# Knee Brace Recommendation



## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

I snowboarded with a bad rear knee for 2 seasons and it can be frustrating at times, you know its going to swell up so icing it afterwards is essential. As for Knee braces they are only as good as the hold they have on your upper and lower leg, they tend to slip around a lot. You really need a top $ one if you want it to have a chance of saving you from a bad twist in the wrong direction.
In saying that you sound like you aren't looking for lateral support, sounds more like you need to reduce swelling (ice) and do some physio to regain strength. Its amazing what a good knee workout can do for you. 

PS see you in Rusutsu this weekend!


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## onji (Jan 28, 2011)

Thanks for the input ETM. I've been trying to do some rehab on the knee, ice in the first 24hrs and then deadly hot baths every other day. And yeah it's my back knee too, so I've been forcing myself to do a bit more switch to give it a rest now and then.

Any ideas on what kind of exercises are good for strengthening the knee? I've been doing weighted squats & calf raises (which I think only works your quads and calves) but don't really know what will add to the muscle around the knee.

By the way I was at Rusutsu last Thurs, it was thigh deep and virtually no one in the tree runs, brilliant!


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## wkndwarrior (Dec 16, 2011)

your symptoms sound very similiar to mine. going down stairs and getting up and down out of chairs, in and out of cars can be really painful. but snowboarding itself doesnt hurt. i got an MRI which revealed a torn meniscus. i wear what they call a level 1 brace (from sports authority). the kind that you can slide right onto your leg, no velcro. keeps the knee warm but doesnt really restrict movement much. works well for me. costed like 16$.


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## photobetty (Jan 8, 2012)

onji said:


> Any ideas on what kind of exercises are good for strengthening the knee? I've been doing weighted squats & calf raises (which I think only works your quads and calves) but don't really know what will add to the muscle around the knee.


I had to rehab a knee injury a few years ago and worked with a trainer for a while. I don't have brace recommendations, but I can speak to the exercises. Doing a balanced routine of all the leg muscles will help tremendously! Working the quadriceps, hamstrings, inner/outer thighs, and GLUTES in addition to properly stretching everything regularly will help support your knees. It's amazing how much the glutes actually affect your knees as well. A common problem that leads to knee pain is that any combination of the lower-body muscles are out of balance. Leg extensions, both single-leg and double, hamstring curls, dead-lifts, leg press, are great exercises in addition to your squats and calf exercises. (My trainer has a ton of other exercises that are a little harder to explain in writing, but if you need other ideas I can try.) Also, I'm sure you know, but I'll remind you just in case - be careful not to extend your knees over your toes in your squats. And with any of these exercises, even if you can only do a partial range of motion, you'll still be working to strengthen the muscle. 

Post-workout stretching is just as important. For the classic standing quadriceps stretches, it's important to keep your knees aligned (i.e., don't pull on your ankle so that your knee points away from your body - keep it pointing down towards the floor, aligned with your standing leg's knee). Stretch each muscle for 30 seconds in a gentle stretch (no pain) and no bouncing. 

Feel better soon!


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## onji (Jan 28, 2011)

Nice one wkndwarrior. I've just made the decision today to see my ortho surgeon friend and I might get an MRI done. He had a quick look the other day (just hanging out, not an actual consultation) and he reckoned maybe it's the meniscus.

Thanks Photobetty! I'll add some of those to my workouts, I've just started lifting weights again today (pretty lightweight at the moment) and yeah I'm working what I can with the ranges that don't hurt for now. I've been pretty good with my stretches for post-workout.... But I sometimes forget pre-workout when I'm doing weights.


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## wkndwarrior (Dec 16, 2011)

im actually going to ride right up until the week i get my surgery, which is the week of 2/20. so i only have a few weeks left to ride this season. i may try to go out once in late march if im healed up. good luck to you.


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## photobetty (Jan 8, 2012)

onji said:


> I've been pretty good with my stretches for post-workout.... But I sometimes forget pre-workout when I'm doing weights.


That's good! According to my trainer, it's best to do a general warm-up (5 minutes on the treadmill, for example), strength training exercises, and then finish by stretching when your muscles are warmest and most pliable.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

One leg balance exercises. One leg squats. One leg balance ball.

