return to your normal function and activity. Everyone’s activity level is different, so this part of your rehab should be personalized to your needs.If your work requires you to perform activities with your arms overhead, your PT may prescribe specific exercises that mimic your job responsibilities.Athletes working to return to their respective sports may need specific exercises to get back to normal participation.For example, if you are a tennis player, you may need to perform specific tennis swinging exercises, and golfers may need different exercises to get back on the course after a shoulder labrum tear.
Return to Full Function
Hero Images / Getty Images
One of the most important components of your physical therapy program after a shoulder labrum tear is to help you return to your normal function and activity. Everyone’s activity level is different, so this part of your rehab should be personalized to your needs.
If your work requires you to perform activities with your arms overhead, your PT may prescribe specific exercises that mimic your job responsibilities.
Athletes working to return to their respective sports may need specific exercises to get back to normal participation.
For example, if you are a tennis player, you may need to perform specific tennis swinging exercises, and golfers may need different exercises to get back on the course after a shoulder labrum tear.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.SLAP tears.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Chronic shoulder instability.UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle.Home exercises for the unstable shoulder.Duzgun I, Turhan E.Proprioception After Shoulder Injury, Surgery, and Rehabilitation.Proprioception in Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. June 2017:35-45. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66640-2_4.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.SLAP tears.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Chronic shoulder instability.UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle.Home exercises for the unstable shoulder.Duzgun I, Turhan E.Proprioception After Shoulder Injury, Surgery, and Rehabilitation.Proprioception in Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. June 2017:35-45. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66640-2_4.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.SLAP tears.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Chronic shoulder instability.UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle.Home exercises for the unstable shoulder.Duzgun I, Turhan E.Proprioception After Shoulder Injury, Surgery, and Rehabilitation.Proprioception in Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. June 2017:35-45. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66640-2_4.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.SLAP tears.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Chronic shoulder instability.
UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle.Home exercises for the unstable shoulder.
Duzgun I, Turhan E.Proprioception After Shoulder Injury, Surgery, and Rehabilitation.Proprioception in Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. June 2017:35-45. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66640-2_4.
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