Dan Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 My knees are kind of screwed up from running in high school and college; I've used knee braces for snowboarding off and on, but haven't felt a need to use them for the past couple of years. I was glad to be riding pain-free without them: they're kind of bulky, and my riding buddies always b*tched about the smell on the car ride home. (I can't really blame them for that, to be honest -- they get pretty heinous after a day on the slopes.) But today I have some pain in my front knee, and I'm thinking about digging out the braces, at least for my leading (left) knee. Anyone else use knee braces? Any issues with only using them on one side? Any physical therapy ideas to make my knee stop hurting? (I know, I know, not enough information to make a diagnosis, but I'd be interested to hear about things that worked for you.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kex Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 I dont wear a brace, but my dad does when he boards. He tore his ACL and medial meniscus(i think?) a few years ago and never had surgery to correct it. As a result he doesn't ski anymore because of the independent leg motion, however he still boards because with both legs locked into the same object, it seems to help offer a little more stability. Oh, and his brace has the metal bars on the sides that prevents the knee from bending in any direction other than what it is supposed to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csquared Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 I used to experience considerable pain in my knees as it got later in the season. Eventually I determined that this was patella femur pain syndrome attributable to the knee cap being pushed off center by over-development of certain leg muscles associated with riding. A physiotherapist friend showed me some exercises that develop other muscles to balance the over-developed ones but who has the time for such things? Eventually I bought a pair of those Dr Scholl neoprene knee braces and this resolved the problem very effectively. They keep the knee cap where its supposed to be so that it can't be pushed off center. They also keep everything nicely composed and tightly compacted in the knee area and keep everything warm and moist which reduces the chance of injury. The braces get a bit skanky after several uses but you can just throw them in the wash. Best of all, it wouldn't cost much to check them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioCarver Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yeah- I wear knee braces. Once in awhile on my front, all the time on my rear. I had ACL replacement on my front 18 yrs ago. Also ACL replacement on my rear knee last spring. It is a big bulky Donjoy brace, but I don't feel comfortable or confident without it on. BTW- in my family we have 7 (I think) knee surguries and all were from skiing. We grew up ski racing USSA so it was a nice switch for me to go to carving boards. So honestly, I think its choice. Mine doesn't hurt at this point but I think its more of a mental confidence thing. Good luck to you- hope you find a solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Oooh, don't make me think about my knee. Right now, I wear a soft brace on the front. I should probably have it looked at (again), but I'm avoiding it. Two years back, last run of the year, bottom of the mountain, I hit a slush patch and my board just stopped. Instead of falling, I stupidly tried to keep my balance. My upper body lurched over the nose of my board, but my knee stayed in place. It only hurt for a few days--then I was in a car accident months later that reaggravated it. It hasn't been the same since. Funny, the doctors couldn't figure out how I hurt my knee that way in the car accident. But since the accident insurance was paying out, I didn't fess up about the prior snowboarding incident. The webs we weave... Moral of the story--take care of those knees! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shrederjen Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I wear a soft knee brace on my back knee. (had meniscus trim few years back). You can get them at walmart for $18 or so. I feel funny when I don't wear it riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I used to wear a brace; rear (right) leg, with a triple PCL reconstruction + MCL tear. I don't think there is any issue with using only one brace - snowboarding is so asymmetric anyways. Maybe there would be an issue if you walked around with one brace on all the time, but not snowboarding. You're right - not enough info to make diagnosis. There are a million different reasons your knees might be hurting :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy T. Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I wear one of the neoprene ones on my back leg only because that knee bothers me sometimes. As far as it smelling, try wearing it on top of your long johns. That is what I do and it stays in place well and does not get all sweaty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 none, and I ruptured/repaired my left quadricep tendon in 2001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortcutToMoncton Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Soft knee pads/braces on both knees; also great help when you skid out on this East Coast corduroy-skating-rink ice. I've got an impressive case of Osgood-Schlatter disease and my rear (right) knee has a fairly impressive bone outgrowth on it, which has a bone chip at the top that just hasn't seemed worthwhile to have surgery on. I always find that they shift around on my knees too much however, and I've never been able to find a size that fits me without feeling life my circulation has been cut off. I've got small joints and relatively big legs, so things "fit" oddly (e.g. hard boots are too tight at the top, too loose around the ankles). I've taken to wearing a regular pair of shorts to the mountain, with long soccer socks. From a warmth-wise perspective it's probably not the best, but I've got decent pants and I find it really helps when your pants aren't all squished around in your boots, etc. etc. greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanZ Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 so glad I don't have any knee issues, that is one joint I never want to see go. I have a lot of friends with various knee injuries from sports, and they just can't do a lot of things without wearing a brace, I feel sorry for you guys with knee pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 My daughter had her knee injured by an out of control skier a few years ago. She likes to wear the neoprene brace, but her orthopoedic specialist says they're mostly