Part 2 · Act · practical monitoring framework

The Traffic Light

A calmer way to decide whether to proceed, hold, or reduce — using your whole response instead of reacting to one painful moment.

Read symptoms + function + trend together. Never pain alone.

Explore the 3 states How to read the signal

A practical self-management framework, not a validated clinical test.

Response dashboard
Auto motion
GREEN AMBER RED
Amber — hold
Raised, but settling. Often the most useful signal.
Amber zone 5s
Watch the needle: 5 seconds in Amber, then Red, then Green. It sweeps gently inside each zone so you have time to read. Use Pause whenever you want.
01 · goal
Don’t panic at one spikeOne difficult afternoon is information, not a verdict.
02 · trap
Amber gets mistaken for greenThat is how people drift from “a little raised” into a flare.
03 · checkpoint
Tomorrow morning mattersYour next-morning response is often your clearest single data point.
04 · rule
Read pattern, not momentSymptoms + function + trend are more useful than pain alone.
Decision guide

Green, amber, or red?

Tap a state above, or scan the criteria below. The active card expands visually so the page behaves more like a decision tool than a static article.

Green — proceed

Mild, stable, and behaving as expected.
Progress window
Mild and non-escalating during the activity
Settles within hours
Next morning near your baseline
Function holding or improving
→ Continue. If appropriate, make one small progression only.

Amber — hold

Raised, but settling. This is the signal people often miss.
Protection window
Clearly raised, but settling
Next morning above baseline, then back within about a day
Trend flat rather than clearly improving
Function slipping slightly, not collapsing
→ Hold. Do not progress. Do not panic. Let the response declare itself.

Red — reduce

Escalating or not settling. You likely overshot current tolerance.
Step-back window
Escalating during the activity
Not settling overnight
Several mornings clearly worse
Function reduced and trend moving down
→ Step back to a level you clearly tolerated. Calm it, then rebuild from there.
How to read the signal

Never read pain alone

The most useful decision comes from combining three lenses. One bad moment is noise. A repeating pattern across all three is information.

Symptoms

How it feels during the activity, that evening, and especially the next morning.

Function

What you can actually do: walking duration, standing tolerance, heel raises, work, life.

Trend

Better, same, or worse than last week — not just compared with this afternoon.

Tomorrow morning is often your best single checkpoint.
One bad morning can be noise. Several similar mornings in a row are more useful as a trend.
Real-world feel

How the three states can look

These are examples, not thresholds. Their job is to make the framework easier to recognise in ordinary life.

Green example
  • Walk: 20 minutes felt manageable.
  • Evening: mild ache only.
  • Next morning: back near normal.
  • Meaning: this dose was probably tolerable.
Amber example
  • Walk: more noticeable than expected.
  • Evening: clearly raised, but not escalating.
  • Next morning: stiffer than baseline, settles later.
  • Meaning: hold this level. Don’t progress yet.
Red example
  • Walk: pain increased while doing it.
  • Evening: still aggravated.
  • Next morning: clearly worse again.
  • Meaning: you overshot. Step back and calm it down.

Read the response. Respect the pattern. Progress more intelligently.

This framework is designed to make recovery decisions calmer and clearer. It is not a diagnosis, not a guarantee, and not a replacement for getting assessed when the pattern feels unusual or worrying.

Symptoms + Function + TrendUse patterns, not panicPractical tool, not a clinical rule