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Exploring the Different Types of Knee Braces and Their Uses

Can a knee brace relieve discomfort, provide support, and expedite recovery for individuals recovering from an injury or surgery?

Knee Brace

A knee brace is a medical device that supports and stabilizes the knee joint to help with pain and recovery after an injury or surgery. Many knee braces are made of various materials and offer a range of support levels. A healthcare provider or physical therapist can recommend the appropriate one for your condition and suggest the best one. Ask a healthcare provider if you’re unsure, as wearing a knee brace correctly and for the recommended time is important for healing. They are generally safe. However, individuals with health conditions such as poor circulation should be cautious when using them and consult their healthcare provider.

What They Do

The knee joint comprises bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. A knee brace stabilizes these structures, preventing them from moving too much or too fast. Some braces redistribute the knee joint’s weight, decreasing the force the knee absorbs. (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2020)

Conditions

A knee brace is used after surgery to aid in healing and following an injury. This can be:

  • Sprain
  • Ligament injury
  • Patellar/kneecap dislocation

They are also used to support the knee and relieve pain from some chronic conditions including: (Sprouse R. A., McLaughlin A. M., & Harris G. D. 2018)

  • Tendonitis
  • Patellar tendinopathy
  • Chondromalacia patellae
  • Patellofemoral stress syndrome
  • Medial knee osteoarthritis

Types

Knee braces differ in function and support level. Some stabilize the knee, while others completely immobilize the joint. A healthcare provider and/or physical therapist will explain what support is needed and how to use it. They can also check the brace’s fit and determine if adjustments or a different size are required.

Most Commonly Used

Prophylactic Brace

Unloader

  • This brace helps rebalance the weight and shift the pressure on the knee joint to other parts of the leg, reducing pain. (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2020)
  • A knee unloader is typically used to control discomfort due to inflammatory conditions like tendonitis and osteoarthritis.

Functional

  • This brace limits motion in the joint after an injury or prevents dislocation.

Bledsoe Brace

  • This brace has straps to wrap around the thigh and shin and support brackets on the inside and outside of the knee joint.
  • A small mechanism locks the knee into full extension or allows the knee to bend a specific amount.

Knee Immobilizer

  • A knee immobilizer keeps the knee in one position.
  • It is a long cloth brace that runs the length of the shin and thigh.

Knee Brace vs Knee Support

A knee support or sleeve is usually a tight-fitting fabric garment. It provides compression to help reduce swelling and discomfort. A knee brace offers more support and can also be set to limit mobility.

Wearing The Brace

Individuals may need to wear a knee brace all day or only when performing specific tasks and operations. It depends on the individual and the condition the brace is being used for. Some may only need to wear a knee brace during certain activities or a flare-up of pain. (Mayo Clinic, 2022) Wearing a brace for unnecessarily long periods can cause skin abrasion, joint stiffness, and muscle atrophy. (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2020) Conversely, neglecting to wear it can cause more susceptibility to injury or extend and or impair healing time. Ask a healthcare provider when you should and should not wear the brace. This could be when:

  • Sitting
  • Walking
  • Driving
  • Sleeping
  • Stretching

Contraindications

Some medical conditions can make an individual susceptible to injury and adverse effects from wearing a knee brace. These include: (Holden, M. A. et al., 2021)

  • Poor circulation
  • Superficial wounds on the knee
  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • Arterial insufficiency
  • Severe varicose veins
  • A history of thrombophlebitis

Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic

If you have one of these conditions, a healthcare provider will decide if a knee brace is safe. Injury Medical Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Clinic works with primary healthcare providers and specialists to build optimal health and wellness solutions. We focus on what works for you to relieve pain, restore function, prevent injury, and help mitigate issues through adjustments that help the body realign itself. They can also work with other medical professionals to integrate a treatment plan to resolve musculoskeletal problems.


