There isn’t one single best exercise for shoulder arthritis, but a combination of gentle range-of-motion movements, stretches, and light strengthening exercises gives the most relief. The pendulum exercise is often the first one recommended because it moves your shoulder joint passively, without requiring your muscles to do the work, making it ideal for stiff, painful shoulders. From there, adding targeted stretches and gradual strengthening builds a routine that reduces pain and helps you keep using your arm.
The goal of exercise for shoulder arthritis is twofold: stretch and strengthen the muscles around the joint so they absorb more of the load, and keep the joint itself moving so it doesn’t stiffen further. Regular movement helps circulate the fluid that lubricates your joint, which is why even a short daily routine can noticeably reduce that grinding, stuck feeling.
Pendulum Exercises: The Starting Point
The pendulum (sometimes called the Codman exercise) is a passive movement, meaning your shoulder muscles stay relaxed while gravity and momentum do the work. It decreases joint stiffness, increases circulation, and helps prevent the shoulder from locking up further. Most physical therapists recommend it as the very first exercise to try because it’s low-risk even on bad pain days.
To do it, stand next to a table and place the hand of your unaffected arm on the surface for support. Position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend forward at the hips about 75 to 90 degrees and let your affected arm hang straight down toward the floor. From there, gently swing your arm in small circles, forward and back, and side to side. Let the weight of your arm create the movement rather than actively lifting.
Start with 30 seconds at a time and gradually work up to 3 to 5 minutes per session. Aim for about five sessions spread throughout the day. You can also do a version lying face-down on your bed with your affected arm hanging off the edge, which lets your shoulder relax completely. This variation works well first thing in the morning when stiffness peaks.
Stretches That Restore Range of Motion
Arthritis in the shoulder progressively limits how far you can reach, rotate, and lift your arm. Targeted stretches work against that stiffening process. Two stretches cover the most important directions of movement.
Shoulder Elevation Stretch
This stretch targets your ability to raise your arm overhead. Lie on your back and use your unaffected arm to gently lift the affected arm upward toward the ceiling and then slowly overhead. Your muscles on the affected side should stay as relaxed as possible while the good arm does the lifting. Hold the stretch at the point where you feel gentle tension (not sharp pain) for 15 to 30 seconds, then lower. Repeat 2 to 4 times.
Towel Stretch for Internal Rotation
Internal rotation is the movement you use to reach behind your back, like tucking in a shirt or fastening a bra. It’s one of the first motions shoulder arthritis steals. Drape a towel over your affected shoulder so one end hangs down your back. Reach behind you with your affected hand and grab that end. With your unaffected hand, hold the front end of the towel and gently pull it downward or upward until you feel a stretch in the front and outside of your affected shoulder. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, relax, and repeat 2 to 4 times.
An outward rotation stretch is also valuable. Stand in a doorway with your elbow bent at 90 degrees and your forearm resting against the door frame. Slowly rotate your body away from the frame until you feel a stretch across the front of your shoulder. This helps maintain the rotation you need for everyday reaching and lifting.
Strengthening Without Stressing the Joint
Once you’ve gained some comfort with stretching and pendulum exercises, light strengthening protects the joint by making the surrounding muscles absorb more of the forces your shoulder handles daily. The key is starting with isometric exercises, where you contract your muscles without actually moving the joint. This lets you build strength with minimal stress on the arthritic surfaces.
For isometric external rotation, stand with your affected side next to a wall. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and press the back of your wrist into the wall as if you’re trying to rotate your arm outward. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. You’ll feel the muscles on the back of your shoulder engage without the joint itself moving. For internal rotation, face the other way and press your palm into the wall instead. These contractions build strength in the rotator cuff, the group of muscles most responsible for stabilizing your shoulder.
As you get stronger, you can progress to resistance band exercises. Start with the lightest band available. A lighter band also works better for any stretching movements because it provides enough give for your joint to move through its range. Attach the band to a door handle, hold the end with your affected arm, and practice slow external and internal rotation. Keep your elbow pinned to your side to isolate the rotator cuff rather than recruiting bigger muscles that can compensate.
Postural strengthening also matters more than most people expect. Rounded shoulders shift the mechanics of your joint and increase compression. Simple exercises like squeezing your shoulder blades together for 5 seconds at a time (10 to 15 repetitions) help pull your shoulders into better alignment, which reduces the grinding forces inside the joint.
Warming Up Before You Exercise
A stiff, cold shoulder responds poorly to exercise. Warming up the joint first makes a significant difference in how much you can move and how much discomfort you feel. A hot shower, warm bath, or a heating pad applied for 10 to 15 minutes before your routine helps relax the muscles and makes the joint more pliable.
General aerobic exercise, even something as simple as a brisk 20 to 30 minute walk, also helps keep joints supple. The increased circulation has a lubricating effect on arthritic joints throughout your body. If you can, do your shoulder exercises after your walk or shower rather than first thing out of bed when stiffness is at its worst.
Managing Pain During Exercise
Some discomfort during shoulder exercises is normal, especially in the first few weeks. A mild ache or a stretching sensation that fades within an hour or two after exercise is generally a sign you’re working at the right level. Pain that is sharp, sudden, or that lasts well into the next day signals you’ve pushed too far.
The simplest way to self-regulate is to stay within a range of motion that produces a stretch but not a wince. If a particular movement causes sharp pain, reduce the range. For pendulum exercises, make smaller circles. For stretches, don’t pull as far. For strengthening, drop to a lighter resistance band or shorter hold time. You can always increase the intensity gradually over weeks as your shoulder adapts.
It’s worth noting that the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons acknowledges there is limited high-quality research on exactly how often or how long you should do these exercises. What exists is largely expert consensus: daily gentle movement is better than sporadic intense sessions, and consistency over weeks and months produces the most meaningful improvements in pain and function.
Putting a Daily Routine Together
A practical daily routine for shoulder arthritis doesn’t need to take long. A reasonable starting program looks like this:
- Morning: Apply heat for 10 to 15 minutes, then do pendulum swings for 1 to 3 minutes in each direction.
- Midday: Repeat pendulum exercises, then add your elevation stretch and towel stretch (2 to 4 repetitions each, holding 15 to 30 seconds).
- Evening: Pendulum exercises again, followed by isometric strengthening holds (3 sets of 5 to 10 second holds for both internal and external rotation) and shoulder blade squeezes.
As your comfort improves over the first few weeks, you can add resistance band work to one or two of these sessions. The entire routine, once you’re familiar with it, takes about 10 to 15 minutes per session. The pendulum exercises on their own can be scattered throughout the day in shorter bursts, which is especially helpful on high-pain days when a full routine feels like too much.
Progress is usually slow with shoulder arthritis. Most people notice meaningful changes in stiffness and pain after 4 to 6 weeks of consistent daily exercise. The improvements tend to be cumulative: each week builds on the last, so skipping days sets you back more than pushing harder on the days you do exercise.