Hi all. I know that question is highly dependent on why you would need a brace in the first place. I probably have it all at this point though so if you have any suggestions just throw them out there, it would be appreciated.

I'm looking for something that would relieve stress on the patella/kneecap, or help it to track right.

Also, does anyone think this would help? Supposedly it presses on the tendons just above and below the patella to minimize the mechanic force of your quadricep and whatever the muscle in in your shinbone.

It's a cho-pat dual action knee brace.

cho pat dual action knee .6.jpg

That's obviously good for running. Any experience with it biking?

Should work fine for the bike.

I am not so sure about for cycling in particular, but if your looking for something to support your patella and help it track right, I would suggest a neoprene 'J' brace. I am not sure how that brace you showed will help with lateral patellar movement.


I know you can get them without the strap as well to make it a little less cumbersome. It is going to be somewhat restrictive though. I had one that I wore under my huge bionic leg brace when I wrestled in HS because I tore all the Vastus Medialis muscles that hold your knee cap in place wrestling. So, I used the combination of braces to semi-hold it in place while finishing out my season to have surgery. Bad knees are why I am currently trying to get into cycling. You can actually buy one about a size too small and cut out a nice vertical diamond shape out of the back of it to allow more flexibility of your knee and reduce irritation.

Is this from a specific injury?

Sorry the pic is so large, anyways, you can see the 'J' built up along the side of the patella and it cups under the patella as well. They actually make them to keep your patella from tracking in or out, whichever direction is bothering you.

One other option is a 'U' brace. Same thing, but your protected on both sides of the knee with a full cup.

I've apparently always had poor tracking. I used to run, alot, twice a day. In the process I really shredded my cartilage under my patella. I still have my trochlear cartilage, which is the cartilage on the leg bone.

Funny thing is that cartilage has no nerves, but bones have a lot of nerves. So I really didn't know that I was damaging my knees so much running until I got some pretty major tendinitis in my quad and went in for an MRI last week. So I found out that this is going on.

So there isn't TOO much that I can do for myself in terms of healing the cartilage. However I want to bulk up my legs biking in preparation for what might be an extended rehab after surgery. The bigger my legs the easier it will be.

So that's what this is all about. Until recently I've always thought that braces that are supposed to keep you knee in line are bull****, especially for running, since the mechanics of your knees must absorb more than 10x your body weight. What piece of cloth is going to counter that force- and if it did it would break your kneecap.

However for cycling it seems like there isn't as much force being driven through the knee. Just more repetitive motion (at 100rpm). So with less flex, maybe there's more of a chance to stabilize the knee.

The above brace that I mentioned has the benefit of cutting off the force of your quad to your kneecap by pinching the tendon that connects the quad to the knee. However I like the idea of the J brace.

Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for reading my post!

I wore braces when cycling for 18 years. They definitely helped. I've gradually gotten to the point where I don't need them for cycling anymore. I still wear them when figure skating.

No problem and goodluck. I guess my tracking issues were just more of a horizontal thing, I have dislocated both several times, which is very uncommon in males. I had a VMO advancement to reattach the quads to my left one to hold it back in place. I have had 3 major surgeries on the right one now too to try and fix the nickel-quarter sized bone chips I ripped out of the underside of my right one Dec. 26, 2006. Its still not right. I cannot run or do anything overly active, so, I am checking out cycling. All in all, 6 surgeries (3 on each) and I am 26, so trying to limit the impact.

I would try going to a good physical therapist and seeing if they would have any better options for your pain, situation, and needs for cycling. They are usually much better at fitting braces and whatnot than Drs. Especially when your looking for something sport specific.

Goodluck! Bad knees suck!

try using a Patella strap only...if you can deal with that it will be better for recovery and rehab. If you have to go brace, you may become dependent on it. I personally started with brace recovering from para patella tendenitis after a hamstring injury and subsequent limping for months. After a few months I went to patella strap and now I am sans any brace.

https://www.brandsplace.com/0177-cp279930.html

?? Another Jeff Gillooly victim?

A little PT trick: you can achieve almost that identical principal by buying some pre-wrap used by PTs before taping ankles etc etc.


Make 2-3 wraps around bottom and/or top of the knee then starting away from your knee, use your fingers to roll the pre wrap like a ciggarette all the way around your leg, and Voila!! Itll look like a round bracelet around your leg, position it to the top/bottom of your knee for pressure where you want it.

I couldnt find a picture, but it works. You see a lot of fball and basketball players do it....

Did you use the strap specifically for cycling?

I'm not sure I understand this. How long after surgery before you can start rehab? If it's more than a couple of weeks, wouldn't you lose any muscle conditioning you acquired before the surgery?

I have a friend on my team that does use the strap specifically for cycling.

Losing muscle conditioning is exactly the problem. With certain surgeries that are used to correct damaged cartilage, the patient cannot put weight on the leg for months, and it can be up to a year before the patient can return to sports.

I'm trying to avoid those types of surgeries. But in case the rehab is that long, the patient needs some muscle to spare.

For example, if a person who is weak to begin with is not allowed to put weight on his or her leg for 6 months, their muscles get so small that they can atrophy. But if that same person had spent a little time bulking up before their drastic reduction in exercise, it would be easier for them to get back into the normal swing of things when the day comes that they can put weight on their leg and play sports.

Since I got a set of Rotor RS4X cranks, no more knee pain/problems. Look into it, it will save your knees.

After 6 months your quad will be gone no matter what. I'm 9 months post-op and 5 months post-weight bearing, still hardly any definition in that leg.

What surgery did you have- was it for mal-tracking? Are you cycling- if so are you using a brace?

Here is how I addressed this issue. Chopat top band to lessen pressure on the IB and a "jumpers" knee support band on the lower. Same effect as a full knee brace but allows range of movement that cycling demands and running usually does not. Know lots of people who use a full knee brace when cycling however.

Hey thanks for the reply. Not disputing you, just want to make sure I get it right. Don't you mean chopat BENEATH the knee to lessen pressure on the IB and Jumper's support ABOVE the knee? And if that's the case, wouldn't you recommend the band I talked about in the OP?

Apologies to everyone else this post no longer pertains to.

Im a registered nurse and also a biker. Breathable, flex-able, elastic knee braces work best for biking. You do not want to use anything with rigid materials. I use one and it works great especially on long runs. I bought mine from here. They are having a sale now almost half of what I paid. Google: "Bionic Knee Brace DOT com" no spaces.

FWIW, I just completed the Six Gap Century (over 10K' of climbing) at age 70 wearing a knee brace like this one.



It can be a pain at times, but if this is what your doctor says you need, you can keep riding.

dave