Try a lesson before you begin

Help with movement, strength, and comfort at home

• Pulley: use your more comfortable arm to help the other arm practice controlled reaching.
• ShoulderWand: use both hands for guided movement, including from a supported lying position.
• ShoulderFit: practice resistance exercises for shoulder muscles used in reaching and lifting.
• PosturePT: practice shoulder and upper-back strengthening with a longer resistance band.
• Compression Wrap: hold the included hot or cold gel pack around your shoulder and adjust comfortable compression.

Your care plan determines exercise choices and timing.

Set up your home and support

Create a practical home setup and arrange the help you will use first.

A few changes at home can reduce the number of things you need to organize after surgery. This lesson is a planning exercise. You can complete it before your operation, with a family member, or after returning home with help.

Choose a useful resting space

Pick a place where you can sit, rest, and reach everyday items with your other arm. Follow your surgical team’s positioning instructions when arranging arm support. Put your phone, charger, water, tissues, glasses, and written instructions on a nearby surface. Keep cords and loose rugs away from the route to the bathroom.

1. Walk through your usual day and name the items you reach for most.
2. Move frequently used items to an easy-to-reach shelf or table.
3. Arrange lighting that you can switch on without stretching across the room.
4. Choose a home for paperwork, equipment instructions, and appointment notes.

Make help specific

People often want to help and need a clear task. Write down who can handle meals, shopping, transportation, pet care, laundry, and other carrying or lifting. Include a backup person for the first appointments. Ask someone to practice the home arrangement with you so you can notice awkward spots before you need it.

• Transportation: name the driver and record the appointment time.
• Meals: choose easy-to-open containers and portions that are easy to handle.
• Clothing: set out loose items that fit the dressing method you were taught.
• Household work: assign tasks that would require the recovering arm.

Give your equipment a home

Keep the wrap with its instructions and store the exercise tools together in their bag. You can identify the items now and use the movement tutorials when they fit your rehabilitation plan. Keep pathways clear of bands and pulley cords, particularly around children or pets.

1. Complete the home setup checklist.
2. Share the tasks with your helper.
3. Choose one change you can make today.

A useful setup puts essentials within reach and turns offers of help into specific tasks.

Choose the activities you want back

Turn a broad recovery goal into an everyday task you can track.

A useful goal describes something you want to do. It might be putting a cup on a shelf, washing your hair, carrying groceries, or returning to a favorite hobby. A clear task gives your exercise routine a purpose and makes your progress easier to notice.

Choose three tasks

Use your own words. A goal such as "place my empty mug on the middle shelf" gives you a specific movement to discuss and practice. Include the object, height, or time involved when that helps make the task clear.

1. Choose one daily task, such as dressing or preparing a meal.
2. Choose one work or household task, such as using a keyboard or reaching a cabinet.
3. Choose one activity you enjoy, such as gardening, swimming, or playing an instrument.
4. Circle the task that matters most this week.

Describe your starting point

For each task, make a short note about how it goes today. You might need another person, use both hands, choose a lower shelf, or stop after a few minutes. This note becomes your reference point.

Try the task only within your current ability and any instructions you already have. You do not need to test your maximum lift, longest reach, or strongest pull to establish a starting point.

• What part of the task feels difficult?
• What change makes it easier?
• How does the shoulder feel later that day?
• What would a small useful improvement look like?

Review the same task

Pick a regular time to look back at your notes. Use similar conditions so the comparison is meaningful. A lighter grocery bag or a different shelf height changes the task.

A practical record could read: "Used both hands on Monday; used one hand comfortably for the same empty cup on Friday." Progress may also mean fewer pauses, better control, or less help. Share persistent difficulties with your therapist so your routine can address them.

Complete the goals section of your tracker with three activities and one priority.

Surgical Recovery

Preparing for or recovering from rotator cuff repair surgery.

Start here

• Understand your recovery stages
• Set up your home and support

Make daily life easier

• Sleep, dressing, and everyday tasks
• Organize your sling, wrap, and essentials

Understand movement

• Passive, assisted, and active movement explained
• Prepare your pulley and wand

Practice with confidence

• Pulley movement, step by step
• Wand movement, step by step

Build strength

• Understand the transition to strengthening
• Use ShoulderFit and PosturePT

Return to your activities

• Prepare for work, lifting, and hobbies
• Continue your recovery beyond the course

Non-Surgical Recovery

Managing your shoulder without surgery and building a practical home routine.

Start here

• Understand your shoulder problem
• Choose the activities you want back

Make daily life easier

• Adjust activities that aggravate your shoulder
• Build a routine you can repeat

Understand movement

• Find a manageable movement starting point
• Use assisted movement when it helps

Practice with confidence

• Practice controlled shoulder movement
• Begin resistance work with ShoulderFit

Build strength

• Build shoulder and upper-back capacity
• Adjust resistance and record your response

Return to your activities

• Practice the tasks that matter to you
• Keep a sustainable shoulder routine

Equipment guides

• Meet your kit
• Set up your pulley
• Use your ShoulderWand
• Use ShoulderFit
• Use PosturePT
• Use your compression wrap