A band row builds the upper back and shoulder blade muscles after an injury: anchor a band at chest height, draw your elbows back while your shoulder blades pinch together, hold 2 seconds, 10 times.
Not every exercise is for every patient. The ones meant for you carry a check mark on the home sheet your physician fills out; stick to those, morning and evening, every day, unless the sheet gives you a different schedule.
What are the steps for the band row?
- Get set: Shut one end of the band in a door near chest height, then face the door.
- Move: Draw both elbows straight back, pinching your shoulder blades together. Let the band come forward slowly.
- How many: Hold 2 seconds. Do 10.
How does the band row help you recover?
These muscles hold the shoulder steady and keep you sitting and standing upright. That takes load off both the neck and the shoulder.
Your band and how to anchor it are covered on our exercise bands page.
Which mistakes should you watch for?
- Shrugging up.
- Leaning back to pull.
- Letting the band yank your arms forward.
When should you stop and call us?
Feeling a stretch, a bit of ache, or next-day stiffness is expected and fine. Stop the exercise and call us if you notice any of these:
- Sharp or stabbing pain
- Pain that jumps 2 or more points above your usual and lasts over an hour
- New numbness, tingling or weakness
- Dizziness or a change in your vision
Call 911 right away for chest pain, fainting or trouble breathing.
Why does your exercise log matter?
Each time you finish your exercises, tick the box on your log, and jot your pain number down once a day. The log rides along to every visit. Your technician adds up your days, has you demonstrate one exercise so form can be checked, and enters that tally in the visit note, right beside the treatments.
What to remember
- Elbows back, blades together.
- Stand still; do not lean.
- Control the return.
Show us you have it: Do one row for us, then explain how you set up the band’s anchor at home. If any part is unclear, ask us to go over it again; there is no limit on that.
Other shoulder exercises in the program
This page belongs to the Gateway Midwest physician-directed physiotherapy program. On Natural Bridge Road, the physician who examined you signs each order, and no treatment runs without a physician on site.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
You do not need a lawyer, a police report or a referral to be seen. Bring your symptoms and we will work out the rest.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Same-day appointments are often available for new accident and injury patients.