Shoulder T raise exercise · Shoulder pain · St. Louis · Regen.MD physiotherapy

Shoulder T raise exercise:
open the chest, unload the neck

The shoulder T raise is move three of the I, Y, T, A blade sequence. Tall, thumbs toward the ceiling, pinch the blades toward each other and sweep both straight arms out sideways, stopping level with your shoulders in a T. Three seconds out, a slow return, ten raises.

Only the exercises your physician has ticked on your home plan are yours to do. Twice daily is the rhythm unless the written plan says something different.

Step by step: shoulder T raise exercise

1. Starting position. Tall seat or stance, thumbs toward the ceiling.
2. The motion. Pinch the blades toward each other. Sweep both straight arms out sideways and stop level with the shoulders in a T. Bring them down slowly.
3. How much. Three seconds out, ten raises.

What the T raise does for tissue repair

It builds the middle of the upper back, which draws the shoulders back and takes load off the neck and off the shoulder’s front.

Fresh from an injection? Read this first

After a PRP or other orthobiologic injection in your shoulder, the treated tissue needs a protected stretch of days before it is asked to work. Your physician tells you when this exercise comes back. When it does, start with fewer repetitions and build to the full dose over the following visits. Loading in steps like this is how the repair signal from the injection turns into stronger tissue.

More on that: why load is the treatment an injection cannot supply.

Form errors we correct most often

• Sweeping above shoulder level.
• Softening the elbows.
• Tipping the trunk backward.

Signs that mean stop and phone us

Feeling the muscle work, a gentle pull, or some next-day stiffness is normal. Call us at (314) 295-3000 if you notice:

• Pain that turns sharp or stabbing
• A pain score that climbs 2 or more points and stays up longer than an hour
• New numbness, tingling or loss of strength
• Feeling dizzy, or your eyesight changing

Call 911, not the clinic, for chest pain, a hard time breathing or passing out.

Tracking what changes

Keep a short log: a check mark for each session and one pain score per day. Hand it over at each appointment; your technician tallies the sessions and has you perform one repetition so your form can be corrected. At each re-check you also repeat the same function questionnaire, and if your physician orders it, a Kinetisense 3D motion scan, so the change is measured instead of guessed.

The rest of the shoulder series

• Pendulum: early shoulder motion
• Wall walk: overhead reach
• Outward turn with band: rotator cuff
• Band row: shoulder blade base
• I raise: letter I
• Y raise: letter Y
• A press: letter A

Related reading: partial rotator cuff tears and non-surgical options, shoulder surgery alternatives.

Where this fits: the Regen.MD physiotherapy program, physician-directed rehab paired with our regenerative care. A physician must be in the building and reachable within moments before any treatment begins.