If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, you’ll know how much it can impact your life, whether that be through causing pain and discomfort, affecting day-to-day activities such as sport, or even restricting mobility and independence.
These injuries are common, and something that physical therapist Stephanie Ridgway, from Birmingham, Alabama, sees often—which is why she took to Instagram to share a simple exercise to ease shoulder pain and help build up strength and stability. As for the best part? All you need is a ball, and to know your ABCs.
The exercise, which Ridgway says, “looks simple but it’s actually a lot harder than it looks,” uses a ball held to a wall with a straight arm, writing the letters of the alphabet with your hand to improve rotator cuff strength.
@stephanieridgewaydpt/Instagram
Speaking to Newsweek¸ Ridgway explained that: “The exercise works on shoulder stability and rotator cuff strength by helping to activate and strengthen the small muscles around the shoulder joint to build stability in the shoulder.”
For those who want to try the exercise out, but don’t have the mobility to kneel on the ground, Ridgway says that it can done from a standing position and recommends doing the exercise almost daily.
“This exercise can be done five to six times per week,” she says. “Stand or kneel with your arm straight in front of you, pushing a small ball into the wall, and write the alphabet with your hand on the ball, and repeat the alphabet two to three times.”
Giving some insight into why the exercise works, the physical therapist added, “It helps to activate and strengthen the small muscles around the shoulder joint to build stability in the shoulder.
“There are a lot of other exercises that can be helpful for shoulder pain—standing weighted shoulder scaption (scapular plane elevation) and abduction, prone shoulder rows, banded horizontal abduction, and banded bilateral external rotation.”
What Do the Comments Say?
The tip proved hugely popular, with the post having been liked more 167,000 times since being posted. Viewers were keen to put the exercise to the test, with one commenting: “Oh my gosh, this is so smart. By writing the alphabet, I won’t be counting reps, and it will be over before I know it. You have some of the greatest ideas”
Another said: “Ooo. That’s a good idea. It’s a good one for ankle rehab too. Caps and lower case. Different shapes, different challenges!”
A third added: “I’ve had almost constant shoulder pain that I’ve been trying to get rid of for the last few years now. I’ll definitely give this a try.”
Others, who had already tried the exercise, shared their own experiences, as one said: “This is a great exercise. I was diagnosed with shoulder impingement a few years ago and my physical therapist had me doing this exercise with others and I no longer have shoulder pain.”
Another shared: “It felt silly at first, but the results are speaking for themselves. I’ve been doing this, physiotherapist recommended, since November. My right shoulder hasn’t felt this good in around five years.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.