John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Two years after a quad tendon ACL graft, the average quad is still under 90% strength.

That's 18 studies and 952 reconstructions pooled together.

Here's the part that should bother you: most people get cleared for sport around 9 months. At that point the pooled average sits around 76%. And returning to sport under 90% is associated with a higher rate of new knee injury.

The quad tendon is a good graft. But it takes strength out of the exact muscle you need most, and almost nobody gets retested after month 8, so the plateau goes unnoticed.

The graft sets your starting line. Rehab built around your specific graft site is what closes the gap.

Swipe through 👉 and comment "GRAFT" — I'll send you the full video breaking down each graft type.

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13 hours ago | [YT] | 5

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Most ACL recoveries are harder than they need to be because people skip one critical phase: prehab.

What you do before surgery plays a huge role in:
• Quad strength
• Knee motion
• Swelling
• And how rehab feels afterward

😯And it can even help some people avoid surgery completely

I broke this down step-by-step in a new video.

👉Comment “PREHAB” and I’ll send it your way.

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3 days ago | [YT] | 18

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

They'll call it obsessive right up until it works.

A story I hear all too often: an ACL patient is "cleared" or discharged based on some arbitrary calendar date. No testing. No baseline data. No plan.

This often results in a quad that's still 20–30% weaker than the other side, compensation patterns, and missing range of motion. And then if they get hurt again, everyone calls it bad luck.

Now this isn't true for everyone, but it's a very common reality - a copay gets you 30-60 minutes in a room with someone managing five other patients, working off a protocol that ends at week 16. That's not a knock on your PT. That's what the model allows them to realistically do.

What it doesn't get you is someone who knows your strength scores, your confidence scores, your graft, your sport, and what your leg needs to do in month 11 that it didn't need to do in month 6.

Fourteen months of work nobody clapped for. A lifetime of being active again that no one can ignore.

👉Book your free call in bio if your knee still doesn't feel like yours.

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5 days ago | [YT] | 10

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Three months post-op and still missing motion isn't a time problem. It's a plan problem.

This client came to me just under 3 months after ACL + meniscus surgery, short on both extension and flexion.

One week later: +10° flexion. +5° extension.

Still not full. I'm not going to pretend it is.

But look at the rate. That's what one week looks like when the work actually targets and measures motion instead of waiting on it.

Most people aren't stalling at 3 months from a lacknof effort. They often need to channel their efforts in the right direction. With a meniscus repair, early restrictions leave motion limited, however, consistent progress is the key.

That motion gap doesn't stay cheap. It leaks into every part of rehab down the line.

👉Comment "ROM" if you're 3+ months out and still missing motion for my free guide

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 4

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

If your knee has been stuck at the same number for weeks, you've probably been told you need more hands-on work.

More stretching. More mobilization. More time.

This client gained this in two weeks — 100% online. No manual therapy. No one in the room.

Because motion doesn't become yours to keep from being pushed on. It comes back from loading the end range consistently enough that your body stops protecting it.

The plan was the missing piece. Not the effort.

👉I made a video breaking down how online ACL rehab actually works — comment "ONLINE" and I'll send it over.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 10

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

For those considering BPC-157 and other peptides👇

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Missing this can mess up an ACL recovery👇

Full, symmetrical knee extension motion is critical for short- and long-term outcomes,

🚨But not all knee extension motion deficits are created the same.

Someone can have a passive limitation, an active limitation, or both.

My online client had an active extension limitation, which changes how we approached regaining his motion.

People often spin their wheels for months because they werent focusing on the root cause.

👉Comment "ext" for my free range of motion video breaking down:

✅️How to assess this yourself
✅️How to fix it based on what you find

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1 month ago | [YT] | 7

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

If you're a year out and still don't trust that leg — this one's for you.

My client came to me over a year post-op. Still couldn't load the knee. Still had pain when she trained. Still felt like something was off that nobody could explain.

That's what happens when rehab ends before the work does. And when proper direction is missing despite working hard for over a year.

7 weeks of actual loading strategically. The depth, the control, the knee taking the load instead of avoiding it.

Back to hiking. Training without pain.

Same knee. Same person. Different plan.

Being a year out isn't too late — it just means nobody's given you a direction yet.

👉Book your free call and let's talk about yours.

www.johnkahldpt.com/aclrx-discovery-yt

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Not all knee load is created equal. 🦵

Two exercises can look similar and put wildly different demands on your quad tendon.

That's what this chart breaks down — the Quadriceps Tendon Loading Index for 30+ common lower-body exercises, ranked from lowest to highest demand.

Here's why it matters for your ACL recovery:
Rehab isn't about avoiding load. It's about dosing it. Progress too fast and you can flare up the tendon. Progress too slow and your tendon never catches up to the life you want to live.

The goal was never "pain-free." It's confident, powerful, and back to what you love — skiing, cutting, jumping, competing.

📌 Save this so you have the progression on hand for your next session.

2 months ago | [YT] | 4

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Big win for my online client getting back on the volleyball courts!

She started working with me 5 months post ACL surgery - she was stuck, frustrated, and missing extension motion.

✅️Get quality help
✅️Put in the work

2 months ago | [YT] | 1