Shoulder
How to fix shoulder impingement, with strength first
There is no single fix. For rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, which includes what used to be called impingement, a 2025 review ranked concentric strengthening first for function. The NHS says to stay active and gently move the shoulder, and not to stop using it.
This isn’t a workout to push through. It watches how your body responds and adjusts as it goes.
Before you start
Stop anything sharply painful. Get the shoulder checked if you cannot move the arm, the pain is sudden or very bad, the arm has changed shape or is badly swollen, or pins and needles or loss of feeling do not go away. Stop and speak to a clinician if a movement brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and seek urgent care for any loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness around the saddle area.
This is the version everyone gets. Yours is different.
Start your first sessionThe short answer
The 2025 review treats subacromial impingement as one name for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, and calls that the most common cause of shoulder pain. Concentric strengthening, ordinary muscle work through a range, ranked as the most effective programme for shoulder dysfunction. It also had the highest probability of ranking first for pain, though comparisons between the other exercise types for pain were largely not significant.
The NHS shoulder pain page says to stay active and gently move the shoulder, to try shoulder exercises, and not to stop using the shoulder completely. It also says not to make up strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment, and not to do things that seem to make it worse.
Why the old pinch story changes the exercise
Impingement used to mean a bone was pinching a tendon, so the exercises chased more space. The review groups that label with rotator cuff tendinopathy and subacromial pain syndrome. The practical shift is toward load the tendon can tolerate, not a drill that only moves the shoulder blade. Scapula-focused training ranked below strengthening for function in that comparison.
Where this sequence starts
Face-down strengthening comes first, because that is the kind of work the review ranked highest and it does not load the arm overhead. Upper back rotation and a small cat cow come after, so the ribcage under the shoulder blade can move. Skip anything that is sharply painful. The fuller exercise page is linked below.
The sequence
- 1
Prone T · 30 to 60 seconds
Face-down strengthening for the muscles between the shoulder blades, without loading the arm overhead.
- 2
Prone Y raise · 30 to 60 seconds
The next step from the T, arms a little higher, still small. Strengthening is the part the review ranked first for function.
- 3
Open book · 30 to 60 seconds each side
Mid-back rotation lying on your side, so the ribcage under the shoulder blade can move.
- 4
Cat cow · 45 to 60 seconds
Aim the movement between the shoulder blades. Keep it small if the arm is sore at rest.
- 5
Shoulder circles · 30 to 60 seconds each side
A slow circle through the range you actually have, to find where the shoulder objects.
- 6
Supported fish · 1 to 2 minutes
A supported rest that opens the chest, with the floor or a cushion carrying you.
Nothing here puts your body weight through the arm. If a move is sharply painful, skip it. The longer impingement exercise page and the frozen shoulder page are linked below, because a stiff painful shoulder is not always this pattern.
That sequence was written for everyone with this. Yours would be built around your answers.
Start your first sessionWhat the research says
Zhang et al., Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research (2025), reviewed randomised trials in rotator cuff-related shoulder pain and listed subacromial impingement among the synonyms. Concentric strengthening ranked as the most effective programme for shoulder dysfunction and had the highest probability of ranking first for pain, while other pain comparisons were largely not significant. Eccentric and traditional training were moderately effective for function and significantly better than motor control exercise and scapula-focused training.
The NHS shoulder pain page says to stay active and gently move the shoulder, to try shoulder exercises, and not to stop using the shoulder completely. It says not to make up strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment, and not to do things that seem to make the pain worse. It also says to get medical help if the pain does not start feeling better, if it is very difficult to move the arm, or if the pain is sudden or very bad, the arm has changed shape, or pins and needles or loss of feeling do not go away.
Sources
- 1Zhang et al., effects of seven types of exercise in the treatment of rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis (Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 2025)
Describes rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, including subacromial impingement as a synonym, as the most common cause of shoulder pain. Concentric strengthening ranked as the most effective programme for shoulder dysfunction and had the highest probability of ranking first for pain, while other pain comparisons were largely not significant. Eccentric and traditional training were moderately effective for function and significantly better than motor control exercise and scapula-focused training.
- 2NHS, shoulder pain
Says to stay active and gently move the shoulder, to try shoulder exercises, and not to stop using the shoulder completely. Also says not to make up strenuous exercises, not to use heavy gym equipment, and not to do things that seem to make it worse.
Common questions
How do you fix shoulder impingement?
For the pattern the 2025 review calls rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, concentric strengthening ranked first for function. Stay active, move the shoulder gently, and do not stop using it. Skip strenuous or sharply painful work.
Is shoulder impingement the same as rotator cuff pain?
In that review, subacromial impingement is listed as a synonym of rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, alongside rotator cuff tendinopathy and subacromial pain syndrome. The name on the scan does not, by itself, pick your exercise.
Should I rest the shoulder completely?
The NHS says not to stop using the shoulder completely, because that can stop it getting better. It also says not to do things that seem to make it worse, and not to invent strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment.
Are shoulder blade squeezes enough?
Not on that comparison. Scapula-focused training ranked below concentric, eccentric and traditional strengthening for function. Shoulder blade work can prepare the area. The strengthening is the part the review put first.
When should shoulder impingement be checked first?
Get help if you cannot move the arm, the pain is sudden or very bad, the arm or shoulder has changed shape or is badly swollen, or pins and needles or loss of feeling do not go away. Those are the NHS thresholds.
This is the version everyone gets. Yours is different.
Start your first sessionAlso called how to fix shoulder impingement, shoulder impingement exercises, exercises for shoulder impingement, subacromial impingement exercises, how to ease shoulder impingement, rotator cuff impingement exercises. Movements are drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. How the method works.