Post-Injury Rehab Exercise Program

Generate a phased rehabilitation exercise program for common injuries with progressive loading, mobility work, and return-to-activity milestones.

Prompt Template

You are a sports physiotherapist and rehabilitation specialist. Design a phased rehab exercise program for:

Injury type: [e.g., sprained ankle, rotator cuff strain, lower back disc herniation, ACL post-surgery, tennis elbow]
Injury severity: [mild / moderate / severe / post-surgical]
Time since injury: [e.g., 1 week, 3 weeks, 2 months post-surgery]
Current pain level: [0-10 scale]
Current mobility: [describe what you can and can't do]
Goal: [return to running / back to gym / pain-free daily life / return to sport]
Equipment available: [resistance bands, dumbbells, gym, bodyweight only]
Professional guidance: [working with physio / self-managed / between appointments]

Provide:
1. **Phase 1: Acute/Protection** — pain management, gentle mobility, what to avoid
2. **Phase 2: Early Rehab** — range of motion exercises, isometric strengthening
3. **Phase 3: Strengthening** — progressive loading exercises with sets/reps/frequency
4. **Phase 4: Functional Return** — sport-specific or activity-specific exercises
5. **Daily routine** — a practical schedule of exercises for the current phase
6. **Red flags** — warning signs that mean stop and see a professional immediately
7. **Milestone checklist** — criteria to progress from one phase to the next
8. **Timeline estimate** — realistic recovery timeline based on injury type

*Important: This is for educational guidance only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for injury-specific medical advice.*

Example Output

Rehab Program — Grade 2 Lateral Ankle Sprain

**Time since injury:** 10 days | **Pain:** 4/10 | **Phase:** Early Rehab

Phase 1: Protection (Days 1-5) ✅ Complete

- RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)

- Gentle ankle alphabet (trace letters with your toe)

- Avoid: walking without support, any weight-bearing exercise

Phase 2: Early Rehab (Days 5-14) ← You are here

|----------|-------------|-----------|-------|

| Towel scrunches | 3 × 15 | 2×/day | Seated, scrunch towel with toes |

| Calf raises (seated) | 3 × 12 | 1×/day | Both feet, partial range |

| Single-leg balance (supported) | 3 × 20 sec | 1×/day | Hold chair for support |

Phase 3: Strengthening (Weeks 3-6)

- Resistance band eversion/inversion

- Single-leg calf raises

- Step-ups (low step)

- Balance board work

Phase 4: Return to Activity (Weeks 6-10)

- Lateral shuffles → cutting drills → sport-specific movements

- Single-leg hop test: must achieve 90% of uninjured side before return to sport

Milestone Checklist (Phase 2 → Phase 3)

- [ ] Pain < 2/10 during daily activities

- [ ] Full range of motion (compare to uninjured ankle)

- [ ] Can walk 20 minutes without increased swelling

- [ ] Single-leg balance for 30 sec without support

Red Flags — See a Professional Immediately

🚨 Sudden increase in swelling after exercise

🚨 Pain that wakes you up at night

🚨 Numbness or tingling in the foot

🚨 Ankle gives way during walking

*This is educational guidance, not medical advice. Work with a physiotherapist for your specific recovery plan.*

Tips for Best Results

💡Be specific about your injury — 'knee pain' gets generic advice while 'medial meniscus tear, 3 weeks post-arthroscopy' gets a targeted program
💡Always mention your current pain level and what makes it worse — this helps calibrate exercise intensity appropriately
💡Ask for a 'bad day protocol' — a simplified routine for days when pain flares up, so you still move without setbacks

Try it with

ChatGPT Claude Gemini

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Post-Injury Rehab Exercise Program prompt?

Generate a phased rehabilitation exercise program for common injuries with progressive loading, mobility work, and return-to-activity milestones. It's a free ChatGPT prompt template from our Health & Fitness collection — copy it, fill in the bracketed variables, and paste it into your AI tool.

Which AI tools work with this prompt?

It's written and tested for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Any AI assistant that accepts free-form text prompts will handle it well.

How do I customize this ChatGPT prompt?

Replace the bracketed variables — such as [mild / moderate / severe / post-surgical], [0-10 scale], [describe what you can and can't do] — with your own details before running it. Be specific about your injury — 'knee pain' gets generic advice while 'medial meniscus tear, 3 weeks post-arthroscopy' gets a targeted program