Lying assisted shoulder flexion
Lying assisted shoulder flexion is an early way to get a stiff or sore shoulder lifting overhead again. You lie on your back, hold your hands together and use the easier arm to carry the other one up over your chest and back toward the bed above your head (assisted range of motion). No stick is needed. The bed supports your back and shoulder blades, which makes it hard to cheat the movement.
How to do the lying assisted shoulder flexion
- Lie on your back on a bed or mat, arms resting on your body. The video shows the legs straight; bending your knees with the feet flat makes it harder to arch your lower back. A thin pillow under your head is fine if you need one.
- Hold your hands together over your stomach. In the video she clasps them. Holding the wrist of the stiff arm with your other hand works too.
- Keeping the elbows as straight as is comfortable, let the easier arm lift both arms up over your chest.
- Carry on over your head toward the bed, stopping where you feel a stretch but no pain. The voice guide aims for the arms to reach right overhead, in line with your body.
- Bring the arms back up and down to your stomach at the same slow pace, and repeat.
What you should feel
A stretch in the stiff shoulder and down the side of the chest near the top of the movement. The helping arm should feel that it is doing the work.
Common mistakes
- Letting the stiff arm take over the lift.
- Arching the lower back or lifting the ribs as the arms go overhead.
- Letting both arms drop toward the bed once they pass upright.
- Hitching the shoulders toward your ears as you lift.
How often
Often 8 to 12 slow lifts per session, with up to 3 sessions spread through the day. Your physio will adjust this.
Stop and check with your physio if
- Sharp pain or a pinch in the shoulder as the arms go over your head.
- Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading down your arm or into your hand.
- Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
- A sudden pop or tearing feeling in the shoulder that brings sharp pain, new weakness or trouble lifting the arm. Stop and contact your surgical team the same day, or get medical advice the same day if you have not had surgery.
- The shoulder feels as if it has slipped out of place, looks a different shape or suddenly locks so you cannot move the arm, or your hand turns cold, pale or blue. Go to an emergency department straight away, without driving yourself, and do not try to put the shoulder back in yourself.
From the clinic
After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. Holding hands means the stiff arm still works a little, so this counts as assisted rather than passive movement. If you have had a repair, check that this stage has been cleared.
If the arms stop short of the bed above your head, rest them on a pillow there instead of pushing. Slow down once the arms pass upright, as their weight starts to pull them toward the bed. If you are pregnant and past the first three months, check with your physio before exercising flat on your back.
Lying shoulder flexion with a stick links the arms with a stick instead of your hands, which keeps them a little wider apart. When the helping arm is no longer needed, lying shoulder flexion lifts the arm on its own.
Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.
This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.
