Exercise prescription software is sold mostly on the size of its library and the quality of its videos. Both matter less than they look in a demo. A programme of four exercises the patient actually does beats forty beautifully filmed ones behind a password they reset twice.
The five jobs it has to do
- Show the movement clearly. Video, animation or a well-drawn sequence; what matters is that the patient can copy it at home without you there.
- Let you set the dose. Sets, repetitions, hold time, load, days a week, and a line of instruction in your own words — “stop if the pain goes above 4” is part of the prescription.
- Reach the patient without friction. The fewer steps between your click and their first repetition, the more programmes get opened. More on this below.
- Tell you what happened. Whether they did it, how often, and how it felt. Without this, the next session starts from a guess.
- Sit next to the notes. A programme that lives somewhere your clinical record cannot see has to be copied in by hand, or it is not in the record at all.
Notice what is not on the list: a library of thousands. Most physios use a few dozen exercises most of the time, adjusted. A smaller library you can search in five seconds is worth more than a huge one you scroll through.
A separate platform, or inside your practice software
There are two routes, and the trade-off between them is the real decision.
A dedicated exercise platform — Physitrack, Wibbi, Rehab My Patient, Rehab Guru, SimpleSet and others — does one thing in depth: large filmed libraries, patient apps, automated reminders, outcome questionnaires, sometimes telehealth. Several connect to practice software; Cliniko, for example, lists them as connected apps.
Exercises built into your practice software live in the same record as the notes and the diary: one login, one patient list, nothing copied across, no second bill.
| Dedicated platform | Built into practice software | |
|---|---|---|
| Depth of library and features | Usually deeper | Usually narrower |
| Logins and patient lists | Two of each, or an integration to keep in sync | One |
| Programme in the clinical record | Through the integration, or copied by hand | Already there |
| Cost | A second subscription | Included, or part of the plan |
| Best for | Rehab-heavy caseloads, sport, remote programmes | Mixed caseloads, solo physios, small clinics |
If exercise is the core of what you sell — remote rehab, return to sport, long programmes with progressions every week — a dedicated platform usually earns its fee. If exercises are part of a session rather than the product, keeping them in one place with the notes is the better trade.
Delivery decides more than the library
Every step between “here are your exercises” and the first repetition loses people: download an app, create an account, choose a password, verify an email. A patient in their sixties handed a card at reception will not do all four.
The formats that survive are the ones that open where the patient already is: a link in the messaging app they use, opening straight on the programme, with no account. Paper still works for some people and is not a failure. What fails is the login nobody remembers. The guide to home exercise adherence goes further into how many exercises to give and which instruction makes the difference.
Seven questions for a trial
- Can I build a four-exercise programme for a real patient in under two minutes?
- What does the patient have to do to open it: install, sign up, remember a password?
- Can I write the instruction in my own words, not just pick from a list?
- Does the patient record that they did it, and can they add pain or effort?
- Does that record reach the clinical notes without me copying it?
- How do I progress the programme next week: edit it, or start again?
- What does it cost per practitioner, and what happens to the programmes if I stop paying?
Run the trial on two real patients, one comfortable with phones and one who is not. The second one tells you more.
How Physioly does it, and what it does not
We make Physioly, which is practice management software with exercises built in, so here is the plain version.
The patient gets a personal link, sent through whatever messaging app they already use. It opens on their exercises, with a 3D demonstration of each movement, next to their upcoming appointments and a button to confirm attendance. No account, no install, no password. From the same link they record that they did the session and add pain, effort and symptoms, and that lands on their record, so the next session starts from what actually happened.
What it does not have:
- No automatic reminders. The system writes the message; you send it.
- No video of you. The demonstrations are 3D animations, not recordings.
- No automatic progression. You decide when to move the programme on; the software does not do it from the log.
- No exercise-only product. It is part of the clinical record, which is the point if you want one place, and a drawback if you already have a platform you like.
If automated reminder sequences and a large filmed library are what you need, a dedicated platform will do that better. If you want the programme next to the notes, reaching the patient without an install, and coming back with what they did, that is what this is for. Paid plans start at US$29 a month for a solo physio, and the free plan is free for good.
Send one programme to a real patient
Build it, send the link, see what comes back. The first seven days have no limits at all.
Create a free account → No credit card. Nothing is deleted when the first week ends.Questions we get asked
What is exercise prescription software for physiotherapists?
Software for building home exercise programmes and getting them to patients: a library of exercises with demonstrations, a way to set sets, repetitions and frequency, delivery to the patient by app, link or print, and ideally a record of whether they did it. It comes either as a dedicated platform or built into practice management software.
Should I use a separate exercise platform or one built into my practice software?
A dedicated platform usually has a deeper library, patient apps and automated reminders, at the cost of a second subscription and a second patient list. Exercises built into practice software are narrower but live in the same record as the notes. Exercise-heavy caseloads tend to justify the first; mixed caseloads and small practices are often better served by the second.
Do patients need to download an app to receive their exercises?
It depends on the product, and it matters more than most features. Every install, sign-up and password loses some patients, especially older ones. Links that open straight on the programme, sent by a messaging app the patient already uses, tend to be opened far more often.
How do I know if a patient is doing their home exercises?
Only if the software asks them. Look for a way for the patient to record each session, ideally with pain or effort, that reaches the clinical record. Without it, adherence is whatever the patient remembers on the day.
Does Physioly include exercise prescription?
Yes, as part of the clinical record. The patient receives a personal link with a 3D demonstration of each exercise, with no app or password, and logs sessions with pain, effort and symptoms. It has no automatic reminders, no filmed videos and no automatic progression. Paid plans start at US$29 a month and there is a permanent free plan.