Stick Standing Shoulder Abduction
What Is the Stick Standing Shoulder Abduction?
Stick Standing Shoulder Abduction is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, raising one arm out to the side while the other arm helps through a stick. It is a beginner-level, active-assisted range-of-motion drill: the working shoulder lifts as much of the arm as it comfortably can, and the assisting arm pushes the stick to supply the rest.
The drill is used to restore or keep the ability to lift the arm out to the side when the shoulder is stiff, sore or weak. Physical therapists commonly give it in home programs for a frozen shoulder, after a shoulder injury, and in the active-assisted stage after shoulder surgery once the surgeon allows it. For older adults and low-mobility clients it keeps the reach needed for everyday tasks such as dressing, washing and reaching to the side, and it needs nothing more than a broomstick or a length of PVC pipe.
The deltoid on the working side does most of the lifting, with the rotator cuff keeping the ball of the shoulder centered and the serratus anterior and trapezius rotating the shoulder blade upward as the arm rises. Because the assisting arm controls how much help it gives, one drill covers a wide range of ability, from an arm that barely lifts on its own to one that only needs a little help near the top. Doing it seated changes little for the shoulder but removes any balance demand, and turning the working palm up is a variation some clinicians use when the arm is taken higher than shoulder height.
The movement usually sits early in a shoulder program, after passive work such as the Shoulder Pendulum and before unassisted raises. It pairs naturally with the other stick drills for the same joint, such as Stick Standing Shoulder External Rotation and Stick Lying Shoulder Flexion. Once the arm reaches shoulder height smoothly with almost no help from the stick, the next step is raising the arm on its own and then adding light resistance with a Band Lateral Raise or a Dumbbell Lateral Raise.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Teres Minor
- Low
- Triceps Brachii (Long Head)
- Minimal
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms hanging in front of your thighs.
- Hold the stick with both hands in an overhand grip, palms facing your body, with your hands a little wider than your hips.
- Relax your shoulders down and away from your ears and brace your trunk gently so it stays upright.
- Keeping the working arm straight, use the other hand to push the stick across the front of your body toward the working side.
- Let the working arm travel straight out to the side, lifting with it as much as you comfortably can while the stick helps with the rest.
- Stop when the working arm reaches about shoulder height, or earlier if the shoulder becomes uncomfortable, with the assisting hand now in front of its own hip.
- Pause for 2 to 3 seconds without shrugging or leaning away from the raised arm.
- Slowly push the stick back to lower the working arm to the start.
- Complete your repetitions, then switch sides.
Common Mistakes
Shrugging the shoulder
Hiking the working shoulder toward the ear lifts the shoulder blade instead of the arm and often brings on pinching at the top of the shoulder.
Leaning away from the arm
Bending the trunk to the side makes the arm look higher without the shoulder actually moving further.
Forcing past a comfortable range
Shoving the arm higher with the stick into sharp pain irritates the shoulder rather than restoring motion.
Letting the arm drift forward
When the working arm swings in front of the body the drill turns into a front raise, so keep the arm moving straight out to the side.
Rushing the repetitions
Swinging the stick quickly uses momentum and skips the slow, controlled motion the drill is meant to build.
Skipping the assist
Lifting a painful or recovering arm entirely on its own defeats the purpose of an assisted drill, so let the other arm share the work.
Injuries
Stick Standing Shoulder Abduction is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only part of the arm's own weight, and the assisting arm can take over at any point, so problems mostly come from forcing the range rather than from the effort itself.
The area most likely to complain is the top of the shoulder, where the rotator cuff tendons pass under the bony roof of the joint. Pain there tends to show up partway through the lift, often somewhere between the side and just above shoulder height. Keep the shoulder blade down and away from the ear, move slowly, and stop at the height where the movement is still comfortable rather than pushing the arm higher with the stick. The version shown stops at shoulder height with the palm down; if a clinician wants the arm taken higher, turning the working palm up rotates the upper arm outward and usually gives the tendons more room.
If standing is unsteady or the shoulder is very irritable, do the drill seated or start with the Shoulder Pendulum, which moves the arm without lifting it. As the shoulder improves, use less help from the stick, then progress to unassisted raises and a light Band Lateral Raise. After shoulder surgery, follow the range and timing your surgeon or physical therapist sets, because the active-assisted stage is usually limited for the first weeks.
A gentle stretch at the end of the range is expected. Stop and get the shoulder checked if you feel sharp or catching pain, pain that is worse the next day, numbness or tingling down the arm, or a sudden loss of the range you had.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Other
- Modality
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How high should I lift my arm?
Lift only as high as the shoulder stays comfortable, up to about shoulder height as shown. Going higher is fine if your clinician has cleared it, usually with the working palm turned up.
- Q: Is it normal to feel a stretch or some discomfort?
A mild stretch or ache at the top of the range is normal for a stiff shoulder. Sharp, catching or lingering pain is not, so lower the arm and work in a smaller range.
- Q: Can I do this sitting down?
Yes. Sitting tall on a chair without armrests works the shoulder the same way and is a good choice for anyone who feels unsteady standing.
- Q: How many repetitions should I do?
Home programs commonly use about 10 slow repetitions per side with a 2 to 3 second pause at the top, repeated a few times a day. If a physical therapist has given you a different dose, follow theirs.
- Q: Can I do this after shoulder surgery?
Only once your surgeon or physical therapist has moved you into the active-assisted stage, and only within the range they set. Starting too early or going higher than allowed can stress a healing repair.
- Q: What can I use instead of a stick?
A broom handle, a wooden dowel or a length of PVC pipe all work. Choose one about a foot wider than your shoulders so both hands fit comfortably at the ends.