The wall walk is a reaching exercise for shoulder pain. Standing an arm’s length from a wall, you creep your fingertips upward to a comfortable height, pause five seconds, then bring them back down. You repeat it ten times.
This is one of the home exercises in our physician-directed physiotherapy program. Only do it if it is marked on the home exercise sheet your physician gave you. Unless your sheet says otherwise, do your checked exercises twice a day, every day.
How do you do the wall walk?
- Get set: Stand facing a wall, about one arm’s length from it.
- Move: Walk your fingertips up the wall as high as feels comfortable. Pause, then walk them back down.
- Repeat: Hold five seconds at the top. Repeat ten times.
Why does the wall walk help shoulder pain?
The wall carries part of your arm’s weight, so you can slowly raise how high you can reach without straining the joint. Little by little, it brings back overhead reach.
How does it fit with your pain procedures?
After a shoulder injection or an orthobiologic treatment, your physician tells you when to start and which exercises to skip for now. The shoulder heals best when it keeps moving in a range it can tolerate.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Hiking your shoulder up toward your ear.
- Arching your back to get higher on the wall.
- Pushing past a gentle stretch.
When should you stop and call us?
Feeling a light stretch, some effort, or mild soreness the next morning is expected. Stop the exercise and call (314) 481-5000 if you notice:
- Pain that is sharp or stabbing
- Pain that climbs two or more points above your usual level and stays up for over an hour
- Numbness, tingling or weakness that is new
- Dizziness or any change in your eyesight
Chest pain, trouble breathing or fainting is an emergency: call 911.
Why keep an exercise log?
Mark one check each time you finish your exercises, and write down one pain number a day. Bring the log to each visit. Your technician tallies the days and has you show one exercise, so any form problem gets caught early.
What to remember
- Fingers do the climbing.
- Shoulder stays down.
- Five seconds at the top, ten times.
Show us you have it: Do one wall walk for your technician and mark how high you reached. If any part is unclear, ask, and we will walk through it again at your next visit.
Other shoulder exercises in the program
- Pendulum Exercise for Shoulder Pain
- Band External Rotation for Shoulder Pain
- Band Row Exercise for Shoulder Pain
- I Raise Shoulder Exercise
- Y Raise Shoulder Exercise
- T Raise Shoulder Exercise
- A Press Shoulder Exercise
Related reading: shoulder pain we treat, what the exercise research shows for rotator cuff pain, frozen shoulder.