As nurses, we use our arms and shoulders a lot, transferring patients, supporting patients, lifting patients, performing routine functions over and over again. So it’s no surprise that many nurses suffer from bursitis pain. The longer we do the job, the more it just seems like a foregone conclusion, like back pain.

But NursePower Empowers Nurses! isn’t ready to concede so quickly. There are simple exercises and stretches that we can do daily that will help us protect our shoulder joints from overuse. 

Here are a few that we should all work into our daily routines so we can protect our bodies from breaking down over time.

Bursitis Prevention Exercise #1: Posterior Arm Stretch

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From either a sitting or standing position, bring your left arm across your body and place your hand on your right shoulder. Place your right hand on your left elbow and pull gently towards you to deepen the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds and release.

Perform with the opposite arm and then repeat on both sides 4 times. 
 

Bursitis Prevention Exercise #2: Shoulder Shrugs to Rolls

From a standing position with your hands by your sides, shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Hold for five seconds and then relax. Repeat 5 times. 

Next, with your hands by your sides, “reverse shrug” by lowering your shoulders, feeling the stretch across the tops of your shoulders. Hold for five seconds and then relax. Repeat 5 times.

Next, from a standing position, roll your shoulders up and forward like you are making a circle with your shoulders. Exaggerate this move slightly to get as large a circle as possible with your shoulders. Perform five times.

Finally, roll your shoulders backwards, tracing the same large circle with your shoulders but in reverse. Perform 5 times.

Bursitis Prevention Exercise #3: Shoulder Blade Squeeze

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From either a sitting or standing position, pull your shoulders back, trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Try not to let your shoulders lift when you perform this move — you want to squeeze your blades together while keeping your shoulders level. This will create a better stretch across the front of your shoulders.

Hold the squeeze for 6 seconds and then release. Perform 5 times.  

NursePower Empowers Nurses!

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NursePower Empowers Nurses! has spent the past year providing you with lifestyle articles that will help you take better care of yourself. We’ve helped you stretch and exercise, helped you take breaks and re-charge, helped you meal prep and eat healthier, helped you get outside and spend time with your loved ones.

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