Knee braces

[marka 519]

Howdy,

I had an Meniscus tear around 7 years ago in my left knee.  I was scheduled for surgery 3 months after the initial diagnosis to clean up the edges to help with the pain, but it started feeling better 2 months later so I postponed the surgery.  It kept getting better, to the point where unless I was doing a lot of walking or really much of any running, there wasn't pain.

Enter hockey a couple years ago.  Initially I didn't wear any type of brace, but after six months of fairly frequent ice time, I noticed my left knee felt like it was 'loosening up'.  I tried a couple cheap braces, eventually settling on a Shock Doctor 875 brace, with the hinged supports on either side.  I've used that since, and my knee feels 'normal'.

I don't really like the bulk of the knee brace though, and I'm wondering about other options.  Don Joy seems to be a name in the field, and I'm wondering if anyone can compare and contrast either the Defiance series brace or the Reaction Web brace to the Shock Doctor 875.  Both seem less bulky than the Shock Doctor.

Anyone tried them and can report what they experienced?

Mark

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I was also using the 875.  Best option and I found and it wasn't too restrictive, just a tad bulky under the shins.

[YesLanges 127]

Try a plain compression sleeve just to see if you really need the hinged lateral supports. A lot of times, just the compression alone does the trick, through what clinicians call "proprioception."  I use the ones made by Kunto and McDavid 510s. I tried the Reaction Web and didn't like it at all...the patella hole is way too small not to interfere with your patella movement, which is the purpose of that hole.

[stick9 881]

I had ACL reconstruction about 8 years ago. When I was cleared to skate I wore a carbon fiber brace from Donjoy, same brace all the NFL guy wear. Anyway, my surgeon instructed me to wear the brace until I was fully healed (takes about a year for everything to heal over) at that point I was told I could lose the brace for Hockey and even skiing. His reasoning, he didn’t want me to become dependent on th brace for stability and doing so would actually weaken my leg/knee.

All that said, don’t be so quick to just slap a brace on. I would see a Sports orthopedic first. If you have to have one to keep your mind at ease, go for a soft sleeve, not hard parts or hinges.

[x-track 8]

....i use this one   https://www.bauerfeind.de/de/produkte/bandagen/knie-huefte-oberschenkel/genutrain-s.html

not bulky and fits well under shins !!

[marka 519]

Howdy,

4 hours ago, stick9 said:

I had ACL reconstruction about 8 years ago. When I was cleared to skate I wore a carbon fiber brace from Donjoy, same brace all the NFL guy wear. Anyway, my surgeon instructed me to wear the brace until I was fully healed (takes about a year for everything to heal over) at that point I was told I could lose the brace for Hockey and even skiing. His reasoning, he didn’t want me to become dependent on th brace for stability and doing so would actually weaken my leg/knee.

All that said, don’t be so quick to just slap a brace on. I would see a Sports orthopedic first. If you have to have one to keep your mind at ease, go for a soft sleeve, not hard parts or hinges.

Yeah, true, but like I said, I played for a while without a brace and my knee got progressively looser, which the brace fixed.

I also get knee pain (without the brace, but also with it at times).  I play with a guy that does knee replacements and when I described my old injury and all, he pretty much said "Yeah, treat it with a brace / ibuprofen until the pain gets annoying enough, then you get to talk to me about fixing it for real".  This was a locker room conversation, not an office visit though.  :-)

Mark

[stick9 881]

Wouldn’t it make more sense to strengthen the muscles supporting the knee then rely solely on a crutch (aka a brace)?

I’m no doctor, so....

[hockeydad3 50]

You should get a definitive diagnosis as a base for your decicion how to proceed. Did you have a MRT? Go to a specialised conservative physician who doesn´t earn his money with interventions. And before surgery get a second opinion.

And don´t take painkillers or make surgery if hockey is the wrong sport for your knee, or you should go slower or you have to change your technique or your skates.

I´m 50 jears, 180 pounds and 170 cm. I´m learning to skate. My knees are hurting after a skating session. Just waiting until they are painless again before skating. And I don´t skate to much. We all don´t get younger.

I should loose some weight.

[Vet88 673]

When I transitioned from inline, my knees hurt like hell after training. Driving in the car I'm desperately trying to straighten the leg to make the pain go away. With a known history of osteoarthritis (both hips done) I went and had MRI's fearing the worse. Doc gave me great news that it was just normal wear and tear, the pain came from different forces thru the knee causing it to work harder. He said if I worked at it the pain should start to go away after 6 months or so. I had 2 options, quit or suck it up, strengthen the knee and train harder. lol, I chose the latter to my wife's disgust.

