In shoulder abduction with a stick, your easier arm pushes a stick across your body so the stiff arm lifts out to the side and up. The stiff arm holds one end with the palm facing forward and lets itself be moved (assisted range of motion). It is often used when a shoulder is too stiff or sore to lift sideways on its own.

How to do the shoulder abduction with a stick

Stand upright with your feet hip width apart. Hold a stick across the front of your body, low, near your thighs.
With the stiff arm, hold one end of the stick with your palm facing forward. The other hand holds the stick toward the other end.
Use the easier arm to push the stick across your body, so the stiff arm lifts out to the side with the elbow straight.
Carry on as far as is comfortable. In the video the arm goes all the way up beside the head, but stop where you feel a stretch.
Lower the stick slowly along the same path until it is back at your thighs.

What you should feel

Movement and a mild stretch along the side and underneath of the shoulder on the lifting arm, mostly near the top of the movement.

Common mistakes

Leaning your body away from the stiff side to get the arm higher.
Hunching the shoulder toward your ear as the arm rises.
Letting the stiff arm take over the lifting. The other arm does the pushing.
Dropping the stick quickly on the way down.

How often

Programs often start with 10 to 15 slow lifts, 1 to 3 times a day. How far the arm goes matters more than the count. Your physio will adjust this for you.

Stop and check with your physio if

You get a sharp pain or a catch in the shoulder as the arm lifts.
Pain or pins and needles spread down the arm.
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.
The shoulder stays more painful for hours afterward.
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

Keep the palm of the stiff arm facing forward the whole way, as the voice guide asks, and move slowly enough that you could stop at any point. If standing makes you lean, try it sitting on a firm chair. Lying on your back also works: hold the stick low across your body and push the stiff arm out along the floor, palm facing up. A very stiff or sore shoulder often copes better with that.

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. How far you may lift the arm is often limited for a while. The same stick is used for shoulder flexion with a stick, which lifts the arm forward instead. Once the arm lifts sideways on its own without pain, shoulder abduction with a band is a common next step for strength.

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.

Shoulder abduction with a stick