How many times have you finished a shift with aching, throbbing shoulder pain? Or maybe you have that near-constant stiffness in your shoulder that makes lifting or shifting a patient always a little dicey — will your shoulder hold or give out?

As nurses, we all know how important our shoulders are as the link between our powerful back and core muscles and our less powerful arm muscles that do all our lifting. We know this not only because we learned it in nursing school, but also because we experience it every single day.

Yet how many of us take care of our shoulders regularly? 

Sure, the massage appointment at the spa is a special treat if you can fit it into your busy schedule, but I’m talking about the daily movements we can incorporate into our routines that will help us build stronger, healthier shoulders.

Based on the rate of shoulder injuries that nurses suffer, I’m betting that not many of us are doing much of anything by way of shoulder self-care.

So let’s change that before more serious injuries set in, like bursitis. 

Shoulder Strengthening Move #1: Wall Push Ups

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Floor push ups can be a real struggle for many of us — plus who likes putting their nose that close to a dirty floor!

Wall push ups, however, are a quick, light-resistance, and clean movement you can perform anywhere multiple times throughout the day. 

Place your hands against a wall perpendicular to your shoulders. Angle your fingers outwards slightly rather than straight up and down. 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and away from the wall. You can play with your distance from the wall because the further out you stand, the more resistance you’ll feel doing the push up. So I recommend beginning with your feet about 18 inches from the wall and testing your comfort level.

Bend your elbows (but try not to let them flare out to the sides) until your forehead almost touches the wall. Push out until your arms are nearly straight — you don’t want to lock out your elbows.

Perform 5-15 reps. Repeat this exercise several times throughout the day.

Shoulder Strengthening Move #2: Doorway Stretch

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“Doorway stretch” is something of a catch-all term for any number of ways that you can use a common doorway to stretch your muscles. I am going to show you two doorway stretches that are beneficial to your shoulders.

One-arm shoulder stretch: Stand in a doorway with your arm bent at a 90-degree angle like you are going to shake someone’s hand. Now press the back of your hand against the doorframe, creating resistance by keeping your arm in the same position. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 5-15 times. Switch arms and repeat.

Two-arm shoulder stretch: Stand in a doorway with both arms out to your sides, elbows bent at 90-degree angles. Place your forearms and hands on the doorframe and step forward like you are walking through the door. Feel the stretch through your shoulders, back, and chest. Be careful not to step too far at first — step far enough that you feel the stretch. When you are comfortable, step a little farther.

Shoulder Strengthening Move #3: Stick Lifts

For this movement, you’ll need something like a broomstick handle to hold in your hands. 

Hold the stick in front of you with your palms facing downwards and arms straight, shoulder-width apart. Now raise the stick above your head, keeping your arms straight. You may feel a stretch at the top of the movement — hold for 5 seconds. If you don’t feel any resistance at first, that’s okay; perform the movement 10 -15 times, holding at the top each time, and you should feel a good stretch and a little “burn” in your muscles.

NursePower Empowers Nurses!

Our goal for these pages is to offer you time-saving, soul-nourishing, body-strengthening tips and ideas that will help make your already stressful, hectic life as a nurse just a little bit easier. 

NursePower is owned and run by nurses so we know what you’re going through. We’ve been there. And we know that nursing is harder today than it was pre-Covid and it was pretty darn hard then too. 

But we also want to help you advance your career in positive and meaningful ways.

If you are looking for a change — less stress, better schedule, improved pay, more control over when and where you work — then let’s connect because NursePower is hiring nurses right now for private-duty nursing positions.

Check out our “Join the Team” page and learn why so many nurses are switching to private-duty nursing.