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That copper shit is a complete gimmick, which is why they had to change their whole ad campaign from claiming that copper had some kind of therapeutic effect to promoting the copper as something that supposedly extends their usable lives and reduces odor, after they were sued by the FTC for false advertising and had to pay a settlement for it. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/151201tommiecoppercmpt.pdf Braces with semi-rigid or rigid hinged supports running down the sides can provide a little protection against injuries to the lateral and medial ligaments, but it's almost impossible to externally support either of the internal cruciate ligaments, because you can't counter rotational forces on knees with external bracing, except (maybe) by using those very expensive, super-heavy-duty custom-made "Lenox Hill"-style braces, first introduced about 50 years ago. Even those hinged rigid lateral/medial supports that can provide some protection for the MCL and LCL against lateral forces have significant tradeoffs, which is why they scrapped them in the NFL after initially providing them to almost all linemen for a few seasons in the late 80s or early 90s. They found out that they changed the anatomical forces on knees in ways that actually increased ACL tears, as a result. There's no such thing as any brace that can do anything for arthritic pain, except through mechanism #2 below: Simple compression sleeves (which I also wear on the ice and while training legs) do provide some relief (even for arthritic knees, like mine), by virtue of (1) temporarily raising the local tissue temperature and increasing blood flow, and (2) proprioception, in ways that reduce pain perception, indirectly, simply by stimulating distracting sensation in other nearby nerves. If you use them that way, it's best to put them on a little while before you get dressed, so your knees are nice and warm by then. I usually slide mine on before I make the drive to the rink.