Machines don't help with balance or muscles working together. They're built to isolate particular muscles.


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## BarrettDSP (May 10, 2009)

If you have health insurance you could be like me and tear your ACL 3 months ago and get a Don Joy brace. They make one specifically for snowboard/sking. These are the same ones you see many lineman in football wearing now. My insurance covered the bulk of the price for me but here is their site if you are interested. My doc has cleared me for my trip March 23-30 so I'm looking forward to how it holds up.

DonJoy Knee Braces, Ankle Braces and Supports - Welcome to donjoy.com


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## gjsnowboarder (Sep 1, 2009)

onji said:


> Nice one wkndwarrior. I've just made the decision today to see my ortho surgeon friend and I might get an MRI done. He had a quick look the other day (just hanging out, not an actual consultation) and he reckoned maybe it's the meniscus.
> 
> Thanks Photobetty! I'll add some of those to my workouts, I've just started lifting weights again today (pretty lightweight at the moment) and yeah I'm working what I can with the ranges that don't hurt for now. I've been pretty good with my stretches for post-workout.... But I sometimes forget pre-workout when I'm doing weights.


Until you get the knee checked out I would go light on any workouts and sport activities. If it is a torn meniscus it will be pretty easy to damage that padding further, nevermind if it is something worse. Think long term outlook and quality of life. Do let us know what the results of the MRI were. Always interested in these kind of details.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Ultra Cell Knee Braces :: Asterisk Knee Protection


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## onji (Jan 28, 2011)

@Grafta.... I've been mixing the one leg exercises in, it's wicked for working on your balance during resistance training. And I only use free-weights, not really into the machines. IMO isolation workouts help to make you look better, but don't translate so well into sports performance.

@Barret. Yeah I'm insured, on the NHS that Japan has (been living here about 2 years now). I'll ask around and see if a knee brace is covered. I'd love to have one, but off the shelf they're pretty expensive.


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## SnowRock (Feb 28, 2011)

Off the shelf they are very pricey.. the playmaker by DonJoy is more reasonable and definitely worth it if you need something, but it doesnt compare to the Defiance line . 

I myself am headed back to my ortho this week to get my knee checked out. I did the whole deal.. ACL/MCL and had that replacement back in 1996 and since had to have another scope to clean up the meniscus and some cartilage. Its my back leg and feels ok out there, but sometimes something just doesn't feel right, especially on backside turns going through chop and crud. I am hoping I can get a script from him so that my insurance will pick up a good portion of the cost for one of the higher end DonJoys.

Grafta makes a great point on exercises.. I don't have time to hit the gym right now with my current commute, so as part of a little mini home workout (push-ups, burpees, jog, etc) I have been doing my own balance ball work for my knee... you can do one leg curls and squats using the ball.


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## onji (Jan 28, 2011)

Dude, sorry to hear that you needed ACL and MCL replacement... So it is possible to get back into the sport after that kind of injury? I've been taking it pretty easy as I'd hate to have that happen. Did you do it riding?


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## Nomad14 (Mar 30, 2014)

I had torn my meniscus a few years ago and honestly believed it would never be the same. Then about a year ago, after considering doing another surgery, a friend of mine showed me this product called Triplicity. It totally worked for me. Maybe it will work for you. I think it can still be found at wickedhealthier.com
Good luck!


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

BarrettDSP said:


> If you have health insurance you could be like me and tear your ACL 3 months ago and get a Don Joy brace. They make one specifically for snowboard/sking. These are the same ones you see many lineman in football wearing now. My insurance covered the bulk of the price for me but here is their site if you are interested. My doc has cleared me for my trip March 23-30 so I'm looking forward to how it holds up.
> 
> DonJoy Knee Braces, Ankle Braces and Supports - Welcome to donjoy.com


My daughter had acl surgery last year and I got her a donjoy for when she thinks she's doing something that needs it. She went snowboarding for hte first time last week, started off without it, but put it on after about an hour. For her I think it's a security blanket, but she seems to feel comfortable and they are pretty unobtrusive.

Talk to the Drs and physical therapists and most will say the stuff you pick up from Dicks is garbage. True or not, who knows. You know how Drs who get free pens and coffee mugs from pretty medical equipment saleswomen can be.


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