Best Knee Injury Chiropractor


References

American Academy of Family Physicians. (2020). Knee Bracing: What Works? https://familydoctor.org/knee-bracing-what-works/

Sprouse, R. A., McLaughlin, A. M., & Harris, G. D. (2018). Braces and Splints for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions. American family physician, 98(10), 570–576.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019). Knee pain: how to choose the right knee brace for your child. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/sports-injuries/Pages/Knee-Pain-and-braces.aspx

Mayo Clinic. (2022). To brace or not to brace: What’s the best answer? https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/to-brace-or-not-to-brace#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20early%20onset%2C%20mild%20arthritis,below%20the%20knee%20for%20compression%20and%20comfort.

Holden, M. A., Callaghan, M., Felson, D., Birrell, F., Nicholls, E., Jowett, S., Kigozi, J., McBeth, J., Borrelli, B., Jinks, C., Foster, N. E., Dziedzic, K., Mallen, C., Ingram, C., Sutton, A., Lawton, S., Halliday, N., Hartshorne, L., Williams, H., Browell, R., … Peat, G. (2021). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of bracing in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis management: protocol for a multicentre, primary care, randomised, parallel-group, superiority trial. BMJ open, 11(3), e048196. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048196

Get Relief for Your Spine & Back with Simple and Effective Exercises

Can individuals incorporate these simple but effective exercise routines to reduce pain and discomfort in their spine and back?

Why It’s Important To Keep The Back Mobile

When many individuals are dealing with back pain from their upper, middle, and lower portions, it can put a halt to a person’s routine. When back pain becomes present, it causes the person to find a comfortable place like a couch or a bed and lie down. However, this can cause more issues than the original one, affecting the individual. Back pain is a common worldwide problem and is the leading issue of disability associated with a high socio-economic cost. (Chou, 2021) Additionally, when a person is dealing with back pain, they are also dealing with degenerative issues that are also affecting their spines, thus causing problems to their joints, discs, and bones. (Hauser et al., 2022) This is because back pain is a multifactorial musculoskeletal disorder that can cause referred pain to different body locations. So when a person dealing with back pain rests, it can become an issue as inflammation builds up and swelling in the affected areas. Hence, many doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and spine specialists recommend keeping mobile to allow blood flow and the body’s natural healing response to reduce pain and speed up recovery. Since back pain relief is challenging through visceral-somatic disturbances, it is important to find various treatment options to aid the person’s specific condition. As a person goes to get treatment for their back pain, it is important to note that the causes of their back pain can help determine which exercises can be most effective within their treatment plan. We associate with certified medical providers who inform our patients of the benefits of incorporating simple but effective exercises for their back pain. While asking important questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to integrate an exercise routine to reduce the chances of environmental factors causing back pain to return. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., envisions this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.


Understanding Academic Low Back Pain- Video


Effective But Simple Exercises For The Back

Many people often wonder, “If I am dealing with back pain, why should I exercise to reduce this pain?” The answer is simple: since the affected back muscles are tight and weakened, simple but effective exercises can help recover. Exercise therapy can help increase muscle-joint strength in the body while improving muscle function and increasing range of motion. This boosts a speedy recovery and allows the individual to return to their usual activities. (Hayden et al., 2021) At the same time, with a customized treatment plan, exercise therapy can incorporate other non-surgical treatments with one goal: to restore normal musculoskeletal function and reduce the pain caused by environmental factors, diseases, or injuries. (Karlsson et al., 2020) Now, depending on the severity of the back pain, there are simple but effective exercises below to help reduce the pain and restore mobility to the back.

