You’ve seen them on everybody from skilled athletes to family and friends members recovering from knee accidents.
However can a knee assist brace or knee band really assist to scale back stress in your joint and alleviate ache? Right here’s what that you must know.
What Is a Knee Help Brace?
A knee band or knee brace is a supportive gadget worn on the knee to offer assist, stability, or ache reduction.
Knee braces are available a wide range of supplies, sizes, and designs. They could be worn instantly on the pores and skin or over clothes.
Whereas some knee assist braces are offered over-the-counter in pharmacies and specialty shops, others have to be custom-fitted by an authorized orthotist.
Typically talking, knee braces fall into one among two classes:
Sleeves
Usually fabricated from neoprene or a mixture of latex, nylon, and spandex, sleeves are sometimes utilized by athletes and on a regular basis recreationists.
Sleeves are cheap and straightforward to seek out, says David Jeter, MPT, COMT, proprietor of Acceleration Bodily Remedy in Spokane, WA.
However they supply little in the best way of stability and assist.
“The advantage of a knee sleeve is that it retains the knee heat, can provide some compression, and may really feel like it’s providing assist,” Jeter provides. “As you possibly can think about, although, your physique weight goes by that knee and the neoprene has nearly no potential to withstand that motion.”
Hinged Braces
Hinged braces are designed to supply extra assist to the knee than a sleeve, as they typically function adjustable straps, assist stays, and hinges.
The extent of assist a hinged brace affords relies on its rigidity, dimension, and development.
“A hinged brace is often used after a ligament harm or surgical procedure, comparable to an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction,” Jeter says.
Whereas the delicate tissues heal, the brace restricts or limits front-to-back and side-to-side movement.
What Are Knee Bands?
Knee bands, often known as patellar tendon straps, are widespread amongst runners, walkers, and weightlifters.
Extra minimalist than a typical knee assist brace, a knee band consists of a slim strip of fabric that wraps across the leg just below the kneecap.
Most embrace adjustable velcro closures and a few designs additionally embrace straps that match above the kneecap.
Knee bands are designed to be worn throughout bodily exercise.
The aim of the strap underneath the patella is to place direct stress on the patellar tendon, Jeter says, which can assist to scale back pressure on this tendon.
However whereas this may occasionally quickly assist with ache, it received’t deal with the underlying points inflicting that ache.
“I like to take a look at the leg as an entire and decide what elements are usually not performing their job such that the patellar tendon has extra stress on it,” Jeter says. “The answer is to repair the foundation of the issue.”
Execs and Cons of Carrying a Knee Help Brace or Band
If you happen to cope with knee ache or are recovering from an harm or surgical procedure, sporting a knee band or knee assist brace could also be helpful.
Nevertheless, it’s vital to seek the advice of along with your physician to find out which sort (if any) is most applicable for managing your knee ache.
Listed below are a number of potential advantages and pitfalls to sporting a knee band or brace.
PRO: Restoration
Following surgical procedure or an harm, a hinged brace can assist immobilize the knee joint in order that the broken tissues can heal.
Nevertheless, the general effectiveness of sporting a knee brace after ACL surgical procedure remains to be up for debate.
CON: False sense of safety
Whereas a hinged brace gives assist to a therapeutic harm, it’s not an alternative to a wholesome, absolutely useful joint.
Even the sturdiest hinge brace can’t fully restrict rotational motion.
“As a result of the brace is on the surface of the leg, there’s a great quantity of sentimental tissue between the brace and the bone,” Jeter says.
That rotational motion, mixed with side-to-side movement, may doubtlessly result in an ACL harm, Jeter provides.
PRO: Help
Carrying a knee assist brace — notably a delicate, sleeve-style brace — might assist people with knee ache, osteoarthritis, or a historical past of knee accidents really feel extra supported and assured of their motion.
CON: Treating the symptom
A knee brace or band might assist alleviate ache, however it received’t deal with the underlying subject that’s inflicting that ache.
And since it helps to reduce ache, chances are you’ll postpone looking for remedy for a knee harm, which may in the end make the difficulty worse.
PRO: Consolation
“A knee brace could make the knee really feel higher, and that’s vital,” Jeter says. “It won’t make the knee weaker, and it isn’t detrimental to put on, so if somebody feels higher in a single, put on it.”
Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless vital to speak to a medical skilled who can assist decide the reason for your knee ache.
