Shoulders and upper back

Shoulder CARs

Helps maintain healthy shoulder movement while improving control and coordination.

How to do it

1. 1

   Sit or stand tall with your ribs settled

   Lengthen up through the spine and let the shoulders relax down. Rest your other hand on the opposite shoulder or your ribs to feel that you stay still.

2. 2

   Take one arm forward and up, slowly

   Move slowly and stay in charge of the whole path. Stop where control ends, not where the joint stops.

3. 3

   Turn the palm outwards and carry the arm around behind

   At the top, rotate so the palm faces out, then take the arm out to the side and around behind you as you lower it.

4. 4

   Complete the circle back to your side, then reverse it

   Come back to the start and draw the same circle in the other direction. Smaller circles, less range and a slower speed are always a good option.

5. 5

   Do 4 to 8 slow circles on each side

   Change arms and repeat. Rest between circles if you need to.

What to watch for

The rest of you helping out, with the body twisting or the ribs flaring so the arm can get round. The circle should be no bigger than you can make while everything else stays still, and shrink or slow it wherever the shoulder catches or pinches.

Ways to adjust it

• Small circles
• Reduced range

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.