Overview

This file collects illustration briefs for all 15 shoulder movement pages in InjuryAtlas: 9 exercises and 6 stretches. (Note: the sleeper-stretch-strength-combo movement is classified and illustrated as a stretch, consistent with its reclassification in the content plan.) Every brief follows the same consistent visual style: clean, modern medical illustration, matte-clay 3D rendering style consistent with the InjuryAtlas 3D model, soft studio lighting, a neutral warm-grey background (#F0EDE8), a teal/blue highlight color (#2A9D8F) for the structure of interest, no faces or identifying features, a gender-neutral body, and labels set in clean sans-serif type (Inter or similar).

Each brief covers a step-by-step movement illustration showing, at minimum, the starting position and end position of the movement, with the working muscles highlighted throughout.

Exercises

Pendulum Exercise — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure bent forward slightly at the hips, one hand resting on a table or chair for support, the other arm hanging loosely and swinging in a gentle circular or side-to-side motion.
Camera angle/pose: Lateral (side) view, two frames: starting position (arm hanging still) and end position (arm swung to one side of its arc).
Highlighted structures: Glenohumeral joint and surrounding rotator cuff in teal/blue, shown relaxed and passive throughout, since this exercise uses gravity rather than muscle effort.
Labels needed: "Starting position (arm relaxed, hanging)," "Gentle swinging motion (gravity-driven)."
Mood/purpose: Calm and gentle, communicating that this is a low-effort, early-stage mobility movement.

External Rotation with Band — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing with elbow bent at 90 degrees and tucked at the side, holding a resistance band anchored to the side, rotating the forearm outward.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (forearm across the body) and end position (forearm rotated outward, band stretched).
Highlighted structures: Infraspinatus and teres minor in teal/blue, shown contracting (slightly brighter/more saturated) in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (external rotation)," "Elbow stays at side."
Mood/purpose: Precise and instructional, emphasizing the elbow staying fixed at the side as the key form cue.

Internal Rotation with Band — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing with elbow bent at 90 degrees and tucked at the side, holding a resistance band anchored to the opposite side, rotating the forearm inward across the body.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (forearm rotated outward) and end position (forearm rotated inward, across the body).
Highlighted structures: Subscapularis in teal/blue, shown contracting (slightly brighter/more saturated) in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (internal rotation)," "Elbow stays at side."
Mood/purpose: Mirror the visual language of the external rotation brief for consistency, since these two exercises are typically paired.

Scapular Retraction Row — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure seated or standing, holding a resistance band or cable with both arms extended forward, pulling the elbows back while squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Camera angle/pose: Posterior three-quarter view (to show the shoulder blades clearly), two frames: starting position (arms extended forward) and end position (elbows pulled back, shoulder blades retracted).
Highlighted structures: Middle trapezius and rhomboids in teal/blue, shown contracting and visibly drawing the shoulder blades together in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (shoulder blades squeezed together)."
Mood/purpose: Postural and grounded, tying directly into desk-worker and general posture prevention content.

Wall Slides — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing with their back against a wall, forearms and hands pressed against the wall in a goalpost shape, sliding the arms upward overhead and back down.
Camera angle/pose: Lateral (side) view, three frames: starting position (arms at goalpost height), mid-motion, and end position (arms slid fully overhead, still touching the wall).
Highlighted structures: Serratus anterior and lower trapezius in teal/blue, shown engaging throughout the controlled upward slide; scapula shown with a subtle rotation arc indicator.
Labels needed: "Starting position (goalpost position)," "End position (arms overhead, maintaining wall contact)," "Scapular upward rotation."
Mood/purpose: Smooth and controlled, emphasizing the coordinated scapular movement this exercise is designed to train.

Isometric Shoulder Holds — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure pressing their hand or forearm against a fixed surface (wall or doorframe) without any joint movement, in three variations: forward press, side press, and backward press.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior view for forward/side press, lateral view for backward press; single static frame per variation, since the exercise involves no visible joint movement.
Highlighted structures: Rotator cuff muscles in teal/blue, shown with a subtle pulsing glow to indicate active muscle contraction despite no visible motion.
Labels needed: "Forward press," "Side press," "Backward press," "No joint movement — muscle contraction only."
Mood/purpose: Communicate static effort clearly, since this exercise type is easy to misunderstand visually without motion.

Empty Can Raise — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing, arms raised to shoulder height with thumbs pointing downward (as if emptying a can), holding light weights.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (arms at sides) and end position (arms raised to shoulder height, thumbs down).
Highlighted structures: Supraspinatus in teal/blue, shown contracting in the end position; a small cautionary note icon area reserved near the label for the controversy callout.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (thumbs-down raise)," "Note: use light resistance and controlled range — this position can increase impingement risk for some people."
Mood/purpose: Instructional but appropriately cautious, visually reflecting the noted controversy around this exercise without being alarming.

Serratus Anterior Punch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure lying on their back or standing, arm extended forward at shoulder height, punching the fist slightly further forward without bending the elbow, driving the shoulder blade forward.
Camera angle/pose: Lateral (side) view, two frames: starting position (arm extended, shoulder blade neutral) and end position (arm punched slightly further forward, shoulder blade protracted).
Highlighted structures: Serratus anterior in teal/blue, shown contracting and visibly protracting the shoulder blade in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (shoulder blade protraction)."
Mood/purpose: Precise, focusing attention on the subtle but important shoulder blade movement this exercise trains.

