Shoulder extension with a stick takes both arms backward, behind your body. You stand tall holding a stick behind you with both hands, lift it back and away from you with straight elbows, then lower it again. The muscles at the back of the shoulder do the lifting, and the front of the shoulders and chest get a stretch. It is often used to win back the backward reach you need to put on a coat or tuck in a shirt.

How to do the shoulder extension with a stick

Stand up straight with your feet hip width apart. Hold a stick behind your back with both hands, about shoulder width apart, resting it against the back of your thighs.
Keep your elbows straight and your chest facing forward.
Slowly lift the stick back and away from your body as far as is comfortable. The arms stop well short of shoulder height, as the video shows, so do not force it higher.
Pause briefly at the end, with your shoulders low and your trunk upright.
Lower the stick back to your thighs with control, and repeat.

What you should feel

A stretch across the front of both shoulders and the chest, with light work at the back of the shoulders and upper arms.

Common mistakes

Tipping forward at the hips so the stick only seems to go higher.
Bending the elbows to push the stick back.
Letting the shoulders roll forward or hitch up toward your ears.
Swinging the stick up instead of lifting it slowly.

How often

Many programs use 10 to 15 slow lifts, sometimes with a hold of a few seconds at the end, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

A sharp pain or pinch at the front of the shoulder as the stick goes back.
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

Holding one stick with both hands lets the easier arm help the stiffer one, so the two move back together. A broom handle or a length of dowel works well. With no stick, a towel held taut between your hands does the same job. Band shoulder extension trains the same backward movement against a band, one arm at a time.

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. Taking the arm back behind the body is often limited for the first weeks after a shoulder replacement, a rotator cuff repair or an operation for a shoulder that dislocates, so check with your surgeon or physio before you start.

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 extension with a stick