As anybody who has damaged their knee knows, it can be a frustrating process, going through physiotherapy and personal anguish in order to recover the ability that was previously lost after an injury. From the moment you sustain the injury, the whole rehabilitation process can takes years of your life, even after which you may still never fully recover the strength you had before it happened. Unfortunately, if the injury happens after adolescence, it is expected that the injury will develop into more difficult problem later on in life. For this reason it is vital that you take the necessary steps, as prescribed by your doctor, to allow your knee to heal as best as possible.
The benefits of a knee brace is that using one can help to improve the way your knee recovers and help to reduce specific stresses on the joint. Alternatively, knee supports are designed to help support a knee from further injury by increasing stability. If you are considering purchasing a knee brace, there are two main types available, depending on the specific usage you require.
A functional knee brace is used primarily to aid recovery from a particular injury such as a damaged anterior cruciate ligament. Functional knee braces are usually made from a type of rigid plastic and have supports for the thigh and tibia which are joined together by a hinge near the knee. This type of knee brace is designed to restrict certain movements and reduce the strain on the knee so that it is able to recover from an injury.
The idea behind prophylactic knee braces is a more pro-active view of possible injury. This type of knee brace is specially designed to work in conjunction with your knee as opposed to restricting it. With regards to certain sports that tend to put a lot of pressure on knee joints, these types of knee braces are supposed to help prevent injury by reducing the amount of pressure on the joints and cartilage, whilst not reducing movement capabilities.
Not every doctor or specialist will advise everybody to use a knee brace. The reasons for this are that there is no truly conclusive evidence to support the belief that knee braces, specifically the prophylactic knee brace, prevents knee injuries. In saying that, it has been shown that a prophylactic knee brace will not increase the likelihood of an injury, but as far as supportive evidence goes, that is about it. Functional knee braces have another argument associated with them. Some people will need them to help recovery, some will not. It could be said that the reduction in certain pressures on different areas of the knee could slow down the recovery rate in some patients, though there is no conclusive evidence to support this.
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