Getting an MRI is about the only way to know where you are at now and if you should continue and with what care you need to take.

[hkystx 1]

21 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

I had an MCL tear around 7 years ago in my left knee.  I was scheduled for surgery 3 months after the initial diagnosis to clean up the edges to help with the pain, but it started feeling better 2 months later so I postponed the surgery.  It kept getting better, to the point where unless I was doing a lot of walking or really much of any running, there wasn't pain.

Enter hockey a couple years ago.  Initially I didn't wear any type of brace, but after six months of fairly frequent ice time, I noticed my left knee felt like it was 'loosening up'.  I tried a couple cheap braces, eventually settling on a Shock Doctor 875 brace, with the hinged supports on either side.  I've used that since, and my knee feels 'normal'.

I don't really like the bulk of the knee brace though, and I'm wondering about other options.  Don Joy seems to be a name in the field, and I'm wondering if anyone can compare and contrast either the Defiance series brace or the Reaction Web brace to the Shock Doctor 875.  Both seem less bulky than the Shock Doctor.

Anyone tried them and can report what they experienced?

Mark

Hi Mark

The three braces are quite different from one another.  The Reaction Web appears to be a patellar stabilization brace for people whose knee caps slip out of place.  The Shock Doctor is an off the shelf MCL brace.  The Defiance is a custom made ACL brace which will also provide support for the MCL.  The Defiance will most likely be the most expensive but also give the most support. 

As some of the others have suggested, have someone check what grade of tear you have and then decide how much brace you need.

[stick9 881]

The Defiance from Donjoy was what I wore post surgery. Something along the lines of $700 and was custom made.

Since you injured the knee previously, to the point where it required surgery. The smart play here is to see a docotor, someone who specializes in knees. You self diagnosised last time around, no point in doing it again.

[marka 519]

Howdy,

Reading about various knee stuff and I realized that it was a Meniscus tear I had years back, not an MCL tear.  Whoops.

BTW, I did see a doc about it way back when, did xrays, scheduled surgery, etc.  It was with his consultation as well that I postponed surgery when it started feeling better.  Apparently that type of meniscus tear can't actually "heal" because there's no blood supply to it, so all the surgery was going to do was clean up the edges so they didn't irritate the tissues or have a chunk come loose.

I mostly view the brace as a little insurance.

I'm going to give the Reaction Web one a go just because I was able to get a used one for half price and it looks interesting.

Mark

[badger_14 601]

2 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Reading about various knee stuff and I realized that it was a Meniscus tear I had years back, not an MCL tear.  Whoops.

BTW, I did see a doc about it way back when, did xrays, scheduled surgery, etc.  It was with his consultation as well that I postponed surgery when it started feeling better.  Apparently that type of meniscus tear can't actually "heal" because there's no blood supply to it, so all the surgery was going to do was clean up the edges so they didn't irritate the tissues or have a chunk come loose.

I mostly view the brace as a little insurance.

I'm going to give the Reaction Web one a go just because I was able to get a used one for half price and it looks interesting.

Mark

If you have insurance that will pay for it, I'd recommend a few good rounds of physical therapy, along with the brace.  I have arthritis in both knees, as well as a patellar tracking issue in the right, and having exercises from a PT helps a lot.  What I was told, was that the muscles/soft tissue around the knee tends to stress out/tense up to counteract the injury, which is good, but can also lead to further aggravation.  I found good PT to be quite helpful.  That said, I also see an orthopedist regularly, take a prescription NSAID, and (when the situation calls for it) wear a brace by Bauerfeind that the ortho gave me (GenuTrain P3).  It's mostly a sleeve with some mild lateral support.  (however, it does not fit well under goalie gear)

[Playmakersedge 58]

2 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Reading about various knee stuff and I realized that it was a Meniscus tear I had years back, not an MCL tear.  Whoops.

BTW, I did see a doc about it way back when, did xrays, scheduled surgery, etc.  It was with his consultation as well that I postponed surgery when it started feeling better.  Apparently that type of meniscus tear can't actually "heal" because there's no blood supply to it, so all the surgery was going to do was clean up the edges so they didn't irritate the tissues or have a chunk come loose.

I mostly view the brace as a little insurance.

I'm going to give the Reaction Web one a go just because I was able to get a used one for half price and it looks interesting.

