How to strengthen and stabilize an injured shoulder

Be sure to use a small weight. Here I am with 5 pounds, but feel free to do no resistance or hold something light, such as a bottle of water. Listen to your body and avoid re injury

The top of the range of motion should be parallel with the floor. Going higher increases the risk of re injury. Strengthening is a process!

Rotate the weights outwards. As if you were holding a can of soda that you do not want to spill. You may feel less stabilized so keep the weight low.

Once again, it is important to limit the range of motion as the shoulder injury heals. The movement here should be slow and controlled, with your shoulders rotated slightly outward.

Roll a towel or shirt up to hold between your elbow and side. If the towel drops, it means you are using too many other muscle groups and not isolating the rotator cuff.

Wedge a resistance band into your door frame. If you are at the gym, using a cable with a low weight works for this. You want it about elbow height for this exercise.

Remember to tuck your elbow in and focus on the external rotation, keeping as much of your body still as possible.

Listen to your body here, the joint will slowly open up, but range of motion is important as you will feel destabilization at this point in the exercise. That's how you know you went too far!

Turn around and face the opposite direction. This focuses on internal rotation. Depending on your injury, it may be easier or more difficult than the other exercises.

Remember to keep your elbow tucked in, and finish when your fist touches your stomach. Release slowly to increase strength in your shoulder, using the resistance.

Wall push ups are a great way to incorporate useful movement into your rehab. Keep your back straight and your hands shoulder width apart, feet together.

Move slow and controlled. This exercise can be adapted by adjusting your hand position. If you stick to it, you'll be on the ground doing push ups in no time.!