Originally Posted by
NYMXer
I am not an expert but I have had a few knee issues due to a serious accident in '79. I have found that the more I stay away from knee braces and the more PT i do to strengthen my knee, the better off I am.
Braces help hold the knee stable, as do muscles, tendons and ligaments. If your joint is strong from exercise, there is no need for a brace. The brace will ultimately start a deterioration process that will result in PT, so get a head start now and consult a physical therapist for advice.
Either way, good luck with your problem and I hope you get it resolved.
Well, I agree with you about the knee strengthening and being able to make it strong again, but I disagree with you on the "deterioration process" and I'm living proof.
I tore my right ACL in 1973 when surgery wasn't really an option. I religiously wore a brace for all sports or when it was at risk. Two years ago, I was experiencing knee pain and was pretty sure it was a torn meniscus. It wasn't. Turns out it was another problem related to a misbalance in muscle groups causing the pain. My orthopedic surgeon did MRI's and XRays and told me that my knee was "pristine" other than missing the ACL. She says the literature seems to indicate that braces may not provide any clinical benefit in people like me, but she then said that are many "copers" like me who do find ways around it and that braces seem to often be part of the equation. According to her, she cannot tell without MRI's that there is a difference between my knees in terms of function (no deterioration).
J.