If you have pain, exercises should be commenced only after your problem is assessed by someone who is qualified to deal with injuries. It’s not a case of one size fits all. If people start doing the wrong exercises they could easily make their condition worse. Exercises should be prescribed after a thorough objective and subjective assessment by someone who has knowlege and experience in dealing with conditions which present with pain, movement impairment or malalignment .
A good assessment will determine which exercise is right for each patient. This may involve moving into the pain or avoiding pain depending on the nature of the underlying pathology and medical history. Exercises are usually directionally specific. There may be times when exercise may be contraindicated altogether. The patient’s response to movement gives valuable information used to determine the nature of the underlying condition and the type of exercise which will be used as a treatment technique.
When exercises are used to promote tendon healing, the starting point of the exercise is important. This will usually be the point at which pain is felt. The healing process is actually stimulated by the exercises and therefore they will need to produce some pain. Exercises will then be upgraded over time changing resistance, range, amplitude and/or other factors depending on the patients particular requirements.
Also taken into account should be the needs of the person, the sport they play, the goals they wish to achieve, their lifestyle and personal preferences.