Written and clinically reviewed by Jeremy Swisher, MD
Choose your program
Start with the diagnosis, not just the body part.
These plans are most useful after a clinician has identified the likely diagnosis. Two people with pain in the same location may need different loading, protection, or medical evaluation. For knee osteoarthritis, beginner and advanced describe exercise demand, not arthritis severity.
Knee osteoarthritis: beginner
Supported strength and aerobic activity for walking, stairs, and chair transfers.
Knee OA · ProgressionKnee osteoarthritis: advanced
Loaded and single-leg strength for stairs, hills, carrying, and recreation.
Front of kneePatellofemoral pain
Combined knee and hip strength for squatting, stairs, and running.
Patellar tendonPatellar tendinopathy
Strength, jumping, sprinting, and a staged return to full training.
ShoulderRotator cuff-related pain
Comfortable motion, shoulder strength, and a gradual return to reaching.
Frozen shoulderAdhesive capsulitis
Mobility matched to pain and stiffness, followed by active motion and strength.
Outside elbowCommon extensor tendinopathy
Progressive wrist-extensor loading, grip work, and task-specific return.
Inside elbowCommon flexor tendinopathy
Gradual forearm strengthening with clear stop signs for nerve symptoms and throwing pain.
TendonMidportion Achilles tendinopathy
Progressive calf loading with morning stiffness as a guide.
Lateral hipGluteal tendinopathy
Compression reduction plus progressive hip and lower-limb strength.
AnkleLateral ankle sprain
Early motion, strength, balance, and a gradual return to activity.
How to use the plans
Begin conservatively, then progress one variable.
Confirm the fit
Read the “may fit,” “get assessed first,” and warning-sign sections before beginning.
Use the lower starting dose
Choose a range and resistance that preserve control. The exact sets and repetitions are practical starting points, not universal prescriptions.
Check later and the next morning
Symptoms during one repetition tell only part of the story. Use sleep, swelling, walking, and next-day function to judge the total dose.
Change one variable
Add repetitions, range, resistance, frequency, or activity exposure one at a time so you can tell which change affected your symptoms.
Shared response rule
The next morning is part of the workout.
Each condition page has a more specific rule. This three-part guide is the common starting point.
Green light
Mild, controlled discomfort that settles and does not meaningfully worsen sleep, swelling, walking, or next-day function.
Yellow light
Symptoms persist into the next day or movement quality changes. Reduce one variable, such as range, load, repetitions, or total activity.
Red light
Sharp pain, major swelling, giving way, true locking, deformity, fever, new numbness or weakness, or inability to bear weight.
Safety
Some problems need a diagnosis before a program.
Know when to use urgent or emergency care
Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or another medical emergency. Seek same-day urgent assessment for major trauma, deformity, inability to bear weight, a hot, red, swollen joint with fever, rapidly progressive weakness, new or worsening numbness, or new one-sided calf swelling.
- Recent surgery. Follow the surgeon and therapist's protocol rather than a general starter plan.
- Neurologic symptoms. New loss of bladder or bowel control, inability to urinate, or numbness in the saddle area, especially with back pain or leg weakness, requires immediate emergency evaluation.
- Medical complexity. Significant heart, lung, neurologic, inflammatory, or bone-health conditions may change exercise selection and dose.
- No progress. If pain or daily function has not improved with a consistent program, the diagnosis, exercise dose, technique, and other barriers should be reassessed.
Evidence standard
What the evidence supports, and what it does not.
Clinical guidelines and trials strongly support the exercise categories, education, progressive loading, and continued activity within tolerance. They do not establish one perfect home exercise, repetition count, or progression threshold for every patient.
Better supported
The exercise category, progressive loading, education, and maintaining appropriate activity.
Practical starting point
The exact movement, sets, repetitions, hold time, and first progression used on these pages.
Requires individual care
Diagnostic uncertainty, major trauma, postoperative status, medical complexity, or failure to improve.
Every condition page links directly to its clinical practice guidelines and primary studies.
Common questions
Home exercise program FAQs
Can I use these pages to diagnose myself?
No. They are most useful after an evaluation has identified the likely diagnosis. The same pain location can reflect different conditions that need different loading or medical care.
Do I need all the listed equipment?
No. Most programs begin with a chair, wall, step, or counter. Bands and external weight are progression options rather than requirements.
Is more exercise always better?
No. The useful dose is one you can recover from and progress. A next-day flare is a signal to adjust range, resistance, repetitions, frequency, or total activity.
When should I see a physical therapist?
Therapy is useful when the diagnosis, technique, exercise dose, progression, confidence, or return-to-sport plan needs individual attention, or when pain or daily function has not improved with a consistent home plan.