Shoulder Rehabilitation Strategies, Guidelines, and Practice - Shoulder rehabilitation can best be understood and implemented as the practical application of biomechanical and muscle activation guidelines to the repaired anatomic structures in order to allow the most complete return to function. The shoulder works as a link in the kinetic chain of joint motions and muscle activations to produce optimum athletic function. Functional shoulder rehabilitation should start with the establishment of a stable base of support and muscle facilitation in the truck and legs, and then proceeds to the scapula as healing is achieved and proximal control is gained. The pace of this "flow" of exercises is determined by achievement of the functional goals of each segment in the kinetic chain. In the early rehabilitation stages, the incompletely healed shoulder structures are protected by exercises that are directed towards the proximal segments. As healing proceeds, the weak scapular and shoulder muscl
