Let's talk knee braces

rudager

rudager

Active member
Howdy,

I'm in the market for a knee brace, not really thinking heavy duty or anything here, but something that I can wear skiing, as well as at the gym.

Roughly ten years ago, I hyper extended my right knee, and it hasn't been the same since. Over the years, it's just been taking more and more of a beating, more strains, more pain.

I've been fine for the past seasons, letting the thought of a brace rattle around my head, but never really looked into anything.

I've skied in a light brace before, and as much as it could have just been a placebo affect, I felt more supported when it came to skiing.

I didn't really have any concerns until my knee gave out squatting (proper, deep, comfortable weight, and last set).

This incident caused me to worry a little more about its condition, hence why I want to look into a brace.

And what better place to turn to then Newschoolers!

A place full of youth and veterans who have pulled, torn, tared, and repaired (may have a made up word in there) their way (knees) through life.

So, who's wearing what out there? (On hill/off hill)

 
i tore my acl and my doc said knee braces are worthless to protect your acl. If you put the right shearing force on the knee, the acl will tear, brace or not. not to say they aren't completely useless, id imagine that they'd protect the knee in the event of a contact, ie falling on a rail or getting hit in the knee by a linebacker. the boost to your mental game is probably the biggest value of a brace
 
in my experience, strengthening has helped way more than braces have. my acls and mcls are gone in both knees and ive been able to strengthen the shit out of my legs enough to ski at about 95%. Lots of squats, deads, hip thrusts and explosive stuff like cleans, jump squats, and box jump, along with single leg stuff.

obviously this isn't recommended and i'm definitely not a doctor but it's worked for me and i don't need any bracing.
 
^word

strengthening is the best thing you can do for your knees. if your legs are built like tree trunks the surrounding muscles will help prevent any ligament tears. definitely worth the work to avoid the shittyness that is tearing an acl. if you're fortunate enough to have healthy knees, my professional phd opinion is that you should work out even if you think workin out is for chads because blowing a knee isn't that awesome
 
Thanks for the replies, and thank you for the link.

I haven't gone to any kind of physio yet, so I don't know what the professionals souls say/recommend.

Strengthening is what I'm working towards first. Get my legs built back up, through everything that is mentioned above by Jeff.

Then come regular ski season, I'll see how the knees react to their regular skiing routines.
 
Not always, but the most common failure is rotation while you're fully extended or hyper extended. Knee braces can limit your extension, IMO reducing the likelihood. It's all about confidence though, if you're confident without one, don't wear one.
 
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