Physical Therapy & At-Home Workouts

Physical therapy and at-home exercises can help many individuals with back pain. They can help figure out which position can help centralize the pain and correct any restricted motions. Many physical therapists incorporate the McKenzie method to strengthen and support the spine while decreasing pain and inflammation. At-home exercises can be combined with a series designed to be practical, assessable, and feasible for therapeutic gain or even to improve physical capacity to maximum effort. (Quentin et al., 2021)

Water Exercises

Water exercises are amazing exercises that can help lessen the body’s weight to take pressure and stress off the spine. This is because water is supposed to help cleanse and rejuvenate the body. When individuals are experiencing chronic back pain, aquatic physical therapy can help relieve pain intensity, relax the aching muscles, and even promote a positive workout experience for the individual. (Ma et al., 2022) After a few consecutive sessions, many individuals can see improvement in pain intensity and restored mobility function in their routines.

Tai Chi & Stabalizing Exercises

Now, another simple and effective exercise routine can help stabilize the surrounding muscles in the back and spine and become effective as part of a health and well-being routine. Tai chi and Qigong practices can help the individual emphasize stillness and controlled movements to promote calmness, resilience, body awareness, and relaxation for proper body alignment. (Yang et al., 2024) Tai chi and Qigong can also help support immune function in the body while regulating inflammation, which can help reduce and prevent diseases. (Oh et al., 2020) At the same time, yoga can help improve flexibility, mobility, and stability within the muscles and joints while also improving spinal alignment, which can help many individuals have proper posture. (Zhu et al., 2020) Depending on which exercise a person prefers for their treatment plan and to reduce their back pain; it is important to make these small changes to achieve optimal results. Making these small changes can help many individuals reduce the chances of their back pain returning and help them along with their health and wellness journey.


References

Chou, R. (2021). Low Back Pain. Ann Intern Med, 174(8), ITC113-ITC128. https://doi.org/10.7326/AITC202108170

Hauser, R. A., Matias, D., Woznica, D., Rawlings, B., & Woldin, B. A. (2022). Lumbar instability as an etiology of low back pain and its treatment by prolotherapy: A review. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil, 35(4), 701-712. https://doi.org/10.3233/BMR-210097

Hayden, J. A., Ellis, J., Ogilvie, R., Malmivaara, A., & van Tulder, M. W. (2021). Exercise therapy for chronic low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 9(9), CD009790. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009790.pub2

Karlsson, M., Bergenheim, A., Larsson, M. E. H., Nordeman, L., van Tulder, M., & Bernhardsson, S. (2020). Effects of exercise therapy in patients with acute low back pain: a systematic review of systematic reviews. Syst Rev, 9(1), 182. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01412-8

Ma, J., Zhang, T., He, Y., Li, X., Chen, H., & Zhao, Q. (2022). Effect of aquatic physical therapy on chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 23(1), 1050. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05981-8

Oh, B., Bae, K., Lamoury, G., Eade, T., Boyle, F., Corless, B., Clarke, S., Yeung, A., Rosenthal, D., Schapira, L., & Back, M. (2020). The Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on Immune Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicines (Basel), 7(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines7070039

Quentin, C., Bagheri, R., Ugbolue, U. C., Coudeyre, E., Pelissier, C., Descatha, A., Menini, T., Bouillon-Minois, J. B., & Dutheil, F. (2021). Effect of Home Exercise Training in Patients with Nonspecific Low-Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168430

Yang, Y., McCluskey, S., Bydon, M., Singh, J. R., Sheeler, R. D., Nathani, K. R., Krieger, A. C., Mehta, N. D., Weaver, J., Jia, L., DeCelle, S., Schlagal, R. C., Ayar, J., Abduljawad, S., Stovitz, S. D., Ganesh, R., Verkuilen, J., Knapp, K. A., Yang, L., & Hartl, R. (2024). A Tai chi and qigong mind-body program for low back pain: A virtually delivered randomized control trial. N Am Spine Soc J, 20, 100557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xnsj.2024.100557

Zhu, F., Zhang, M., Wang, D., Hong, Q., Zeng, C., & Chen, W. (2020). Yoga compared to non-exercise or physical therapy exercise on pain, disability, and quality of life for patients with chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0238544. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238544

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