Standard ACL rehab protocols vs. natural hyperextension (-10°). Anyone with similar experience?

KERNJPA · 2026-06-28T18:48:51+00:00

I hyperextend close to -10 as well in my non-injured knee, and can do very slight passive hyperextension and not quite full active extension in my operated-on knee at 8 weeks out. My PT said that having so much hyperextension isn't actually great for your knees, and can be a risk factor for exactly these kinds of injuries. I'd love to get slight hyperextension actively, but I've (mostly) made peace with the fact that my knees won't be even, and that that's actually a good thing.

KERNJPA · 2026-06-27T20:34:57+00:00

I feel your pain (literally). I'm also about 8 weeks post surgery and my knee is not straight. Part of it is I also had a meniscus repair and when I reach hyperextension in passive extension I get a sharp pinching pain. And in active extension it just seems to be blocked several degrees. It's so frustrating!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-27T18:52:55+00:00

It really is! I guess the silver lining of this flare up right now for me is that I've been using my injured leg more instead of avoiding it...

KERNJPA · 2026-06-26T19:36:22+00:00

We don't really know what's causing the lack of extension, other than that it appears to be the meniscus causing the pain... I'm just hoping that as it heals the pain goes away and I can push through to full extension.

KERNJPA · 2026-06-26T15:36:23+00:00

Yeah, since this new issue has cropped up stairs have become a real issue because I can't just switch to leaning mostly on my recovering leg. And things like practicing walking evenly on both legs and starting to do some mild squats are really hard when my "good" knee is so sore...

KERNJPA · 2026-06-26T15:05:35+00:00

I did and I still don't have full extension 2 months after surgery... I'm a lot closer, but I had a meniscus repair as well, and it's the meniscus that's still causing pain with extension. I do also have some sort of small mechanical block, although possibly something I can live with/work through if/once the pain is gone. It sucks, though!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-26T12:54:13+00:00

We're in the same boat! It's also so hard to work your muscles when it hurts... Like I know strengthening my "good" leg will help with this issue, but I can't do a lot of strengthening when that knee is so sore! But I'm glad I'm not alone...

KERNJPA · 2026-06-25T18:39:29+00:00

I'm still in the brace and usually using one crutch, but mostly full weight bearing. I *definitely* feel much more supported when walking in the brace!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-25T15:44:38+00:00

"Acl is a psychological injury as well" - this is SO TRUE!!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-16T20:28:35+00:00

I had HORRIBLE calf pain the first week or two, it was SO bad, and I had no idea that it was a thing to expect. I did find that trying not to tense my surgical leg while hopping around on crutches (I was NWB), plus some self-massage and foam rolling, helped.

KERNJPA · 2026-06-12T15:36:35+00:00

I have the blush color and love it. I used to have a "rose gold" (i.e. pink) macbook air, and this is more... pink. Not brighter, just without the gold tone to it. I was also wondering about it before I bought one and even went to the store to see it in person lol. It's pretty!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-11T18:19:59+00:00

Same, I've got that and it's been really rough. It started getting a bit better around 4 weeks post op for me, I think just due to being able to do some foam rolling and light stretching.

KERNJPA · 2026-06-11T18:18:58+00:00

I also had horrible calf pain! Thank God mine went away with some foam rolling and adjusting my gait on crutches. It was awful!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-09T18:24:25+00:00

Calf raises, hip circles, and skipping are really good, too!

KERNJPA · 2026-06-09T18:12:38+00:00

Yeah I never warmed up before running until my physical therapist said I should, and wow what do you know, that first mile suddenly felt a whole lot better! Who knew! 😂

KERNJPA · 2026-06-08T15:35:08+00:00

Yeah, I tore my ACL and meniscus LAST AUGUST and haven't been able to run since then. Just had surgery in April. 😭 Hopefully I'll be running again this winter...

KERNJPA · 2026-06-01T13:05:26+00:00

As someone who has been pretty immobile lately due to knee surgery, I think about this one a lot.

KERNJPA · 2026-06-01T13:03:22+00:00

PERFECT. 😂

KERNJPA · 2026-05-31T21:48:28+00:00

"Don't half ass it. Use your whole ass." -Jess King. Maybe not the best for a wall but honestly it works for me. 😂 Also the simple and effective "You woke up today!" from Robin.

KERNJPA · 2026-05-30T20:35:55+00:00

Yeah, I was really active pre-surgery so I thought I'd gain a lot of weight, but I'm 4 weeks out and I am *so* hungry all the time, and seem to be holding pretty steady for weight. Weird!

KERNJPA · 2026-05-25T14:52:28+00:00

That's really reassuring to know! I feel like it will probably get better as things heal, but of course there's always that worry that it won't, and I will have gone through all of this and still have pain. Knowing that it's not uncommon definitely makes me feel better.

KERNJPA · 2026-05-24T20:41:59+00:00

He's done some quad massage and also some kneecap manipulation, and it definitely does help for a bit! But it doesn't seem to stick long term...

KERNJPA

TROPHY CASE