Pilates For Shoulder Pain, Injuries and Frozen Shoulder!

Do you experience shoulder pain? Do you have a shoulder injury or a ‘frozen shoulder?’ Shoulder pain or stiffness is a common problem that many people experience and something we see a lot at Complete Pilates.

Quick Summary

• Regular Pilates practice not only aids in reducing or eliminating shoulder pain but can also help prevent shoulder injury and help maintain a healthy and mobile shoulder for the future.
• Shoulder discomfort can arise from conditions such as rotator cuff tendinopathy and arthritis. Because the shoulder has so much freedom of movement, it requires strength and stability to help support the joint through movement, especially repetitive movements such as swimming or tennis.
• Pilates exercises can help improve shoulder stability and strength, help enhance muscle coordination and biomechanics and help optimise associated trunk posture. All of these together help improve shoulder function and reduce common symptoms.
  There may be some exercises that exacerbate your shoulder pain, particularly those involving movements out to the side and above your head. Modifying movements or avoiding aggravating positions are often important in the early stages of your rehabilitation.

Does Pilates help shoulder pain?

While it might feel counterintuitive to move a painful shoulder, Pilates for shoulder pain or stiffness can help reduce painful symptoms and promote normal function.

Physio-led Pilates can help build strength, improve the mechanics of your shoulder joint, improve postural imbalances that may affect your shoulder function and increase the mobility of your shoulder joint. Our expert clinical instructors will help guide you through a tailored rehabilitation program that will help alleviate your symptoms and improve your shoulder function.

If you can’t get to one of our studios but you’d like to learn how to manage your shoulder pain at home, we’ve launched an On Demand Pilates programme for shoulder pain led by a shoulder specialist physiotherapist and clinical Pilates Instructor. The programme is a 6 week course that includes:

• 8 week access
• 6 long Pilates classes (approx. 1 hour)
• 6 short Pilates classes (approx. 15 mins)
• 3 masterclasses
• Free 15 minute phone call to discuss your condition, any worries or concerns.

For more information or to sign up to our On Demand Pilates for shoulder pain, click here.

In this article, we go into greater detail around the causes of shoulder pain, the benefits of Pilates for shoulder pain and exercises you can and can’t do.

What are the causes of shoulder pain?

The shoulder complex connects the upper arm to the thorax. The entire complex is made up of the collar bone, breast bone, shoulder blade and upper arm and is actually a combination of four joints. Where the upper arm connects to the thorax is known as a ball and socket joint, and because the joint is very shallow, it allows for a large degree of movement. But with all this freedom of movement, comes a susceptibility for injury.

Related reading: Pilates arm exercises you can do at home

There can be a lot of causes for shoulder pain and dysfunction. Typically, shoulder pain can occur when the tendons or other tissues surrounding the shoulder become inflamed. This can affect your daily life and sleep when left untreated. These structures can become inflamed when the shoulder struggles to keep up with the demand that you are placing on it, such as manual labour, sports such as swimming, tennis and golf and repetitive movements at work. Other factors can include bone degeneration, such as osteoarthritis or referred pain from nearby structures such as the neck.

Causes of shoulder pain include:

• rotator cuff tendinopathy.
• arthritis
• torn cartilage
• torn rotator cuff
• swollen bursa or tendons
• bone spurs (bony projections that develop along the edges of bones)
• pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder
• broken shoulder or arm bone
• frozen shoulder
• dislocated shoulder
• injury due to overuse or repetitive use
• spinal cord injury
• heart attack
• referred pain – the result of injury to another location in your body

In many cases, you can treat shoulder pain with treatment such as physiotherapy and, such as Pilates. Medication or surgery may also be necessary.

The benefits of Pilates for Shoulder Pain and Shoulder Injuries

Pilates is very effective for shoulder pain because it focuses on controlled movements and strengthening the muscles around the shoulder.

