The custom knee braces are useful for many reasons. The most common reasons are to correct alignment or stability of the knee. Therefore, the brace allows people to continue to be mobile and active despite their knee injury or pain. At PhysioNow, we have custom knee braces available from DonJoy, Breg and Ossur. A Registered Physiotherapist with training in knee braces will recommend and measure the brace that’s the most appropriate for the needs of the patient.
Types of Custom Knee Braces
There are different types of braces for different types of knee conditions. The custom knee brace needs to be specific to the condition for it to be effective. Some examples of the types of custom knee braces include:
Brace for ligament instabilities
The main ligaments of the knee that give the knee stability are the ACL, PCL, MCL and LCL. These injuries occur during sports or recreational activities where there is trauma or physical contact and overstretching of the structures occurs. These ligament braces help provide stability to the knee. These are commonly prescribed either before or after surgery for limiting the damage to an already injured area. These braces also help to avoid further complications from surrounding structures.
Rebound Knee brace
This brace is also known as a custom cartilage or unloader brace. It is specially made for offloading a structure or part of the knee that is damaged. These include the cartilage or menisci. The purpose of these braces is to allow improved weight bearing ability and increased activity tolerance.
Osteoarthritic custom knee brace
These braces follow the same principle as mentioned above, to unload the knee, especially when walking or during weight bearing activities. With arthritic joints, we often notice an unbalanced joint loading as the condition worsens. The brace helps in distributing equal weight and preventing excessive loading to the opposite leg. The counterforce provided by the brace helps remove tension on the structures underneath.
What are the benefits of a custom knee brace?
- Custom knee braces can help individuals with existing knee injuries and be beneficial in rehabilitation
- They can help improve quality of life so you can do what you love everyday by increasing stability and reducing the pain or stress on joints and other structures
- These braces can enhance the efficiency when bending, crouching, or lifting heavy weights by reducing joint compression and shock absorption during the movements
- Custom knee braces can assist the athletes and improve performance with increased stability and support through the knee
Fitting & Prescription of custom knee braces
It is advisable that patients wear the knee braces directly on their skin. However, occasionally it can cause irritation on more sensitive skin. But wearing it directly on your skin prevents the brace from sliding, which may interfere with its effectiveness.
Fortunately, there is usually health insurance coverage for custom knee braces. However, the exact coverage varies with individual plans. Therefore, at PhysioNow, we start with a consultation to go over your specific needs and recommend the best bracing option. We then do the measurements for the brace and send this information to the insurance company to determine how much coverage is available. A doctor’s prescription is usually required as well.
Don’t let your knee pain stop you from living your life. Call PhysioNow today to set up a consultation for a knee brace!
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