Home exercise programs: a clinician's guide

What is a home exercise program?

A home exercise program is the set of exercises a physical or occupational therapist prescribes for a patient to do on their own between visits. A good one says exactly what to do, how much, how often, and when to stop, so the patient can follow it without the therapist in the room.

The HEP is where most of the work of rehab happens. Clinic visits are short and spaced out; the days in between are where range of motion, strength and confidence are built, or lost.

How to write a home exercise program

• ✓Start from one goalName what this phase is for (range of motion, strength, balance, pain relief) and pick exercises that serve it.
• ✓Keep it shortThree to five exercises are easier to remember and finish than ten. Add more once the first ones are routine.
• ✓Pick exercises the patient has done with youAnything new at home should have been tried in the session, so you've seen the form and they've felt it.
• ✓Write the dosage for every exerciseSets, reps, hold, rest, how often, which side, and any band or weight. Nothing left to guess.
• ✓Explain each step in plain wordsOne action per step, the start and end position, and what the patient should feel.
• ✓Say when to stopGive a simple rule for pain or symptoms, and how to reach you if something doesn't feel right.

Dosage: what to write for every exercise

Patients do what's on the page, so vague dosage leads to guessing. Match each value to the goal and to what the patient tolerated in the session, and write it the same way for every exercise.

• ✓Sets and repsHow many times, and how many rounds. The core of most strengthening exercises.
• ✓HoldSeconds to hold a position or stretch. Common for mobility and isometric work.
• ✓RestTime between sets, so the patient doesn't rush the next round.
• ✓FrequencyTimes per day or days per week. Write it in a way that fits the patient's routine.
• ✓SideLeft, right, or both. An easy detail to miss on a printout.
• ✓ResistanceBand color, weight, or bodyweight, so the patient uses what you tested in the clinic.

Progressing the program

Progress one thing at a time when the patient does the current version comfortably and with good form: more reps or a longer hold, then more resistance or a harder variation. Changing one variable makes it easier to tell what helped, and what caused a flare-up if one happens.

Splitting a plan into phases helps. Each phase gets its own short program, so the patient isn't looking at exercises they aren't ready for yet.

Helping patients stick with it

• ✓Fewer exercisesA short program the patient finishes beats a long one they skip.
• ✓Pictures of every exerciseStart and end positions help the patient check their form without you there.
• ✓Plain wordsAvoid clinical terms on the handout. “Lift your heel” beats “plantarflex”.
• ✓Tie it to a routineAfter brushing teeth, during the kettle, before bed. A cue makes the habit stick.
• ✓Teach back before they leaveAsk the patient to show you each exercise, then fix anything unclear on the page.
• ✓Check it at the next visitAsk what they did and what got in the way, then adjust the program.

Print, email link or app?

• PrintA printed sheet works for almost everyone: it goes on the fridge, needs no phone or login, and a family member or carer can follow it too.
• Email linkHandy when the program changes often or the patient prefers their phone. It's only useful if the patient can open it easily, without an app or an account.
• Patient appApps can add reminders and logging, but every download and sign-in is a step where some patients drop off, especially older adults.

HEPonDemand is built print-first, with email as the backup. With Pro, print a program on US Letter at 1, 2 or 4 exercises per page, or email it: the patient gets a private link that opens on any phone and a PDF they can print at home. No app, no account, and no patient records stored.

A simple home exercise program template

Every program, on paper or on screen, should cover the same things:

1. Program name and the phase or goal
2. Your note to the patient (what this phase is for)
3. Each exercise: picture, name and numbered steps
4. Dosage: sets, reps, hold, rest, frequency, side, resistance
5. Cautions: what to avoid and when to stop
6. Your name, clinic and how to contact you

If you send the same protocol often, save it once and reuse it. Home exercise program templates explains how.

Start from a program, not a blank page

Browse the free exercise handouts or start from a program by condition:

• Plantar Fasciitis Exercises: Stretches and Strengthening
• Frozen Shoulder Exercises: Gentle Range of Motion

When you're ready to build your own, the free home exercise program builder takes about a minute: pick exercises, set the dosage, and email or print it.