Tibial Glide + Active Knee Flexion/Extension
One question matters more than the name of this variation: will the patient notice a useful change in Knee ROM, squat, step or sit-to-stand.? The careful re-test gets the final word.
The change we are looking for
Improve painful active knee movement when a sustained tibial correction produces immediate improvement.
Primary target
Tibiofemoral joint
The movement that tells us
Knee ROM, squat, step or sit-to-stand.
Patient focus
Improve painful active knee movement when a sustained tibial correction produces immediate improvement.
Therapist verifies
Knee ROM, squat, step or sit-to-stand.
Success signal
Keep the technique only if the re-test shows a meaningful improvement in knee rom, squat, step or sit-to-stand. without symptom worsening.
Full clinical application
Position the patient
Standing, sitting or supine depending on the patient's painful movement; choose the position that reproduces the comparable sign.
Set the contact
Use a belt or broad contact to sustain the tibial glide while controlling femoral/pelvic alignment.
Apply the technique
Maintain the pain-free accessory glide while the patient repeatedly performs flexion/extension or the relevant functional movement.
Dose & re-test
6–10 repetitions × 2–3 sets if each repetition stays pain-free/easier. Re-test: Knee ROM, squat, step or sit-to-stand.
Clinical pearl
Do not choose the glide by theory alone—choose the one that immediately improves the patient's movement.
Safety / avoid
Avoid unstable acute ligament injury.