With the winter season just around the corner, it’s time to think about getting ready for all the fun winter sports to come along with the change in weather. While it is impossible to completely protect yourself, there are situations when the body needs external support for security and stability in order to heal following an acute injury, pre/post surgery, or to manage a chronic joint instability or arthritic condition.
That being said, it is important to always remember that you cannot substitute strengthening your extremities with just wearing a brace and to make sure that you also condition yourself before hitting the slopes. For example, seeing an Athletic Therapist or Kinesiologist for an individualized program for rehabilitation or general physical conditioning can be a good way to prepare for the season ahead.
When preparing for the winter season and you are considering a brace, it is important to choose the right brace to fit your needs and lifestyle. Here are a few options for braces that are excellent for winter activities and sports!
OSSUR REBOUND ROM
With multiple versions available, these braces are designed to serve the needs of a broad range of patients. Indications for use include mild to moderate ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL instabilities, patellofemoral issues, sprains and strains. Great features of this brace include:
- Breathability: 3-layer Cooltech™ fabric helps make this brace highly breathable, reduces heat retention, and dries ultrafast.
- Patella Support: A universal patella buttress that gives customizable patellar support for every knee shape.
- Control: Reversible, adjustable strapping allow this brace to have fine-tuned control and placement to reduce migration, improve support and motion control.
- Popliteal comfort: This brace is specifically designed to stretch in extension and relax back to its natural shape in flexion, minimizing popliteal bunching that causes skin irritation and discomfort.
- Stability: This brace has bilateral, rigid metal hinges for superb support and stability of the knee.
DONJOY REACTION WEB
This knee brace uses innovative web technology to provide shock absorption and helps disperse energy and shift pain away from the knee. It is a comfortable, easy to apply brace that has a custom-like fit around the knee. Indications for use include patellofemoral conditions, mild to moderate ligament instabilities, osteoarthritis, sprains and strains. This brace is also available in an OA version. Some unique features of this brace are:
- Web Technology: The elastomeric web design acts like a spring to absorb shock and shifts peak loads away from the painful area of the knee.
- Patella Control: Unique design provides dynamic stabilization of the patella on all sides and controls tracking to bring patella into proper positioning.
- Movement Comfort: This brace has dual-axis hinges that are flexible and provide energy dispersion of the knee.
- Customized-Fit: The four-way adjustable strapping creates uniform pressure and a better fit around many knee and leg shapes.
BREG FUSION OA PLUS
This brace is available in custom, osteoarthritis (OA), and prefabricated versions and is ideal for medial or lateral osteoarthritis, unicompartmental knee conditions, ACL, PCL, collateral ligament protection, chondral defect procedures, and meniscal procedures. Some features of this brace include:
- Unique OA Dial: Convenient thumbwheel dial hinge makes adjusting the level of off-loading easy on the go.
- Airtech® frame pads: The whole brace is lined with innovative windows and channels in the padding to allow moisture and heat to move away from the skin.
- Superior Fit: Custom-made to fit the knee and provide proform technology to allow a contoured fit and protection.
- Framework: High-grade aluminum blend frame that is the same material used for aircraft. This material allows strength while being very lightweight and durable.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, there are many different and unique options for knee braces. That being said, each individual has their own specific needs and it is important to get the right brace to suit your lifestyle. A specially-trained Orthopaedic Brace Fitter, like myself, can work with you to be a solution provider and ensure you receive the appropriate device that fits and supports you properly.
Don’t let an injury or condition keep you from the slopes this season. Orthoquest carries a great selection of braces from suppliers such as Ossur, Breg, Donjoy, POP, and more that will keep your knees protected even from the most demanding conditions this winter!
