What Is the Purpose of Codman Pendulum Exercises?
Your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body. Although it is a ball and socket joint, the socket is very shallow, allowing the ball to rotate through almost a 360 degree range. Because it is so mobile, the shoulder is also vulnerable to injury. When injured, Codman pendulum exercises may be recommended by a health care professional as part of therapy to relax the muscles in your shoulder, relieve pain and increase range of motion.
Pendulum Exercises
Codman exercises can be done in one of two ways. You can do them lying on your stomach on a therapy table with your arm and shoulder over the side, or you can do them standing, bent forward at the waist, letting your arm hang straight toward the floor. In either case, the goal is to have your arm hanging loosely, with your shoulder blade relaxed. Once in position, you can begin to move your arm gently by swinging it. Start with movements forward and back, then side to side, and lastly in small circles. Initial movements should be about 15 degrees from vertical but as you loosen up, let the movement go out to 30 degrees.
- Codman exercises can be done in one of two ways.
- In either case, the goal is to have your arm hanging loosely, with your shoulder blade relaxed.
Relax the Muscles
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Whenever you have a shoulder injury, there will be associated muscle tightness, even on a slight degree, to help stabilize the joint while the injury heals. Because those muscles are being used almost constantly, they grow tight and sore. Codman exercises puts your shoulder in a position to allow gravity to relax the muscles by gently pulling those muscles while your arm swings.
Relieve Pain and Improve Circulations
While your arm is swinging, your body is circulating blood through the muscles and joint capsule of your shoulder. This increase in circulation helps to speed the removal of waste products and reduce soreness. This increased circulation brings the injured tissue the nutrients necessary to make strong repairs.
Increase Range of Motion
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A common instinct when you have a shoulder injury is to hold your shoulder still to avoid pain. However, holding it still may actually prolong your recovery process because adhesions can form while the healing is taking place that will have to be eliminated to return your shoulder to full function. Codman exercises maintain range of motion during your recovery.
Related Articles
References
- CyberPT.com; Codman's Pendulum Exercises
- Comel JC, Nery RM, Garcia EL, et al. A comparative study on the recruitment of shoulder stabilizing muscles and types of exercises. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018;14(2):219-225. doi:10.12965/jer.1835198.599
- Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Conditioning Program. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. October 2012.
- Le HV, Lee SJ, Nazarian A, Rodriguez EK. Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: review of pathophysiology and current clinical treatments. Shoulder Elbow. 2017;9(2):75–84. doi:10.1177/1758573216676786
- Chan HBY, Pua PY, How CH. Physical therapy in the management of frozen shoulder. Singapore Med J. 2017;58(12):685-689. doi:10.11622/smedj.2017107
- Posture and Back Health. Harvard Medical School. March 2014.
- Shoulder Pain: 3 Most Common Causes and How to Fix It. Cleveland Clinic. September 2019.
- Torn Rotator Cuff. Emory Healthcare.
- Scapular (Shoulder Blade) Disorders. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
- Physical Therapist (PT) Education Overview. American Physical Therapy Association.
- ChoosePT. American Physical Therapy Association.
- "Shoulder Surgery Exercise Guide" American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2007.
Writer Bio
Greg Cooper began writing in 2007 with his book "The Reasonable Radical." He completed undergraduate work at West Virginia University and received his Doctor of Chiropractic from Sherman College. Cooper taught spinal manipulation in orthopedic hospitals in China and was part of a sports medicine team for the 1992 Olympic trials.