Choose your program
Choose by diagnosis.
Use these plans after a clinician has identified the likely diagnosis. Athlete progressions begin after the matching foundation stage and guide training exposure; they do not independently provide medical clearance. For knee osteoarthritis, beginner and advanced describe exercise demand, not arthritis severity.
For clinician-confirmed hip osteoarthritis, start with the beginner hip osteoarthritis exercise program.
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.
Front of knee · Athlete progressionPatellofemoral return to running and jumping
Heavier knee loading, run-walk intervals, landing, jumping, and deceleration.
Patellar tendonPatellar tendinopathy
Strength, jumping, sprinting, and a staged return to full training.
Posterior thigh · AthleteHamstring strain
Progressive strength, graded running, sprinting, and criteria-based return to sport.
Meniscus · After diagnosisNonoperative meniscus rehabilitation
Comfortable knee motion, progressive strength, balance, and return to activity.
Meniscus · Nonoperative athleteAdvanced nonoperative meniscus rehabilitation
Loaded strength, running, landing, deceleration, and staged return to sport.
Outside knee · RunnerIliotibial band syndrome
Running-load adjustment, hip strength, step control, and graded run-walk return.
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.
Thumb-base arthritisThumb CMC osteoarthritis
Orthosis guidance, joint protection, thumb control, and progressive useful pinch.
Thumb-side wrist · Assessment firstDe Quervain tenosynovitis
Activity changes, thumb-spica guidance, pain-free motion, and cautious loading.
TendonMidportion Achilles tendinopathy
Progressive calf loading with morning stiffness as a guide.
Achilles · Athlete progressionAchilles return to running, jumping, and basketball
Heavy calf strength, plyometrics, running, court exposure, and full-practice progression.
Bottom of heelPlantar heel pain
First-step stretching, progressive foot and calf loading, and return to impact.
Lateral hipGluteal tendinopathy
Compression reduction plus progressive hip and lower-limb strength.
Hip arthritis · BeginnerHip osteoarthritis
Comfortable mobility, lower-limb strength, and aerobic activity for daily function.
AnkleLateral ankle sprain
Early motion, strength, balance, and a gradual return to activity.
Ankle · Athlete progressionLateral ankle sprain return to sport
Loaded strength, dynamic balance, multidirectional hopping, braking, and cutting.
Outer ankle tendonPeroneal tendinopathy
Eversion strength, calf capacity, balance, and graded terrain or sport exposure.
Inner ankle and arch tendonTibialis posterior tendinopathy
Support guidance, tendon and calf strength, balance, and foot-collapse warnings.
Low back · Persistent or recurrentNonspecific low back pain
Aerobic activity, comfortable movement, whole-body strength, and graded return to life.
No matching program
Try a broader term, a body region, or a common name such as frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, or heel pain. If you are unsure of the diagnosis, start with an evaluation rather than choosing a program by pain location alone.
The videos are optional and diagnosis-specific
When a matching E3 Rehab companion is available, use it for education and visual technique, not as a second program. The written exercise dose, symptom rules, and progression on Dr. Swisher's page remain the plan. A generic video is not substituted when no close match exists.
Written and clinically reviewed by Jeremy Swisher, MD
About Dr. Swisher Official UCLA Health profile (opens in a new tab)
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 new or rapidly worsening painful, hot, red, or swollen joint with or without 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, systematic reviews, and trials 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 relevant guidelines, systematic reviews, and clinical trials.
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.