Aavash@123 The decision to move from one phase to the next is based on your symptoms and ability to perform exercises with full range of motion and good control. If you can perform all of the exercises in a given phase with mild or less pain, full range of motion and good movement control, then you are probably ready to move to the next phase in the program.

I’m glad the video was helpful and that you are enjoying my book!

👍👍

That’s great to hear!

Aavash@123 Great question. The main difference comes down to the fact that when someone works one-on-one with a physiotherapist, the exercise selection is based on an individualized evaluation.

During an in-person assessment, a physiotherapist looks at many factors, including your symptoms, movement patterns, strength, mobility, irritability of the condition, functional limitations, and your goals. Based on those findings, they choose the exercises that are most appropriate for you at that specific point in your recovery. A patient may be given one or two exercises from Phase 2, a couple from Phase 3, and perhaps one from Phase 4, while completely skipping Phase 1 exercises if they are not needed. The physiotherapist is essentially creating a customized program by selecting the “best tools” from different phases.

The reason my programs are structured differently is because they are designed to help a larger number of people who I have not personally evaluated. Since I cannot assess each person’s unique presentation, I need to create a more general progression that is appropriate and safe for the majority of people experiencing a particular condition.

The purpose of the phases is not that every person must complete every exercise in every phase. Instead, the phases represent a general progression of rehabilitation principles.

Phase 1 is typically focused on calming symptoms, improving tolerance to movement, restoring basic control, and introducing exercises that are appropriate for people who may be more sensitive or irritable. Some people may not need this phase, but for others it provides an important foundation.

Phase 2 generally progresses toward building more control, and addressing any range of motion impairments that may be present.

Phase 3 introduces more challenging exercises that require greater strength, coordination, and load tolerance.

When you work with a physiotherapist, they can often start you somewhere in the middle because they have already evaluated you and determined where you fit in that progression. They are selecting the exercises from different phases that match your current needs.

With my programs, the phased approach provides a structured pathway that allows people to gradually build capacity while reducing the risk of doing exercises that may be too advanced too early. It is a more generalized roadmap rather than a replacement for an individualized assessment.

Think of it like learning a new skill. A coach working with you personally may immediately identify that you already have certain abilities and start you at a higher level. A general training program has to assume a wider range of starting points, so it builds a foundation and progresses step by step.

The goal of both approaches is the same: choosing the right exercises at the right time to help you regain strength, confidence, and function.

Sorry to miss you today, Linda! I hope your summer is going well so far!

Hi Diana, I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying my app so far! I would stick with the phase one exercises as long as your pain is more acute. When you get to the point where you don’t have pain at rest and you can complete the phase 1 exercises with mild or less pain, then I would recommend progressing to phase 2 of the program. It’s totally fine to work on other areas of the body as long as the exercises don’t exacerbate your neck pain.

AmirIzadi if you read through the sections related to each knee condition covered in my book, you will have a better idea of how to differentiate between the most common conditions.

It would be difficult for me to explain all of this here in a comment. I have broken all of these details down in the knee chapter in my book. Do you have a copy of my book?

Hey Brandon, you’re welcome! I hope these exercises help with your knee pain. If you need more exercises for patellofemoral joint pain, you can find a program under the knee section here in the app.