Knee over toe, loaded

Patrick step-down

Stand on a step, reach the free heel slowly toward the floor in front, and press back up through the standing leg. Slow single-leg step-downs are a staple of patellofemoral rehab, and the knees-over-toes entry point for building the knee's forward range.

How to do it

1. 01Stand tall on a low step or stair, one foot near the edge.
2. 02Let the free leg reach forward and down, heel leading, while the standing knee travels over its toes.
3. 03Touch the heel softly to the floor without transferring weight onto it.
4. 04Press back up through the whole standing foot; eight slow reps, then switch legs.

Mistakes that waste your reps

• ×Dropping into the bottom instead of lowering on a three-count.
• ×Letting the standing knee cave inward; it tracks over the middle toes.
• ×Using a step so high the movement turns into a wobble contest.

Where this comes from

Discomfort that eases as you move is normal; pain that sharpens is a stop sign. If this area is injured or persistently painful, a clinician outranks this page.

Written by Kyle Jenkin · updated August 31, 2026 · how we grade evidence

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