Shoulder Strengthening
Builds shoulder and upper-body strength to offload the neck.
What it helps
Builds the shoulder and upper-body strength that supports the neck and powers reaching, lifting, and carrying.
How to do it
- Using light weights or a band, perform shoulder raises, presses, and external rotations.
- Move slowly with good posture.
- Progress load gradually.
Tips
- Keep your neck relaxed throughout.
- Stop if it strains the neck.
Commonly done as 2 sets of 10–12, 2–3 times a week.
Where this appears in recovery
Shoulder Strengthening is part of 24 recovery programs, most often at the advanced recovery (months 3–6), strength & function (weeks 6–12) and advance (months 3–6) stages, among others. Each program shows how it fits alongside the other movements:
- Cervical Laminoplasty exercise guide
- Revision ACDF exercise guide
- Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) exercise guide
- Posterior Spinal Fusion for Scoliosis exercise guide
- Anterior Scoliosis Correction exercise guide
- Cervical Hardware Removal exercise guide
- Cervical Laminectomy exercise guide
- Cervical Microdiscectomy (Posterior) exercise guide
- Thoracic Fusion exercise guide
- Cervical Disc Replacement exercise guide
- Shoulder Impingement exercise guide
- Shoulder Impingement exercise guide
- …and 12 more
All exercise guides · Condition guides · Recovery education
These are general exercise guides, not a personal prescription. The repetitions and frequency shown are what's commonly used — your own surgeon or therapist may advise something different, and their guidance comes first.