Heel Slides
Encourages early, gentle knee motion.
What it helps
Coaxes gentle bending back into the knee — restoring the motion you need for stairs, sitting, and getting in and out of a car.
How to do it
- Lie on your back with your legs straight.
- Slowly slide your heel toward you, bending the knee.
- Slide it back down.
Tips
- Only go as far as is comfortable.
Commonly done as 2-3 sets of 10, a few times a day.
Where this appears in recovery
Heel Slides is part of 18 recovery programs, typically in the before surgery and phase 1 and phase 2 stage. Each program shows how it fits alongside the other movements:
- Total Knee Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Total Knee Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Total Knee Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Total Knee Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Ankle ORIF (Bimalleolar) exercise guide
- Removal of Knee Prosthesis exercise guide
- Removal of Knee Prosthesis exercise guide
- Total Hip Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Flexor Tendon Repair (Leg) exercise guide
- Hip Hemiarthroplasty exercise guide
- Knee Manipulation (MUA) exercise guide
- Knee Manipulation (MUA) exercise guide
- …and 6 more
All exercise guides · Condition guides · Recovery education
These are general exercise guides, not a personal prescription. The repetitions and frequency shown are what's commonly used — your own surgeon or therapist may advise something different, and their guidance comes first.