Our shoulders are complex and need a balance of strength and flexibility to work properly. Many Pilates exercises target the deep stabilising muscles of the shoulder girdle, such as the rotator cuff muscles. Strengthening these muscles helps support the shoulder joint and reduce the risk of injury.

Pilates emphasises scapular stability and movement patterns, which are essential for proper shoulder function. By improving the control and coordination of the scapulae, Pilates helps alleviate strain and tension in the shoulder region.

Poor posture, like slouching or having rounded shoulders, can lead to shoulder pain. Pilates teaches you how to align your spine and shoulders correctly, which takes the pressure off your shoulders and helps them move more efficiently.

Pilates also includes stretching exercises that can relieve tightness and balance out muscle strength. This not only helps to reduce current pain but also prevents future problems by keeping your shoulder mechanics healthy.

There are many benefits of Pilates for shoulder pain including:

• Reduced or eliminated shoulder pain
• Long term management of pain through exercise
• Increased rotator cuff strength
• Increased shoulder movement and function
• Reduced risk of injury
• Quicker recovery post shoulder injury
• Return to sport

What do our experts say?

‘’Pilates is effective for shoulder pain because it strengthens and stabilises the muscles around the shoulder, improves posture, and increases flexibility. It’s a gentle, low-impact workout that’s perfect for both preventing and managing shoulder pain.’’

Chelsea Sherry – Tau

Pilates exercises for shoulder pain

Below are four simple Pilates exercises you can do at home to help you manage your shoulder pain.

1. Quadruped with banded L

Quadruped is just one of many shoulder exercises which you can do at home to help manage your shoulder pain. It not only works all the muscles around your shoulder but challenges your stability and improves posture. This movement does require a resistance band around the wrists and a mat, or something soft, to lean on.

• Start by coming onto all fours.
• With your index finger pointing straight up your mat and hands underneath your shoulders, keep your weight backwards into your legs a little bit.
• Have your hands wide enough apart that there is a little bit of tension on the band before you start.
• Press into the ground to lift out of your shoulder and let one hand hover off the floor.
• Reach the hand forwards, back underneath you then out to the side.
• Keep repeating this movement, making sure you are always pressing into the ground with your static arm to stay lifted out of your shoulder. You can change the order of this to keep you challenged.
• Repeat forwards and outwards 8-12x before switching to the other side.

Try to maintain your neutral spine throughout the movement and keep the scruff of your neck lifted towards the ceiling. Do modify this exercise by doing it on light fists to take some of the pressure off your wrists. If you have an acute shoulder problem or you’ve recently had surgery we would advise against doing this move, unless you have checked with your physio who is treating you.

2. Quadruped with banded circles

This is another version of quadruped which aims to work the stability muscles around your shoulders. It’s a great warm up if you do lots of heavy lifting or sports and again is also ideal for improving your posture.

• On all fours with the light resistance band around your wrists, find your neutral spine.
• Stand into one hand and push the ground away so that you allow your opposite hand to hover off the floor.
• Start to make small side plate size circles in one direction, keeping the static arm straight and pressing into the floor.
• Repeat 8-12x in one direction, before changing to the opposite side.

Like with most of our exercises this one can be modified. If your wrists struggle with this, take some of the pressure off by forming a soft fist.

3. Kneeling shoulder shrug

Kneeling shoulder shrug is the perfect exercise if you feel you have a tight neck or your upper trapezius muscle is tight. This I often actually due to weakness and difficulty managing the position of the shoulder and shoulder blade. It’s also a great way to improve posture and upper body strength.

• Start by kneeling and pressing your feet into the floor to send your pubic bone forwards and create some stability around your pelvis.
• Hold onto a light weight, face your palm forwards and take your arms out to around 45 degrees.
• Shrug your shoulders up, pause, then slowly lower your shoulders back down again.
• Repeat this 8-12x

If you struggle with migraines or tension related headaches, this might not be suitable. Do check in with us first if you need to.

 4. Knee hovers to side plank

Knee hovers to side plank is an amazing shoulder exercise to do to work all the muscles around the shoulders and improve shoulder strength.