psychological unless there's some rigid bracing in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullwings Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 i wear the mcdavid level 2+ on both knees. it feels good. I think my back leg can probably do without it, but my front leg definitely needs it after 2 arthroscopic surgeries and 1 surgery for for driving my Ti-rod into my leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valsam Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Since 1991 when i started skiing i whore hard construct knee braces on both my legs because of 3 surgeries that i had on both my knees 1)front ACL,2)Back PCL on the same knee, 3)front ACL and meniscus on the other knee all from playing basketball over 15 years! When i skied the pain and the swelling on my knees was horrible so after 5 years of skiing i switched to alpine snowboarding because a friend of mine who alsaw had ACL surgery told me that the pain and swelling was allot less! And true he was! I still wore reinforced neoprene knee braces up until 2 weeks ago when for the first time i forgot them a home! And the feeling not wearing anything on my knees was unbelievable,i felt free and light! I think the only good they did was psychological! After a day of snowboarding my knees still hert and swell a bit but with or without the braces it's the same but the sweling on my calves (they look like a bodybuilders calves)after wearing those neoprenes for 7-8 hours was the worst! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdietz Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Had my left knee scoped a few years ago from several minor cumulative injuries. Used to moto-cross as well as road race and picked up a pair of Thor double articulated knee protection (hard plastic outer with removable padding and 4 straps). I've tried them on the board and they are comfortable and surprisingly supportive. I do like them towards the end of the day when my legs are spent. Swelling is much less and the next day they do not hurt nearly as much. I'm a proponent of braces but they are not a must. I do think the psycological effect is real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaskins Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I slammed into a fence skiing a while back and my knee was killing me until I got the neoprene brace pictured to the right. It has metal arms and a joint on each side, and provided a lot of relief. Helped me recover without having to lay off skiining. When I broke my freaking leg and the Doc(s) misdiagnosed it as "possible soft tissue damage", the neproene brace did not provide much comfort, so I got a set of Asterisk Cell braces, the red and black ones in the picture. I only used the left one, and, wow, a lot of relief from the pain. Can't move the knee but in the direction it is supposed to move in. I wore it when the pain and swelling was kinda bad. I was going to go thru the process of getting it attached to my boot so that I could get back on my ski's, but then I finally got the correct diagnosis - broken leg (vertical fracture). I then proceeded to wear the neoprene one for about 2 months, and yes, it still stinks to this day 2 years later. I am keeping the Cells for when my next knee injury happens:eek:. A lot of skiers and moto people use these. They articulate very well and don't let your knee joint wander. Not too bulky, they fit under the pants I normally wear. You feel invincible in them:eplus2: Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 As far as it smelling, try wearing it on top of your long johns. That is what I do and it stays in place well and does not get all sweaty. Duh, why didn't I ever try that before? Thanks Randy, I'll give it a shot! Edited to add: Damn Rick those Cells are some beefy braces! Are they prescription or over the counter? I do have some prescription braces -- they're neoprene, but with a rigid plastic guide to force the kneecap to move correctly. I got them in college when I was hellbent on continuing to run, but running with them really sucked. Thanks all for the feedback so far -- I think I'm going to go with one brace, on the front leg only, over my long johns, and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I had a knee injury skiing years ago making 'that' knee seem weaker & always tire sooner than the other. I tried a Compression Knee Brace (looks like Ace Bandage material, made specific to your leg circumference) to see IF it would help. By the second day out I realized that my 'bad' knee was feeling better than my good knee I went back to the Pharmacy and purchased another Compression Brace for the other knee, and have been using them ever since . Neil G., "her orthopoedic specialist says they're mostly psychological unless there's some rigid bracing in there". It 'may' be 'mostly' psychological, but it works for me also, and NO one could ever convince me that they do not help me. Like a lot of other 'tools' we use in life, they may not be required, but if they add support, keep my knees from tiring as fast (more time on the snow) keep the swelling down and I can be riding the next day instead of resting sore knees, for less than $20 a pair, I'm there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman0177 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Yeah- I wear knee braces. So honestly, I think its choice. Mine doesn't hurt at this point but I think its more of a mental confidence thing. I am the same. I don't NEED to wear them, but usually I do. It's a confidence thing. But also I find that it takes the strain off my legs generally, so leaves more fuel in the tank for longer/harder riding. If you are coming to SES, one of my mates is planning to come along and he actually designed and produces a pretty amazing brace. I'll introduce you and he might even have a couple you can trial. This is a photo off their website cos I don't have mine to hand so I can take a pic for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaskins Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Dan, Asterisk: http://www.asterisk.com/ Over the counter. Any compression bandage will keep the area from swelling and retaining water. A neoprene knee brace may make your knee feel better just due to that at the end of the day. But, compression also can reduce blood flow to the area compressed - that is what compression sleeves are used for in surgery and etc. So compresson neoprene braces may have a plus/minus effect (outside the smell factor). I know that my neoprene brace helped to stabilize my knee when it was injured and reduced the swelling and pain and I just walked and ran thru my recovery period. my 2 cents. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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