Prone Y-T Raise — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure lying face-down on a bench or mat, arms raised into a "Y" shape (diagonally overhead) and separately into a "T" shape (straight out to the sides).
Camera angle/pose: Posterior-superior three-quarter view (to show the back and shoulder blades clearly), two frames per letter shape: starting position (arms hanging down) and end position (arms raised into the Y or T shape).
Highlighted structures: Lower trapezius and middle trapezius in teal/blue, shown contracting in the raised end positions.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "Y position (lower trapezius emphasis)," "T position (middle trapezius emphasis)."
Mood/purpose: Clear and structured, using the letter shapes as an intuitive visual anchor for readers to remember the movement.

Stretches

Cross-Body Stretch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing, bringing one arm straight across the front of the body and using the opposite hand to gently pull it closer.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (arm at side) and end position (arm pulled across the chest).
Highlighted structures: Posterior deltoid and infraspinatus in teal/blue, shown lengthening (rendered with a subtle stretch-line texture) in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (arm pulled across chest)," "Gentle stretch — no bouncing."
Mood/purpose: Calm and controlled, emphasizing a gentle, sustained hold rather than a forceful pull.

Sleeper Stretch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure lying on their side, the bottom arm bent at 90 degrees in front of the body, using the opposite hand to gently press the forearm down toward the floor/bed.
Camera angle/pose: Superior (top-down) view of the side-lying figure, two frames: starting position (forearm upright) and end position (forearm pressed down toward the surface).
Highlighted structures: Posterior capsule and infraspinatus/teres minor in teal/blue, shown lengthening in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (forearm pressed down)," "Shoulder blade stays pinned to the surface."
Mood/purpose: Precise, since form matters a lot for this stretch; the shoulder blade pinning cue should be visually clear.

Doorway Pec Stretch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing in a doorway, forearm placed against the doorframe at shoulder height, gently leaning the body forward through the doorway.
Camera angle/pose: Anterior-lateral three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (standing upright at the doorway) and end position (leaning forward, chest opened).
Highlighted structures: Pectoralis major/minor (chest muscles) in teal/blue, shown lengthening in the end position; anterior shoulder capsule shown with a lighter secondary highlight.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (gentle forward lean)," "Forearm braced on doorframe."
Mood/purpose: Open and expansive in feel, visually reinforcing the "opening up the chest" sensation this stretch is meant to create.

Towel Stretch (Internal Rotation) — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure holding a towel behind their back with both hands — one hand up near the neck, one hand low near the lower back — gently pulling upward with the top hand to stretch the bottom shoulder into internal rotation.
Camera angle/pose: Posterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (towel held loosely) and end position (towel pulled to increase stretch on the lower arm/shoulder).
Highlighted structures: Subscapularis and posterior capsule of the lower arm's shoulder in teal/blue, shown lengthening in the end position.
Labels needed: "Top hand (pulls towel upward)," "Bottom hand/shoulder (receives the stretch)," "Starting position," "End position."
Mood/purpose: Slightly more technical in tone, since the two-handed towel mechanism benefits from clear directional labeling.

Posterior Capsule Stretch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing, reaching one arm across the body at chest height while using the opposite forearm to apply gentle overpressure just above the elbow (a variation on the cross-body stretch with more targeted capsule emphasis).
Camera angle/pose: Anterior three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (arm across chest, no overpressure) and end position (gentle overpressure applied above the elbow).
Highlighted structures: Posterior joint capsule in teal/blue, shown with a subtle stretch-line texture in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (gentle overpressure above elbow)," "Posterior capsule (deep stretch target)."
Mood/purpose: Show this as a slightly more targeted, deeper variation than the standard cross-body stretch, visually distinct but related.

Overhead Triceps and Shoulder Stretch — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure standing, raising one arm overhead and bending the elbow so the hand reaches down behind the head, using the opposite hand to gently press down on the raised elbow.
Camera angle/pose: Lateral three-quarter view, two frames: starting position (arm raised, elbow bent) and end position (opposite hand applying gentle downward pressure on the elbow).
Highlighted structures: Triceps and posterior/superior shoulder capsule in teal/blue, shown lengthening in the end position.
Labels needed: "Starting position," "End position (gentle downward pressure on elbow)."
Mood/purpose: Relaxed and familiar, since this is a widely recognized general stretch — the illustration should feel approachable and low-intimidation.

Sleeper Stretch-Strength Combo (Reclassified as Stretch) — Step-by-Step Movement Illustration

Subject: A gender-neutral figure lying on their side in the sleeper stretch position, then adding a small isometric push (gently pressing the forearm upward against the opposite hand's resistance) before returning to the passive stretch.
Camera angle/pose: Superior (top-down) view of the side-lying figure, three frames: starting stretch position, isometric push phase (arrows indicating opposing gentle force), and return-to-stretch end position.
Highlighted structures: Posterior capsule and infraspinatus/teres minor in teal/blue throughout; during the isometric push phase, the muscle rendering brightens slightly to indicate active contraction against resistance.
Labels needed: "Passive stretch position," "Gentle isometric push (contract-relax phase)," "Return to stretch (deeper range)."
Mood/purpose: Slightly more advanced in tone than the standard sleeper stretch, visually communicating the added contract-relax strengthening element while keeping the same calm, controlled mood.

References

Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. "Optimal management of shoulder impingement syndrome." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945046/
JOSPT. "An Update of Systematic Reviews Examining the Effectiveness of Conservative Physical Therapy Interventions for Subacromial Shoulder Pain." https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2020.8498
JOSPT. "Rotator Cuff-Related Shoulder Pain: Clinical Practice Guidelines." https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2022.11306
PMC (Diagnostics). "Prevention of Overhead Shoulder Injuries in Throwing Athletes." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11545345/
Mayo Clinic Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. "Tips to help a frozen shoulder." https://sportsmedicine.mayoclinic.org/news/tips-to-help-a-frozen-shoulder/
Kenhub. "Serratus anterior muscle." https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/serratus-anterior-muscle

Exercise & Stretch Illustration Briefs — Shoulder