# Knee Brace - ACL Reconstruction



## Midman03 (Mar 12, 2018)

Hi all,

First post on the forum, long time reader. I started riding about 10yrs ago and just got back out on the slopes this season. Quickly picked it back up -- just like riding a bike, right? I've been out about a handful of times this season. I had ACL reconstruction surgery about 5 years ago. Completely tore my ACL, both meniscus, and fractured my kneecap all in one blow.

My knee hasn't been bothering me too bad while boarding, but as I get more comfortable riding again I am starting to ride harder and harder. I took a pretty good spill this past Sunday and my knee started to get real sore, which got me thinking if I should strap my brace on again. I have an Ossur Paradigm full cage brace that I used to wear when doing very physical activity. Made out of carbon fiber so can barely even notice it's on and does not restrict movement, just lateral movement. I am deciding if I want to wear this while riding, but it might hit my boots as it settles on the knee throughout the day.

If anyone has had knee surgery, what do you wear when riding? Would not be fun to go through that again should something bad happen.

Thanks!! Ride hard, ride safe! (P.s., saw the other post re: knee sleeves but didn't want to hack the OP's thread with this long question)


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Good to hear you're back. I'm 5 years after ACL reconstruction as well, and I wear DONJOY Legend SE-4 while riding. As my knee got slightly better in the recent years (or my leg muscles stronger), I was thinking about not wearing it anymore but I guess it's still better than nothing.


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## lottie (Mar 9, 2018)

Hi! Great to hear you're back! My father, who is an avid skier and grew up skiing whistler, hit a tree at Stratton five years ago going 63 mph. Needless to say he shattered his femur, pelvis, and tore everything in his knee. He’s back on skis for three seasons now and also wears the same Donjoy mentioned in the post above me. It doesn’t reach his boot and he finds it comfortable and super supportive. He’s had to all five years and it still looks new and does not shift at all throughout the day. They’re a custom brace company and really high quality.

Myself, I have a severely torn wrist that has had two surgeries— one experimental. It’s a total TFCC tear that cannot be fixed at this point but if it gets worse the joint gets removed and my wrist fused. Needless to say I went and bought some new, better wrist guards than the guard/glove hybrid I was previously wearing. Always better to have the support and protection.

Happy and safe riding to you and definitely check out the donjoy!


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## Midman03 (Mar 12, 2018)

The DonJoy mentioned seems to be the same type as my Ossur, if not, very close. Thinking of hitting Mt. Snow this weekend so I guess I'll try out wearing the brace and see how it feels. Nice to hear people with the similar injury have had positive experiences. Thank for the replies!


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## g3greg (Mar 6, 2018)

start weight training.. building everything around that knee will protect it in the long run.


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## GTDad (Feb 25, 2018)

I had bad crash last mar8 
60 %mcl tear
10% ACL tear
Tibial plateau compression fracture
4 months off work just barely avoided needing surgery.
Tons of rehab and physio I've 900 km on my mountain bike (northff shore Vancouver ) 2 dz days of boarding this season .
Not bad after not even a year .
I do however wear my custom ossur. Cti. Knee brace when boarding .( insurance policy).


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## kagiso8568 (Jan 28, 2019)

There are various factors which determine when to stop wearing the brace. But on an average one needs to wear the brace for at least 2 to 3 weeks after which the surgeon will decide when to discontinue the brace. Stick to your surgeon.


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## FreeBody (Jul 14, 2019)

*Making New Knee Brace, Need User Feedback*

I'm a student at San Diego State University. I am working on making an innovative new knee brace, but I need to talk to people who have had serious knee injuries or arthritis so that I know exactly what to build. If you would like to contribute to my research, email me at [email protected] or text me at (925) 285-9253. I'll give you a $5 gift card of your choice or venmo you.
Thank you if you decide to help me and I hope you have recovered from any ailments and are back doing what you love.
-Jason


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