*photo courtesy of Poppy Pix via Shutterstock
Before we get into this, a quick caveat. I’m not talking here about specialist knee braces to support a specific condition – braces to support recovery or alignment that you might be recommended to wear via your knee surgeon or physiotherapist.
I’m talking about the soft tissue support knee braces you can pick up online or in your local supermarket, usually for somewhere between £20 and £70. Do they offer any real advantages?
Knee braces and osteoarthritis
In my experience, braces tend to be worn by two groups of patients. Osteoarthritis sufferers often wear strapping-type knee braces because they feel they offer a degree of comfort and support, or help to reduce swelling.
In truth, the jury is out as to the effectiveness of braces in achieving those things, but they’re not doing any harm. If you wear a brace and feel it’s working for you, there’s no problem in continuing to wear it.
Things are a little different for a second patient group.
Braces for sports injuries
If you’ve injured your knee playing sport, knee braces are no substitute for proper treatment and rehab.
I see this frequently in patients who’ve damaged their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A common symptom of an ACL tear is instability, the feeling that when you twist or pivot on your knee it gives way. For these patients, braces offer a psychological benefit – they feel as though their knee is better protected and sturdier than when not wearing the brace. But the truth is a knee brace won’t stop the knee giving way, potentially causing even greater damage.
Knee braces can’t take the place of good muscles or rehabilitation. If you place serious demands on an injured knee (skiing is a common one), a knee brace won’t prevent further injury.
Even post treatment, things aren’t dramatically different. If you’ve had an ACL reconstruction, completed your rehab and then return to the ski slopes, it’s the surgery and muscle-strengthening rehab that will help prevent reinjury, not wearing a knee brace. Again, the brace is a security blanket, and one that lots of patients who want to return to sport (and especially skiing) choose.
There’s even an argument to suggest that wearing a brace gives some wearers a false sense of security – a feeling that you can ‘get away’ with doing things you otherwise wouldn’t.
So if you choose to wear a knee brace as a reminder to go easy or to offer a little psychological support, well, fine. But if you’re carrying an injury and hoping the brace will act as armour, it won’t.
Instead, I’d recommend getting your knee checked out, to explore treatment options that really will make a difference. For that, please get in touch or call 01242 246549
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