Injury and Need
Knee injuries can appear in many forms and require different treatments. Identifying your specific knee injury and need will ensure you find the proper knee brace for successful pain relief and recovery. Common knee injuries and issues that require braces include (but aren’t limited to):
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Knee pain
- Hyperextension
- ACL and ligament injuries
- Meniscus tears
- Instability
- Surgery recovery
Speak to your health care provider to diagnose your knee pain properly and discuss proper knee brace and treatment options.
Size and Fit
Fit is one of the most important factors when it comes to finding the right knee brace, says Dr. Scott. “If you have a knee brace that doesn’t fit, you’re not going to use it, which defeats the purpose,” she says. She recommends going to a specialty brace orthosis provider or a medical supply store where specialists can assist you with finding the right size brace. While off-the-shelf braces come in different sizes, purchasing a brace through a drugstore won’t allow you to try it on in the store. Meanwhile, working with a brace specialist ensures a perfect fit.
“What I look for is that the client and physician have had conversations and decisions about the clients best approach to healing and care,” says Sabrena Jo, senior director of science and research at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and a Forbes Health 2021 Advisory Board member. “The brace has to be comfortable so that the person is going to actually wear it,” she says.
Dr. Scott adds that multiple types of braces may serve the same purpose. She recommends trying two or three braces to see which one feels best. “It’s almost like buying a car,” she says. “You don’t want to just pick one and walk out with it.”
Material and Comfort
For seniors especially, finding a brace with comfortable materials is essential, due to thinning and sensitive skin. “As we age, our skin gets thinner,” says Dr. Scott. “A poor-fitting brace, or one that’s rough and has a roughened edge, can cause skin breakdown.” Brace material shouldn’t be traumatizing to the skin, and people who have fabric allergies should be aware of material components to avoid allergic reactions, she adds.
Brace Style
Knee braces come in many styles, the most common being hinged braces, compression sleeves, wraparound braces and straps or bands.
Hinged braces typically feature metal on both sides with a hinge in between, says Dr. Scott, and they’re available in soft and rigid forms, depending on the amount of support needed. These braces are most often seen on post-surgical patients or patients suffering from arthritis, she says. Dr. Scott recommends working with your health care provider to decide if a hinged brace is the right treatment for you.
Meanwhile, wraparound braces are typically used for patellar stabilization (keeping the kneecap in place), and compression sleeves provide compression to the knee and can sometimes provide pain relief, says Dr. Scott. Knee straps or bands are smaller than traditional knee braces and are worn around the bottom of the knee. They’re most commonly used to provide stress and pain relief in the knee.
Some knee braces also offer design features, such as open popliteal, meaning there’s a round opening on the back of the knee, or open patella, which indicates a round opening over the kneecap. Both of these features typically allow for heat reduction and reduced irritation to the skin on the knee. However, a 2017 study comparing open and closed patella braces on 108 patients with knee osteoarthritis found knee braces with no opening over the kneecap gave better results in pain reduction, function and walking speed compared to braces with patellar openings.
Weight
When searching for the right knee brace, having a brace that’s lightweight can impact its effectiveness. “You can walk out of a physician’s office with orders, but if it’s super uncomfortable and cumbersome, a client might ignore the doctor’s recommendations and discontinue use prematurely,” says Jo.
Mobility
When treating a knee injury or rehabilitation of a prior injury with a brace, Jo recommends users take lifestyle and mobility into consideration.
“Does it disrupt apparel they’re trying to wear? Does it disrupt movement so they can’t be present [with their families]? Those types of things should be continually considered so an ongoing conversation can be had between the client and the client’s physician,” she says.
“The reason for a brace is to limit mobility so the soft tissues and bone have a chance to heal,” adds Jo. Having a knee brace that supports the knee in this way but still allows for healthy movement is key.
Jo recommends being mindful of movements that support and strengthen the muscles around the affected joints while wearing a brace. “[The] purpose of the brace in general, is to support and stabilize affected muscles,” she says. “Having a support or a brace will do its job to stabilize the affected area, but it won’t do anything to strengthen those muscles or the joint.”
Regular physical movement can also help prevent “the vicious cycle that happens with arthritis,” says Jo. “You have a painful joint, so you don’t move it and it becomes more immobile, and then you lose it. If you have arthritis, you must stay mobile.”
Most braces are intended to be worn during activity, with the exception of severe injury cases, such as a broken kneecap, says Dr. Scott.
Medicare Coverage
Knee braces are covered by Medicare for people who need an off-the-shelf brace, but users must purchase the brace through an approved contract supplier in order to have Medicare cover the cost.
“Medicare will only cover one brace for a particular [body] part once every two to three years,” adds Dr. Scott. “They [patients] have to be pretty careful if they’re getting a brace through their insurance,” she says. “They may end up with a brace that’s not very helpful and have to pay cash for another.”
Special Features
In addition to open and closed popliteal and patella options, some knee braces come with features like cooling packs, heat therapy or vibration technology for additional pain relief. If you’re considering any of these special features in a knee brace, speak with your health care provider to ensure they will benefit your condition.
