1.) Forward Flexion
Forward shoulder flexion is simply what happens when you raise your hand in front of your body to an overhead position.
When you hand is resting at your side this would be 0-degrees of flexion. If you were to raise your hand over your head pointing straight up to the ceiling this would be 180-degrees of shoulder flexion.
In the following video demonstration I am using the shoulder pulley to raise my hand into full overhead flexion.
The most important part of performing this exercise correctly is to keep tension in the rope of the pulley. If my right hand is pulling down, it is pulling down slightly harder than my left hand is pulling down. This results in my left hand being lifted into an overhead position.
This downward pressure is important to reduce pinching or compression within the subacromial space.
2.) External Rotation
External rotation happens when you rotate your upper arm away from your body.
To perform external rotation while using the shoulder pulley to ASSIST you, place the pulley on the side of the door jam about elbow level from the floor. Turn your body in a way that allows your painful shoulder to be closer to the pulley. Using your non-painful hand, pull the handle away from the door jam with your non-painful hand and allow the pulley to pull the painful side hand toward the door jam.
To perform external rotation while using the shoulder pulley to RESIST you, turn your body so the painful shoulder is positioned away from the door jam. Then using the non-painful shoulder to resist the painful shoulder, pull the pulley handle away from the door jam.