Knee brace

[cat]

I'm looking for a knee brace that could help my husband. He had a repair of a meniscal tear and the surgeon "cleaned" the joint out which left him with very little cartilage between his bones. His knee, ligaments and tendons are stable, but impact sports send him through the roof. We downhill ski and I am looking for a brace that would reduce the impact. He has had a second opinion and if he were older he would be looking at a replacement. Are there any suggestions out there that migh help my husband still ski?

[Heidi]

Hi

Yes, a good hinged knee brace should provide considerable relief and support for your husbands knee.
www.return2fitness.co.uk have a wide range of braces. The top of the range for cartilage problems and skiing is the McDavid 429.

[cat]

We will definitely look at that. Thanks!!!

[Aimless]

Hello!
Can you talk to your physician, or better yet a Sport Med doc about an offloader brace? It will help to literally lift the femur off the tibia a bit and help reduce the impact in the joint.
Best of luck!!

[JOR85]

Hi - I actually have a knee brace question myself, and since this is so close to the top, I figured I should ask here instead of starting another thread. I have some soft tissue issues in both knees, and while I'm happy to report that I am responding well to therapy, I still have trouble walking long distances (I live in NYC). I have McDavid braces that I use for exercising and such (mostly recumbant bikes), but I've noticed that these braces aren't really meant for long term daily wear (and the times I've tried begin to feel very uncomfortable after 4ish hours). So I was wondering if the people here could recommend a brace that I can put on at the beginning of the day and take off when I get home in the evening - something meant more for support during daily activities like walking and stair climbing etc... Thanks for any help!

-JOR

[Heidi]

Hi
What is your current brace like?
Is it hinged or stabilised? Does it have a neoprene sleeve?

[JOR85]

[QUOTE=Heidi;3367]Hi
What is your current brace like?
Is it hinged or stabilised? Does it have a neoprene sleeve?[/QUOTE]

It's a McDavid hinged brace, made of neoprene. Open Patella. It has the circular single-disc hinge. Like I said, good for when I'm exercising, but gets uncomfortable during long-term use.

[Heidi]

OK, so something like this:
http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Supports_And_Braces/Knee_Supports/md429knee

If you are looking for something for long term use and you find this uncomfortable, I would suggest going down a step in terms of support, to a stabilized one. This should be sufficient for day-to-day activities.
McDavid do a 421 knee brace which instead of the hinges, has some metal stays embedded int he material down the sides to support the knee. Most people find these more comfortable.
MD421:
http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Supports_And_Braces/Knee_Supports/md421patella

[ehonda]

in line with all the other questions above, which is more beneficial - an open patella or closed patella option? i've been told that a open patella is good to encourage good traction, but i'm not aware of the positives/negatives of using a closed patella brace.

[Heidi]

Hi
It depends on the injury.
Generally I advise on open patella supports as they help with tracking of the patella and generally are more comfortable on bending the knee.
Closed patella supports are only really beneficial in cases where a lot of kneeling is required, or if there is excessive swelling around the knee cap or an actual injury to the patella (such as a fracture).