Q: Stop doing any activity that causes pain. As you start resuming activities, you should still avoid lifting anything over 1 pound (0.45 kg), engaging your biceps muscle (such as by turning a screwdriver), and raising your injured arm above your head.  Additionally, you should begin stretches and exercises once you can do so without experiencing pain.  While you can manage a minor strain or sprain at home, it’s best to consult a physical therapist for a more serious partial or complete tear. Bend forward from your waist and place your unaffected hand on a table or counter for support. Lean on the support so your injured arm hangs freely at your side. Gently swing your arm forward and backward with a slight circular motion 10 times.  Keep your torso straight and knees slightly bent as you lean forward. Don’t arch your back or lock your knees. Do 2 sets of 10 stretches up to 3 times per day. Stop stretching if you experience any pain. Add new stretches to your regimen only if you can do so without feeling pain. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides. Inhale as you draw your shoulders into a shrug. Hold the shrug for 5 seconds, then exhale as you gently release your shoulders. Do 2 sets of 10 repetitions. To vary the stretch, raise your shoulders into a shrug, then draw them back to pinch your shoulder blades together. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds, then release. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. With your fingers extended and palm facing forward, bend the elbow of your injured arm to raise your palm toward your shoulder. Bend your arm as far as you comfortably can, then slowly lower it to your side. Do a set of 10 stretches with your fingers extended, then do 10 repetitions with your fist closed. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and bend your affected elbow 90 degrees so your forearm is extended forward. With your fingers spread, slowly rotate your palm so it faces upward and downward (supination and pronation). Turn your palm as far as you comfortably can in each direction until you feel a mild stretch. To do internal rotations, bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle, and keep your upper arm close to your side. Close your hand in a loose fist, hold your forearm straight in front of you, then slowly rotate it toward your chest as far as you comfortably can.  For external rotations, bend your elbow, keep it close to your side, and slowly rotate your forearm away from your body. Do 2 sets of 10 repetitions for each stretch. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms by your sides, and hands positioned so your thumbs face forward. Keep your elbow straight as you raise your arm forward. If you don’t experience pain, continue raising your arm until it’s over your head.  Try to raise your arm by hinging your shoulder instead of hiking up your shoulder blade. If you don’t experience pain or discomfort, do 10 repetitions up to 3 times per day. Do not attempt to raise your arm above your head until the motion is completely pain-free. When you’re just starting out, it might help to assist your injured arm by raising it with your uninjured hand. To add resistance to internal and external rotations, hook the band to a doorknob, hold the other end, then rotate your forearm to pull the band away from the door. Bring your forearm toward your chest to do internal rotations, and turn it away from your body to do external rotations.  For shoulder flexion stretches, stand on an end of the band and hold the end with your hand. Keep your elbow straight as you raise your arm forward and up over your head. Stop doing any exercises if you experience pain. When you first start out, do resistance biceps curls with 1 lb (450 g) weights. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your weight evenly distributed. Keep your elbow close to your side as you bend it to bring the weight close to your shoulder. Hold the curl for 2 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.  Curl 1 arm at a time, and try to do 2 sets of 8 curls per arm. Do biceps curls 3 times per week. Over the course of the first week, try to gradually work your way up to 12 curls per set. As the exercise becomes easier, increase your weights in 1 lb (450 g) increments.
A: Resume activities slowly and only after the pain subsides. Begin with pendulum exercises. Perform shoulder shrugs and shoulder blade pinches. Do flexion stretches by bending your elbow 10 times. Do 10 supination and pronation stretches. Do 10 internal and external rotations. Try full shoulder flexion stretches. Use resistance bands after at least a week of pain-free stretching. Do 2 sets of 8 to 12 biceps curls.

Q: The first thing to do is calmly and rationally think through the whole situation. Is your boss really favouring somebody unfairly? Is it proving detrimental to the morale and productivity of you and your colleagues? You have to be completely honest with yourself and be certain that it's not just because the favourite is the best at her job. It's not unusual to feel jealous of someone who is having more success, so be sure you are not projecting your concerns about your slow professional progress onto someone else. One good way to try to get some perspective on the issue is to talk it over with some colleagues to see if they share your perception of events. If you do this, it's very important that you tread carefully. Don't go throwing accusations around and don't try to convince other members of your team of your interpretation of the situation. Just ask for honest appraisals to better inform your judgement.  It's important that you don't try and turn the rest of your team against the person you believe is being shown unfair favouritism. This will not endear you to anyone or help your case.  Avoid turning it into a topic for office gossip or rumour and maintain your professionalism. To help you get a clear picture of what is going on, it's a good idea to keep a record of instances where you think you have been treated unfairly, or there has been unwarranted favouritism shown. This could include examples of the other person consistently receiving more interesting and engaging jobs to do, or a significant imbalance in the rewards for similar work.  You may need this evidence later, but first of all think of it as a way to carefully analyse the situation and gain objective information. You need to be exceptionally honest and rigorous when you record such incidents. Once you have fully taken stock of the situation you should think carefully about what options are available to you, and what the likely consequences of any action would be. You should try to clearly envision what outcome you wish to achieve before you go any further. Keep in mind that it's important not to allow a toxic situation to fester.
A:
Decide if action is required. Talk to colleagues. Keep a record. Consider your options.