Shoulder bursitis is a condition that results in pain and inflammation in the shoulder joint. This condition is often caused by repetitive motions or injuries. There are many different shoulder bursitis exercises that can help to reduce inflammation and pain in the shoulder joint. These 13 exercises for shoulder bursitis can be performed at home with little to no equipment needed.

The type and intensity of the exercises depends on the underlying cause of the bursitis and the severity of inflammation. 

  

Why do Shoulder Bursitis Exercises?

To begin with, you will want to restore flexibility and range of motion, followed by strengthening exercises targeted at stabilising the rotator cuff muscles and muscles between the shoulder blades. Always use your symptoms and shoulder stability as a gauge for when you’re ready to progress with repetitions, resistance, and shoulder range. 

 

Stretching & Mobility exercises for Shoulder Bursitis

•     Stretching and mobility exercises help to stretch the shoulder muscles and help in reducing the tension. 
•     The exercises can be performed in standing or sitting position and performed twice or thrice a day. 
•     Hold the stretches until a comfortable position and do not push to a point of extreme pain or discomfort.

 

   1. Shoulder table slides

•     Sit next to a table and place the arm on the table (preferably place a towel underneath the arm to reduce friction).
•     Gently slide the arm forward while bending at the waist. 
•     Hold the position for 3-5 seconds and return to the initial position. 
•     Repeat 10 times.

  

  2. Active assisted shoulder flexion with cane

•       Stand comfortably in an upright posture and neck relaxed. Grab a dowel, wand, or a walking stick. Hold the stick in your hand at shoulder width down near your thighs.
•       Lift  up both hands towards the ceiling , as high as possible in a slow and controlled manner. Then, slowly return back to the starting position.
•       Repeat 10 times for 2-3 sets.

  3. Active assisted shoulder rotations with cane

•       Stand comfortably in an upright posture and neck relaxed. Grab a dowel, wand, or a walking stick. Hold the stick in your hand at shoulder width down near your thighs.
•       Keep your elbows close to your body and move the wand across your body toward the sore arm.
•       Hole for 10-15 seconds and repeat for 3 to 5 times.

 

 

4. Posterior capsule stretch or cross body stretch

•       Bring your arm across the body, placing your hand on the opposite shoulder. With the other hand , press over the elbow as if you are pushing the arm backwards. 
•       Hold this position for 10-15 seconds and then relax. 
•       Repeat this exercise 3-5 times.

 

5. Shoulder blade squeeze

•       Place your arms by your side. Pull your shoulder back as if the shoulder blades are touching each other. 
•       Hold the position for 10-15 seconds and then relax. 
•       Repeat this exercise 5-8 times. 

 

Strength Exercises for Shoulder Bursitis

Strength exercises help to improve the muscle strength around the shoulder joint. This can help to reduce the risk of further injury and provide support to the joint. These strength exercises for shoulder bursitis can be performed at home and require little to no equipment. It is important to perform these exercises with good technique to avoid further injury.

1. Isometric exercises for Shoulder Bursitis

Isometric exercises are a type of exercise that involves contracting your muscles without moving your joints. This type of exercise can help to improve joint stability and muscle strength. These Isometric exercises for the shoulder joint involve holding your arm in certain positions or resistance against an immovable object. These 6 exercises are the main isolated movements of the shoulder function.

Perform these exercises, using wall as the resistance. Apply light pressure.

Hold for 10 seconds and repeat for 5 times.

Flexion

Extension

Abduction

Adduction

External rotation

Internal rotation

 

2. Scapular wall push-ups

•       Stand facing the wall and place your hands on the wall at shoulder level.
•       Slowly bend your elbows and bring your face towards the wall. Keep your back and hips straight.
•       Push back to the initial position
•       Repeat 10 times

 

3. Scapular wall angles

•       Stand against the wall with feet 6-10 inches from the wall.
•       Position yourself so that the entire spine is aligned with the wall and the back of your head is touching the wall.
•       Bring your arms up, while keeping them flat against the wall, the shoulders should be abducted, and elbows bend to 90 degrees each.
•       Slide up and down the wall while keeping your neck relaxed.
•       Repeat 10 times , 3-5 times.

 

  

Activities to avoid with Shoulder Bursitis 

Activities to avoid depends on the severity of the bursitis, stage of recovery and your fitness level. Keep a watch on the symptoms and decide what activities increase and decreases  it. 

 

Some of the movements to avoid during shoulder bursitis include: 

•     Overhead throwing 
•     Triceps dip
•     Overhead reaching
•     Activities which involve heavy lifting
•     Avoid unnecessary shoulder impingement movements such as upright rows and arm exercise with thumb pointing downward
•     Any other painful movements

 

Other recommendations

•     Always start the exercises with a gentle warm up routine.
•     Stretching should be performed prior to strengthening to maximise the tolerance for range of motion.
•     Always focus on a good posture with daily activities and while exercising to reduce the impingement.

What is Shoulder Bursitis?

Let us first answer the question – What is a bursa? A bursa is a little sac of fluid that is usually present adjacent to fat pads. Shoulder bursitis is the inflammation of bursae in the shoulder joint.

