According to the National Library of Medicine, "Knee braces are considered to be extremely useful tools in reducing the sheer force of knee joints for non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention."
There are many reasons why you might need to use a knee brace to prevent knee injury. Athletes, trainers, and people in other careers that require working on your feet for long periods of time may be interested in purchasing a knee brace.
Let's take a look at the different factors involved in choosing a knee brace and what you need to know to find the best knee brace for you.
What Your Brace Is For
Choosing a knee support brace should be informed by what you are using the brace for.
If you have osteoarthritis in your knees, a knee brace is an effective tool to relieve pain. A brace will move some of the weight off of your knee and relieve the pressure that causes discomfort.
Knee braces can also slow the damage that is being done to the tendons in your knees. By relieving the pressure, the brace can reduce the amount of wear-and-tear on your knees.
You can also use these braces to prevent injuries like osteoarthritis. These injuries are common amongst athletes and many use knee braces for prevention.
Sometimes after an injury happens, surgery is required. Your doctor might then prescribe you a knee brace for your post-operation recovery. The brace will reduce the stress to your knee and make the healing process easier.
Whatever you are using your brace for, we know that the benefits to you will be worth it.
How a Knee Brace Can Help You
So how does a knee support brace actually work?
A knee brace provides support to the knee and surrounding area. This will redistribute pressure so it is not so intense on the affected area, protecting you from further harm.
Braces can also restrict movement, which is especially important when using the brace for recovery and pain relief. The limitation of vertical and lateral movement in the knee can help reduce stress to the ligaments and facilitate faster healing.
Your knee brace will provide the support and comfort you need to relieve pain and heal properly.
Factors In Choosing The Best Knee Brace
If you are prescribed or recommended a knee support brace, you shouldn't purchase the first one you see. There are many different kinds for many different purposes. There are a few factors you should consider when selecting a knee support brace.
How You'll Use It
The first factor is the intended use of the brace.
Are you an athlete hoping to improve performance and reduce harm to your body? Then you should be looking at prophylactic braces.
Many of these braces are designed for optimal performance in specific activities. If you're playing a sport, look at braces recommended for players of that sport. If you're just working out, look at ones recommended for the types of workouts you plan to do. There are lots of options.
If you were prescribed a brace to aid with an injury, you will want to be searching for functional braces. These braces will do the most to reduce stress and protect your knee from additional harm while it heals.
Support braces used for post-surgery recovery are called rehabilitative braces. These braces do the most to limit movement to keep your knee in the optimal position for a quick recovery.
Be sure to carefully consider what you are using your brace for before purchasing one to ensure you get the right brace for you.
What Is It Made Of?
Material is another factor to consider before selecting a knee brace. Most are made from neoprene, but there are other materials to consider and they are constructed in different ways.
This is related to the intended use of the brace because how you are using it may determine which material is best to use.
There are a number of different factors at play including durability and how the material handles moisture. Different materials may be more flexible than others, and depending on what you're using it for, you may want a brace that is more or less flexible.
What Do Other Users Think?
Finally, you want to read user reviews for the braces you are looking at. Perhaps the best way to understand a product is to read reviews from real people who have tried it out.
The best way to tell if a brace is the right one for you is to read reviews from people who have used it in the way you intend to. Especially if you are using the brace to recover from injury or surgery, you'll want to be certain the brace has aided in other people's recoveries as well.
For athletes, you should look for reviews from fellow players of your particular sport. You should also look for specific language about how the brace helped in their athletic performance.
The more positive reviews there are, the better the chances that the brace will be successful for your needs as well.
Contact Us
We hope that this information has been helpful to you and that you now feel more prepared to purchase the best knee brace for your needs.
Saverite is also a great resource for purchasing other medical supplies online, and we would love for you to contact us at any time with your questions!