Mark

Mark,  my left knee is what ended my career my leg was kicked in from the side and was bent like an L backwards.  Over the years I have many braces . They are all made custom to my leg  ,fitted by a prostheticist.  For a meniscus you are going to want a unloader style brace . My brace now is made by Townsend   it's an unloader ,anti rotation and had a strap the preloads it against the adjustment.   I love it .   Townsend . The other great brace was the Lenox hill .  

[psulion22 402]

I've now hurt both knees while playing in the span of 4 months.  First it was just the MCL - grade 2 tear - on the right knee back in August.  After going through rehab for it, I was back on the ice for maybe 6 weeks before I hurt the other knee in the middle of December.  90% tear of the MCL, 60% tear of the PCL, moderate sprain/ slight tear of the ACL, severe bone bruising in both the femur and tibia, and swelling of several structures inside the knee and behind the patella.  Luckily, it won't require surgery as nothing is completely torn, and the MCL is a fraying/linear tear.  But both injuries were caused by similar incidents on the ice where my body was forced over my foot to one side.  I'm in a immobilizing hinged brace right now (hinges locked).  They are going to unlock the hinges in a few weeks, meaning it will just be a typical hinged knee brace.  But it's big.  I'm thinking of wearing braces to support the MCL on both knees once I'm able to come back to keep this from happening again.  But how are you guys wearing these under shins?  Is there a slimmer type of bilateral hinge brace (or even a unilateral medial hinge) that anyone knows of?  The Shock Doctor 872 looks like it might be  an option.  But I'm also seeing a Shock Doctor Bio-Logix (which looks like a smaller ACL brace) and the DonJoy Performance Bionic.  Any thoughts?  Thanks!

[marka 519]

Howdy,

I wore a Shock Doctor 875 under my shin on my left knee for quite a while.  Its for sure bulky and you notice that when you're strapping up your shins, but otherwise I never noticed it.  I wear UltraTacks shins, not sure if others would have issues.

The Don Joy Performance Bionic looks similar (in terms of bulk) to the Shock Doctor 875.

I'm sure you'll notice and know its there, particularly the first couple times or if you have shins that fit especially tight.  But I'll be surprised if you can't make it work.

I've since gone to a Don Joy Reaction Web brace, but I don't think has the same level of protection.  If you're looking for the best protection, I would recommend a hingled knee brace over it for sure.

Mark

[psulion22 402]

14 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

I wore a Shock Doctor 875 under my shin on my left knee for quite a while.  Its for sure bulky and you notice that when you're strapping up your shins, but otherwise I never noticed it.  I wear UltraTacks shins, not sure if others would have issues.

The Don Joy Performance Bionic looks similar (in terms of bulk) to the Shock Doctor 875.

I'm sure you'll notice and know its there, particularly the first couple times or if you have shins that fit especially tight.  But I'll be surprised if you can't make it work.

I've since gone to a Don Joy Reaction Web brace, but I don't think has the same level of protection.  If you're looking for the best protection, I would recommend a hingled knee brace over it for sure.

Mark

Yeah I definitely need a hinged brace for the MCL support.  The 872 looks like a little lighter duty version of the 875.  I don't know if there is a difference in the hinges (geared or not) or if i would even need the geared hinge.  These would be to prevent a further MCL injury by keeping it from bending too far in an incident rather than providing any true structural support for normal movement.

[JimmyTheDriver 36]

I tore my ACL about 2 years ago.  First year I didnt even try hockey.  I then wore my DonJoy A22 for a while.  It was ok under the pads, but not great.  I now wear a CTi Custom.  My Dr wrote me a prescription that literally said "2x knee brace for motocross" and insurance paid for both legs.  With perscription in hand I called Ossur, who put me in touch with a local rep, took measurements, processed insurance, and had the braces a few weeks later.  The CTi are by far the best brace I've owned - fit, comfort, overall size, and support.  

I've played with and without the brace since surgery, but generally feel more comfortable with it on.  Outside of hockey and riding, I never wear it as I don't want to rely on it for stability.  Using my knee to the max (for me Crossfit) was what really brought back my stability and muscle mass.

https://www.ossur.com/injury-solutions/products/knee/custom-ligament-braces/cti-custom

-Jim

[psulion22 402]

Thanks, Jim.  I'll make sure i ask him about a prescription for preventative braces.  He actually gave me an Ossur brace for immobilization - the FormFit ROM.

Does anyone know if the USAHockey supplemental insurance would cover preventative devices?  I'll meet the $1,000 deductible.  What about elective procedures like PRP or Stem Cell injections?