Any Specific Knee Brace Brand Recommendation?

[Lowell k]

I have mild arthritis, no major injuries, so just need a knee sleeve or brace. I will be covering 12 mi/day x 1 week and my knees get sore.

I have tried Shock Doc, P-tex, and Bauerfeind ($$), and they each bother the back of my knee after a while.

Does anyone have experience with a brand that they like a lot?

Thanks,

Lowell

 

[BlackHatGuy]

You might want to have a look at the book Pain Free by Pete Ecosgue. He recommends a series of exercises that are intended to bring the musculoskeletal body back into alignment, and cautions against using knee braces at all, since he feels that they further the issue of imbalance. FWIW.

[Matthew / BPL]

Have you tried Kinesiology Tape? I occasionally have patellar discomfort and my PT has showed me how to tape it and it’s quite effective for my specific problem.

[SIMULACRA]

Have done the KT myself and it works well. The only downfall is the strong adhesive versions leave heavy residue after removing and are painful to take off, if you’re hairy. -pull fast like a bandaid. Tried the Shock Doctor and Zensah. The Zensah, although the most comfortable, will slip and slide down almost immediately on any movement other than stationary, no matter the size. The Shock Doctors more or less stay in place but also give me pain after awhile.

@rubmybelly I’ll take a look at the book recommendation

[Chris FormyDuval]

I’ve had good luck with Cho-Pat Dual Action Knee Strap. Easy to put on/take off.

[jimmyjam]

I just use the Copperfit knee sleeve. I’ve torn my meniscus and had it trimmed. I have mild osteoarthritis. The Copperfit sleeve and strength building exercises are what my orthopedic surgeon recommended. He told me those knee braces with the rigid or mechanical type joint would actually make my knee weaker.

[Kevin Babione]

2nd the Cho-Pat Dual Action.  I did a 30-mile trip along the west rim of a canyon once where my left foot (canyon side) was consistently slightly lower than my right foot and by day 3 my left knee absolutel killed me any time I was descending.  On the flat or going uphill I was fine, but even the smallest incline downward resulted in pain that had me limping.  I wore the Cho-Pat on my next trip and had no issues.

[Lowell k]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try the KT, Cho-Pat and the Copperfit.

Lowell

[Matthew / BPL]

omg strong disagree on pulling KT tape off fast. I seriously think that tearing skin is a possibility. I usually just leave it on for a long time until it starts to come off and then peel slowly.

I have definitely shaved my knee in the past when I was having trouble and taping regularly. That helps.

[SIMULACRA]

omg strong disagree on pulling KT tape off fast.

@ matthew k

Yes, I mostly agree. However, I don’t like prolonging the inevitable. I found pulling with the hair direction as best as possible reduces most aggravation. After several days of hiking, sweat & dust will mostly start to peel it up anyways.

[Sam Farrington]

A friend gave me an elastic knit sleeve to wear backpacking, but can’t say whether it helped.

What did help was annual injections of compounds containing hyaluronic acid into the knee compartments using ultrasound.  These were brand named ‘Orthovisc’, ‘Synvisc’, and other names, done with three injections, a week apart.  They were very helpful.  Also tried ‘PRP’, meaning ‘Plasma Rich Platelets’, injected into the knee; but again am not sure if that was helpful.  And it was not covered by my insurance, so was expensive.

A friend also recommended ‘Doc Sleeves,’ that she said are very helpful.  They are sold on Amazon, and appear to be a hybrid between an elastic and a mechanical sleeve.

I did try the Cho-Pat years ago, and it did not help.

What also does help are exercises:  Hip Abductions (Jane Fonda’s), increasing the hold times; and Donkey Kicks, also increasing the hold times, to strengthen the muscles around the knees.  I cannot do leg raises lying on my back, often recommended, due to back issues.

[Stumphges]

A sleeve to keep your knee warm might give comfort, but no brace will give benefit proportional to its cost.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Another vote for the Cho-pat.

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