• Start on all fours, with your toes tucked underneath.
• As you exhale, press into your arms and hover your knees off the floor.
• Take your left hand into the middle, trying to keep your knees low to the ground.
• Press into your left arm and start to rotate the body, and legs, to the left. You will end up with your legs apart, facing the left side of the room and your right arm up towards the ceiling.
• Rotate back to all fours, bring your right arm into the centre and rotate to the right
• Keep repeating 8-12x on each side.

If you have an acute wrist or shoulder problem, it might be worth modifying the move by simply threading the needle.

Pilates exercises that should be avoided for shoulder pain

There are several exercises you may need to avoid if you have shoulder pain. Generally exercises which require shoulder abduction (movement out to the side), high ranges of shoulder flexion (lifting forwards) and overhead movements can potentially aggravate pain. Arm exercises which require a lot of weight bearing, even in the neutral position can also aggravate pain.

Example exercises to be cautious with include:

• Breastroke arms overhead
• swimming arms overhead
• Plank and push ups

However, at the right time and with the right loading these will also be needed to progress your rehabilitation and give you full function.

It is always worth consulting with an exercise specialist, like a specialist physiotherapist or Clinical Pilates Instructor for individual advice so that you are doing the right things at the right time for you and your shoulder.

Why you should take up Pilates if you have shoulder pain or Pilates for Shoulder Pain On Demand Classes

If you have shoulder pain then Pilates could be the answer to improving and managing it. Especially if you are struggling to get back to your normal day to day activities or exercise programme or your physiotherapy is just not getting you back to full function.

Here at Complete Pilates we run a 6 week Pilates for shoulder pain course which is led by Annabel Hawker; a physiotherapist, clinical Pilates instructor and shoulder expert.

The course includes;

• 6 long classes (approx. 1 hour)
• 6 short classes (approx. 15 mins)
• 3 masterclasses
• Access to a number of articles based around shoulder anatomy and the body as a whole.
• Links to informative vlogs and podcasts based on shoulder pain
• A free 15 minute phone call to discuss how this course could help and if it’s right for you.

Annabel will always advise you on modifications you can make to ensure the course is right for you so that you can build back your strength, stability or mobility. This course is also suitable to work alongside your regular physiotherapy or exercise programme.

Frequently asked questions:

Can I do Pilates with a shoulder injury?

Yes, you can Pilates with a shoulder injury. Exercise is a common form of treatment for shoulder pain and injury. Exercise, such as Pilates rehabilitation can help improve immediate symptoms of the shoulder such as pain and stiffness and help deal with the underlying cause of the injury such as reduced strength, stability or mobility. Because equipment Pilates is so adaptable, exercises can be tailored and modified to suit your current function, and progressed as your symptoms improve. 

Can Pilates help with Frozen Shoulder?

Pilates can help with Frozen shoulder. Exercise is one of the main treatment recommendations for frozen shoulder. It is important to keep the shoulder as mobile as possible and work within your pain limits. Equipment Pilates provides a diverse form of exercise that can allow you to move your shoulder through a variety of ranges in a supportive way. It is also important to continue to strengthen and mobilise the joints around the shoulder including the neck, upper back and trunk, which can be done very effectively in Pilates without irritating the shoulder. 

Is it normal to experience shoulder pain after a Pilates reformer class?

If you have an underlying shoulder issue, you may experience pain in your shoulder after a Pilates reformer class. It is important to get an understanding of why the pain has occurred. In our 1-to-1 classes, we are uniquely positioned to be able to assess your response to our classes and modify your sessions accordingly. If your shoulder pain after class continues, we can refer you to one of our physiotherapy shoulder specialists on site, for expert review.  

You can find us at one of our Pilates studios in London and speak to us about pain in your shoulders and how Pilates can help. You can find us at our Pilates studio in Angel or any of our studios (see our Chelsea Pilates studio or our studio near Aldgate) for more information, please get in touch online or contact us on 0203 764 5668.