Home Exercises With a Pulley for Lateral Shoulder Rotation

An overhead pulley device is a relatively inexpensive and effective tool often recommended by doctors or therapists to help you target your shoulder for stretching, range of motion and strengthening at home. Because these devices are generally small and portable and can be set up on almost any door, you can take the device with you to work or while travelling to continue with your exercise routine. The pulley is often used to target lateral rotation of the shoulder, and understanding how to perform these lateral rotation exercises will help you safely reach your fitness goals.

  1. Description of Lateral Rotation

    • Lateral rotation is the outward rotation of the humerus in the shoulder socket. To examine this movement, start with your arm at your side. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees, and keep your elbow stationary at your side throughout the movement. Rotate your upper arm to move your hand and forearm outward away from the body. Most adults can achieve about 60 to 70 degrees of lateral rotation at the shoulder.

    Self-Assisted

    • The main design of pulleys is to allow for self-assisted range of motion exercises. To perform self-assisted lateral rotation, stand to the left of the pulleys, with the pulleys positioned just in front of your right shoulder. Grasp the handle with your right arm and place your arm at your side with your elbow bent to 90 degrees. Grasp the other end of the pulley with your left hand. Holding your upper arm and elbow stead against your body, pull down and out with your left hand, allowing your right arm to laterally rotate until you cannot move farther or until you feel pain. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat at least 30 times and repeat for the opposite arm.

    Resisted Pulley Exercise

    • Challenge yourself further with resisted lateral rotation pulley exercises. Wrap a weighted cuff around one pulley handle and stand to the right of the pulley as described above. Grasp the unweighted end of the pulley with your left arm and bend your left elbow to 90 degrees and keep your left upper arm stable against your body. Rotate your left arm laterally, pulling your left hand and forearm outward away from your body. Gently return to the starting position and repeat for the other side.

    Considerations

    • Slow and deliberate movement should always be used with the pulley system. Take care to make sure that the amount of weight or resistance you place on your pulley system is supported safely by the structure. Refer to the owner's manual for more details. Consult with your doctor or therapist prior to starting any new exercise, especially if you have pain or limited range of motion to reduce your risk of injury. Refrain from any movement or exercise that causes pain.