The framework, free

How the program reasons about a painful shoulder — screening, grouping, and the three stages. The exact criteria, full exercise prescription, and clips are in Pro.

1. Screen first — red flags

Refer to a doctor before starting if any are present.

Direct trauma to the shoulder, or a suspected fracture/dislocation
Cancer with possible spread to bone
Clear weakness of the arm or hand, or numbness in a nerve pattern
Fever or signs of infection around the joint
Recent shoulder surgery

2. Group the patient

Three movements decide the pathway.

1Lift the arm fully overhead
2Lie on the back and abduct the arm
3Rotate the shoulder (reach behind the back)

Blue group

Shoulder not frozen — full overhead lift; focus on calming inflammation, then rebuilding strength

Orange group

Frozen / limited range — loosen the joint and gradually rebuild movement

3. Three recovery stages

Move stage by stage — never skip ahead.

Stage 1 — Calm the shoulder, reduce inflammation

Calm inflammation, ease the shoulder, don't force it

Exact criteria · exercises · clips in Pro

Stage 2 — Stretch the shoulder and scapula muscles

Stretch to regain range, free the scapula

Exact criteria · exercises · clips in Pro

Stage 3 — Rebuild tendon strength (rotator cuff)

Rebuild tendon strength (rotator cuff)

Exact criteria · exercises · clips in Pro

4. Why stage by stage

The principle behind the whole program.

Pain that is pushed too early flares up; a stiff joint forced too hard gets irritated. Each stage has a job — calm, then restore range, then load — and a gate that confirms the tissue is ready before adding the next demand.

The most common reason a shoulder never fully recovers: resting until it feels better, then going straight back to load without rebuilding the tendon. Stage 3 exists precisely to prevent that.

Pro

Unlock the full clinical kit

Exact pass criteria, the complete exercise prescription per stage and group, demo clips — plus the patient tracking console and ongoing updates.

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