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Pain rule (tendon rules, not injury rules): Up to 4/10 during and immediately after is acceptable and does not mean harm. What matters is the next morning — if the knee is back to baseline within 24 hours, the dose was right. If it is worse the next morning, repeat the previous week's dose rather than stopping. Questions: (228) 471-5047
Every Session
Prep — Buy Back the Motion
~6 min
Your hip internal rotation is down ~20% bilaterally and your right FABER is ~25% restricted. When the hip will not rotate, the knee rotates for it. Do this block before every session and before you lift.
1
Kneeling Ankle Mobs into Dorsiflexion
2 × 10 reps each side
Limited dorsiflexion forces the foot to pronate and the knee to drift in. This is upstream of your squat depth and your valgus.
2
Hip Swivels (90/90)
2 × 8 reps each direction
Direct work on the internal rotation deficit. Move slow, own the end range — do not bounce.
3
Couch Stretch
60 sec hold each side
Opens the front of the hip so your pelvis stops tucking under at the bottom of the squat.
Every Session
Tendon Prep — Load It Before You Load It
~6 min
Isometrics before your working sets reduce tendon pain and switch the muscle on. Do these immediately before squatting or lunging on lifting days.
1
Swissball Hamstring Curls — isometric hold
5 × 30 sec hold at ~30–45° knee bend
Heels on the ball, hips up, hold the bend. This loads the distal biceps femoris where you are tender. Expect a deep ache — that is the point.
2
Banded Hip Abduction
2 × 15 reps each side
Wakes up glute med before the control work. Do not let the pelvis roll back.
The Fix
Control — Frontal & Transverse Plane
~12 min
This is the highest-return block in the program. Your step-down finding is the real problem. Do it in front of a mirror or film it — knee tracks over the 2nd toe, hip stays level, no inward dive.
1
Lateral Step Downs
3 × 8 reps each side — 4–6" step to start
Slow 3-second lower, tap the heel, come back up. Raise the step height only when 8 reps look clean on video.
2
Hip Airplanes
3 × 6 reps each side
The single best drill for teaching the femur to rotate under a stable pelvis. Hold a wall or rack at first.
3
Banded Hip Abduction Squats
3 × 10 reps
Band above the knees forces you to push out against it. This is your direct fix for the left hip shift — drive weight through the RIGHT foot.
4
Posterior Step Downs
2 × 8 reps each side
Adds eccentric quad control at the depth where you feel it. Add once lateral step-downs are clean.
Lifting Days
Strength — Fold Into Your Training
~15 min
Do these on your two resistance-training days. They replace, not add to, your existing lower-body work. Train to about 2 reps in reserve.
1
DB Single Leg RDL
3 × 8 reps each side
Loads the hamstring at long length while demanding frontal-plane control. Two birds — this is your primary strength lift.
2
Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
3 × 8 reps each side
Unilateral loading means you cannot shift off the right leg. Bodyweight first, then dumbbells.
3
Heel Elevated Goblet Squats
3 × 8 reps — depth ladder, see notes
Heel elevation cuts the dorsiflexion demand and lets you reclaim depth without provoking the corner. This is your graded route back to full squats.
4
Single Leg Calf Raises on Step
3 × 12 reps each side
Controls the pronation you show in stance and builds tolerance in the lateral calf that shares the posterolateral corner.
Cool-Down
Finish
~4 min
📋 Important Guidelines
- How to run the week: FULL days = Prep + Tendon Prep + Control + Strength, folded into your lifting session (~35 min of knee-specific work). SHORT days = Prep + Tendon Prep + Control only (~20 min). Keep walking your three miles — it is not hurting you and it is doing you good.
- The depth ladder (weeks 1–8): Weeks 1–2 — squat only to the depth that stays under 4/10. Weeks 3–4 — add 2–3 inches. Weeks 5–6 — parallel. Weeks 7–8 — below parallel, then start lowering the heel wedge. Move up a rung only when the current depth is quiet the next morning for a full week.
- Progression rule: Add reps first, then load, then depth or step height — never two at once. If a week gets worse, repeat the previous week rather than backing out of the program entirely.
- Film yourself: Once every two weeks, film a right single-leg step down from the front. Watching the knee stop diving inward is the clearest evidence the program is working — it changes before the pain does.
- Gym warm-up option: 5 minutes of backwards walking on the treadmill before lifting loads the quad and knee with very little irritation — worth adding on FULL days.
- What we expect: Sit-to-stand should settle first (2–3 weeks). Step-down control next (4–6 weeks). Full-depth squatting last (8–12 weeks). A year-old problem does not resolve in a fortnight — consistency is the whole treatment.
- When to call: True giving-way or instability, new numbness or tingling down the outside of the shin or into the foot, night pain, swelling, or pain that climbs for more than a week despite dropping back a rung.
- Questions? Call us: (228) 471-5047 or visit gtptpascagoula.com