Dr. Jacob

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Dr. Jacob

Jacob VanDenMeerendonk, PT,DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Content Creator in California. Mobility programs👉 www.drjacob.app

17/03/2026

Again, the wrist mobilization I’m showing here isn’t exactly for an acute injury like being hit by a softball, but this self-mob in particular has helped a lot of my followers on here in the past so I figured I’d showcase it again.

First locate the wrist joint, then place your thumb just above it on the lower palm, and the pointer and middle fingers on the back side of the joint, one above and one below. Squeeze all 3 fingers inward to mobilize the wrist. Hold for a few seconds. You can do just one, or multiple, it’s up to you. You may feel a popping sensation 👈as long as it’s not painful, you’re clear.

13/03/2026

Story time📖 This is a thought I’ve carried around for a while now… And what I’ve learned is that this isn’t a motivation problem or a willpower issue….It’s adaptation. The body and nervous system trying to protect after years of strain, pain, and failed attempts at pushing through. Listen to the story, and Let me know if this resonates ⬇️

11/03/2026

Shoulder pain and shoulder mobility. Check these out☝️

For recommended sets and reps, check the top of the screen of each slide.

10/03/2026

Knee pain tip number I forget😅

The last couple weeks I’ve been posting on knee mobility and knee pain rehab. There is already a lot of info out there on the topic, so I am covering a few tips that you may not have heard about in the past. If you’re still dealing with knee issues, let’s talk about it.

05/03/2026

Knee pain fundamentals that are way more important than you might think. The straight leg raise exercise is more of a Monday/Wednesday/Friday exercise, 2-3 sets of 8-15 reps. Any questions lmk! I plan to keep posting on progressions coming up!

03/03/2026

This one give you resistance without balance demands which lets you focus on bending the knee, quad engagement, and control.

Backward walking gets talked about a lot for knee pain, but the real value isn’t the direction you’re moving, it’s how the knee is being loaded. When you change the mechanics, you often shift stress away from irritated structures while asking the quads to do more of the work, which can be helpful when pain has limited tolerance to other exercises.

This variation keeps the movement simple and controlled. The stance leg is doing the work while the band adds resistance, which makes it easier to dial in knee control without the balance challenge or unpredictability of actually walking backward.

Useful for people who flare up with traditional walking, early rehab phases, or anyone who needs a way to load the knee without pushing symptoms. As always, context matters and this works best as one piece of a bigger plan, not the whole plan.

24/02/2026

Knee are amazing joints, but also complicated. They need strength, mobility, and coordination to handle everything we do from walking to squatting to running. Weak quads, tight, hamstrings, or poor ankle and hip control can also make the knee work harder than it needs to which can lead to pain or injury overtime.

Strengthening the muscle muscles around the knee, training, balance, and keeping the joint mobile helps reduce stress on ligaments and cartilage can actually prevent injuries before they happen. You don’t need to do crazy exercises. Small consistent work on range of motion, quad, glued strength, and controlled movement goes a long way.

19/02/2026

Knee pain series continued. This one is all about ankle mobility.

Knee pain isn’t always a knee problem.
Sometimes it’s an ankle problem showing up somewhere else.

Limited ankle mobility and poor foot control can change how forces travel up the leg. When the ankle can’t move or absorb load well, the knee often ends up doing more work than it should especially during squats, stairs, running, and even walking.

Research consistently shows links between reduced ankle dorsiflexion and increased knee stress during functional movements. That doesn’t mean the ankle is the only factor, but it’s a big piece that often gets missed.

That’s why this swipe focuses on ankle mobility, strength, and foot control not just stretching but actually training the system so the knee doesn’t have to compensate.

This isn’t medical advice and not every knee pain case is the same, but if your knee pain keeps coming back, it might be worth looking below the knee instead of only chasing the knee itself.

Save this and come back to it.

17/02/2026

Knee pain symptoms come from how the knee is moving, loading, and being trained over time. In this series, we’re focusing on: restoring comfortable knee motion, improving had strength and control, modifying exercises to reduce unnecessary joint stress, and building confidence with movements people often avoid.

These are all common progressions I use not only for my patients, but also myself and my old meniscus tear.

Not everyone needs surgery, but every knee benefits from better movement quality, and smart loading.

*educational purposes only. Individual needs always vary.

13/02/2026

Most knee rehab stops at squats and leg extensions
But knees dont just bend and straighten they adapt to rotation every time you walk turn or change direction

These progressions are about teaching the knee to tolerate real world movement again not avoiding it forever

If you have dealt with knee pain a meniscus injury or feel nervous about twisting your knee this is the missing piece for a lot of people

Drop a comment does twisting make your knee feel worse or better
Save this for your next leg day or rehab session

12/02/2026

This is what serious orthopedic trauma care can look like.
Not pretty. Not simple. Very intentional. Much respect to for sharing this side of the process.
Wishing her a smooth recovery.

10/02/2026

There are progressions to this classic sweeping exercise that I’ll follow up with.

You may have seen this exercise for ankle mobility, but it’s important to understand what’s happening at the knee joint as well. Swiveling in and out trains the joint to be ready to move into any plane which will prevent any pain feedback from looping around for no good reason. We can make this more challenging in the standing position. Have you tried it? How are your knees doing lately?

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