The bursae usually exist in areas of potential stress. Their function is to help absorb force and protect the connective tissues present around the joint. The figure below shows the bursae surrounding the shoulder complex.

1. Subacromial-subdeltoid bursa (SASD)

2. Subscapular recess

3. Sub-coracoid bursa

4. Coracoclavicular bursa

5. Supra-acromial bursa

6. Medial extension of the SASD bursa

Due to repetitive compression between two bones, the bursa may get irritated and as a result, get inflamed. This inflammation of the bursa is termed bursitis.

The main shoulder bursa leading to bursitis is the SASD bursa. its primary function is to reduce friction allowing internal rotation of the humerus under the acromion during shoulder movements.

Shoulder Bursitis Causes

The causes of bursitis are as follows:

1.     Trauma – either due to a single blow or repetitive trauma

2.     Infection – acute or chronic

3.     Metabolic diseases (e.g., Gout)

4.     Inflammatory disorders (e.g., Rheumatoid arthritis)

5.     Unaccustomed activity (e.g., exercises, ill-fitting shoes)

6.     Due to excessive pressure (e.g., friction)

The name bursitis itself is often a misnomer, as not all forms of bursitis are due to a primary inflammatory process but are rather a swelling of the bursa due to a noxious stimulus.

What are the symptoms of shoulder bursitis?

The symptoms of shoulder bursitis depend on its cause and severity.

Patients with acute bursitis typically experience pain when the bursa is palpated (=tenderness). Due to discomfort, the range of motion of the affected joint may be reduced. Active motion involving the injured bursa also causes discomfort, however, the position of the bursa and the biomechanics of moving the surrounding bones, muscles, and tissues will determine these factors.

Many patients will experience pain while actively moving their arm, but any passive motion (when somebody else takes the weight of your arm and moves it for you) may alleviate it. This may be because the muscles surrounding the bursa are inactive and thus, don’t compress it causing little to no pain.

Chronic bursitis, on the other hand, has unresolved swelling; it is very rarely accompanied by pain and redness.

What is the treatment for shoulder bursitis?

Reduce Inflammation

Reduction of the underlying inflammation is the primary step while treating shoulder bursitis. NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are the first line of treatment. These drugs help in reducing the swelling and also help with the pain. Medications and rest are usually sufficient.

Hydrocortisone Injections

Should the symptoms prevail, hydrocortisone injections are the next choice of treatment. However, cortisone is a steroid hormone and should be discussed with the doctor thoroughly, especially when taking repeat injections.

Bursae are meant to undergo forces and compression. However, if you do end up with bursitis, it means the force acting upon the bursa is excessive and imbalanced. This is when exercises come into the picture. To prevent recurrent episodes of bursitis, strengthening the shoulder and scapular muscles is very important.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy and range of motion exercises play a role in supporting the area around the bursa. This is particularly important in subacromial bursitis, where immobilization may result in complications like atrophy (muscle wasting), retraction, and a frozen shoulder.

In the acute state, pain may be disabling and can be treated with pain-relieving modalities (Cryotherapy, TENS, Ultrasound, etc). Gentle mobility exercises carried out judiciously not only induce relaxation but also bring about improvement in muscle capillary filling.

The patient should avoid repeated frictional movements (e.g shoulder abduction in subdeltoid bursitis). Exercises should be progressed to active and then resisted gradually, depending on patients’ pain and symptoms.

Re-education is usually started in the supine (sleeping) position to ensure your shoulder is passively supported. As the patient can actively start supporting their shoulder, exercises are progressed to the challenging ‘against gravity’ plane.

In bursitis caused by systemic inflammatory conditions, it is important that the physician treats the underlying condition.

What is the surgical treatment for shoulder bursitis?

Only in patients that are unresponsive to conservative treatment, will the surgical treatment be chosen.

A bursectomy (removal of the bursa) may be performed arthroscopically (done using a small incision with a special, minimally invasive probe called an arthroscope).

An open approach may be chosen if the cause of bursitis is accompanied by the need to carry out a subacromial decompression (it is a surgery done to increase the size of the subacromial space by trimming the bones around it and thus, reducing any pressure on the tendons and bursa), rotator cuff repair, etc.

 

Siphox Health- the App for Measuring Shoulder Range of Motion and Tracking Pain

Recovering from an injury can be tough. You’re not sure what exercises to do, how often to do them, or whether you’re making progress.

It’s hard to stay motivated when progress is slow. Feeling like you’re not making any headway can be demotivating and lead to giving up on your recovery altogether.

This can lead to never regaining your full Range of Motion Potential.

 

Over 70% of people never complete their rehab

The Siphox Health App takes the guesswork out of recovering from an injury. With this app, you can accurately measure your shoulder range of motion in minutes from the comfort of your own home.

 

You’ll also be able to track your progress over time and see what exercises are working best for you. This way, you’ll stay motivated throughout your recovery journey, even when progress is slow.

 

Track pain across all shoulder movements. When your pain reduces, that indicates that you’re ready for the next stage of physiotherapy.