Asterisk Knee Braces

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freeski1620

Active member
im 6'2 and 150 pounds and i have a torn ACL and miniscus left over from last season. i was skiing at CB today where we had 9 inches of new and i tweaked it for about the 5th time since i did it. this has brought to my attention that i need to do something to get through the season. the thing that i am realy interested in is the asterisk knee brace. so my question to you is if i get these are they going to work well for me. i like to ride park and have been told there bad for that. i also ride in rampages and am having trouble with the bottom of the brace clearing the top of my boot. i tried them on today and they were realy nice but i want to know what you think? also, do you think that it will be adjustable enough to clear the top of the boot?
 
I wore them for MX as well and they do work for skiing. I used them for 2 seasons and they work really well. You just have to keep them tight. Its good because it adds protection for your knee caps and stuff. I use Don Joy knee braces now and I like them better but Asterisk are solid braces.
 
ok. your knee is fucked and youre still skiing? think about it. your acl holds your bones in place. yours is gone, so your bones are moving a lot more than normal. the tops of your bones are covered with a nice substance called cartilage. this is what allows your knee to bend nicely without feeling catchy or hurting. guess what happens when you have all that extra abnormal movement going on? the nice slippery cartilage starts to wear down. otherwise known as osteoarthritis. when it's gone, your bones are literally rubbing together. does that sound fun? cause it's what you're gonna be working with in 5-10 years if you continue to ski without getting surgery on that knee. is it worth skiing a season half ass to either need knee replacement surgery at 25 or not be able to ski or be active ever again?

don't be an idiot.

braces will help slightly but are not a miracle fix. the best ones will be custom made, and can be modified so that the lower bar is shorter and fits above your boots. i have been extremely happy with my GII.

but talk to a doctor. don't put your lifelong mobility at risk for a season of painful skiing.
 
i wear those bad boys. Asterisks are awesome. I ride park, I ride everything, and I think they are sick. I have indeed broken one pair, but they warranty'd them. The adjustability is nothing that could help you clear the top of your boot though. that sounds like a perdicament...
 
to bad my orthopedic surgon told me that i was fine to keep skiing on it. he said as long as i could deal with it im fine. and i kinda trust him because he does the knees of the u.s. ski team. and skiing is kinda my life currently. yesterday was my 17th day skiing this season and were not even moving fast yet. i would seriously have nothing to do if i didnt have skiing, especaly next semester when i will be skiing hopefuly 5 days a week.

and can you link me to don joy.
 
are you really that lazy that you coulndt type

http://www.donjoy.com/

i mean even to just see if it worked....which it does. i have never had to use a kne brace, knock on wood, and i hope you are feeling better so you can get back into skiing the way you want, but come on, even try goggle, something.
 
I have to say, I think it's pretty foolish to not get acl surgery if you have insurance. Especially if you blew your knee last season. You could have had surgery in may or april and been almost fully recovered by now. Instead you're gonna be skiing half-assed on a shitty knee that will probably blow out on you again. I know alot of people kill it without ACLs, but that really should be a last resort option.
 
thanks for being a jerk, i didn't find out till the end of august so if i would have got it then i would have kissed most of my season good bye. like i said, im gettng surgery in late may early june. as soon as im home from school/
 
17 days without an acl and without a brace? Awesome...

It's interesting to think that I had predicament as you a couple of years ago. My life was also skiing, and the prospect of not being able to do so for a whole season was pretty tough to think about. I was also counting on skiing for my job, as well as performing at a relatively high activity level for many of my university courses. My doctor, who operates on the knees of the Canadian National Alpine Team (Dr Mark Heard), told me the opposite of what yours said. I have also personally done a lot of research into this area (I'm 2 weeks away from graduating with a kinesiology athletic injury degree). The excess movement WILL give you osteoarthritis. The only question is, how soon will it happen?

I made the decision to take a season off and get completely rehabilitated before going back to skiing. Yes, it was extremely difficult. I was depressed and angry and it all around changed my life for close to a year. But I'm so glad I did it. Now, I can look forward to continuing my active lifestyle and skiing for the rest of my life (not counting other injuries that I will incur, but thats another story). I put in the time to fully regain my strength and range of motion, and now skiing without a brace feels just as great as before I got hurt! Also, the year off let me put more time into school, which will hopefully allow me to pursue a master's of physio in the near future.

I don't want you to think that I am criticizing you in any way. I fully understand how you are feeling and the choice you have ahead of you. But I recommend asking maybe your physio or a different doctor for advice. This decision is huge. Remember, you only have one body, and it has to last you the rest of your life. You're not indestructable, and not everything can be fixed. Yes, improvements in treatments for different joint problems have been made, and will continue to do so. But don't bank on that to keep you skiing through the next 30 years.

Good luck.
 
im not a doc, but trust, if you wear braces with out an ACL you will be fine. You HAVE to make sure you wear a brace because without your ACL you will tear more meniscus. I ruptured my ACL, tore my MCl and PCL, and tore the meniscus away from the bone so they had to sew it down. So im not a doc, buy I kinda know what im talking bout here.
 
i use a Breg Fusion, and that works well, but it's not as stable as it sounds. i still popped my knee a few times wearing it. both me and my sister skied for a half season w/out ACLs, but that doesn't mean it's the right idea. i know i couldn't ski the way i normally did, and i sure ass hell wasn't able to ski tele. I'm paying for it now because i fucked my meniscus even more and they had to cut most of it out. if you're anything like me you won't listen to a word I'm saying. and if you can, take it easy after surgery. i stretched the graft trying to up my exercises (leg raises w/ 10 lb. weights 2 weeks post op is a bad idea) and now my knee is a bit lose. i know i couldn't take waiting, so i wouldn't blame you if you can't. but i can tell you i wish i did.
 
i rode crested butte today, with my asterisks. i am 3 months out of meniscus repair and i love the braces. They help so much and are well worth every penny. In fact, i am wearing them right now as i am typing this.

Message me if you have any questions
 
as much as that sounds like a good idea now, i think its a bit to late unfortunately. im gonna be out riding tomorrow ben if you see me lets talk!
 
I'm not trying to be a jerk, i know how hard your situation is. I blew my acl on oct 29th this year, so i've faced the same decisions. Just trying to explain my reasoning.
 
I was just wondering how long some of you waited to start jumping again after surgery. I had most of my meniscus removed September 5th and did three weeks of physical therapy and was cleared by the doctor. I have been taking it easy and wearing a knee brace doing just rails and cruising but no jumps just to let my knee gain a little more strength

thanks
 
two years ago at high north turpin was wearing them

he probably still does

so they clearly dont hold you back from performing well in the park
 
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