Shinpads & ACL Brace

[flahockey 0]

I had ACL surgery a couple months ago and the doc said I need to wear an ACL brace when playing sports. The brace adds about an inch total in width around my knee and there's no way the shinpad I used before will fit on my bad leg now.

I know when you try on shinpads, the knee is supposed to fit kind of snugly. The pads on the side of the brace don't really allow that though.

For anyone who's in a similar situation, how did you go about getting shinpads that fit right with an ACL brace? How loose (or tight) is the padding around your knee? How much bigger is the shinpad you use now compared to the one you used before? Any suggestions on which shinpads to look into?

I'm afraid to get something that ends up being too loose and end up re-injuring my knee or some other part of my leg.

Thanks in advance...

[Keith 0]

I'm no expert on this but it might be necessary to perform surgery on a sg. Braces seem so common it is sort of surprising no company ever came up with a brace friendly model one could order through pro shops.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Do you already have the brace? Maybe rather than trying to replace shins to fit the brace, buy a brace more intended to be worn under shin pads.

http://www.ossur.com/pages/3038

Not sure what kind of insurance coverage you have...these are expensive...but it is definitely a low profile brace.

I skated the other night with a guy that had a really bulky brace on (re-constructed knee...tore everything), but didn't notice what brand of shins he was wearing.

[flahockey 0]

Do you already have the brace?

Yes. I kind of had to rush to get the brace before the new year so insurance would cover at 100%, so I didn't have a lot of time to research what else was available. I think I have a DonJoy Legend brace.

I recently came across the brace you linked to. I don't believe the clinic I went to for my fitting carried that company's products. :(

[DamnLocust 0]

A friend has a smaller, neoprene brace that he uses and has had success with. it's verey slim and has metal with hinges in the sides that protect against hyperextension. He got it a Sears for like $50 or less.

As far as wearing shinpads, he wears an older pair of Bauer vapor with removable liner, and all he has to do to get a good fit is remove the liner.

I'm currently looking for something low profile for myself. I hurt my knee about a month ago and have experienced a bit less mobility, and it seems much easier to hyperextend now. The closest I've found is the McDavid brand found at Sports Authority and Modell's, going for about $44-$70 depending on the model. If i can't find the smaller one like my friend has, I'll go with this.

[CTHockey 2]

During college i had the same injury and at first the doc gave me a brace that was way too big!!! I went back and told him there was no way i could wear it and still play hockey. He then gave me a very slim profile brace, pretty much a nylon material brace with two slim metal hinged pieces on each side. Its worked great over the years and fits pretty good in my Jofa 6090 shin pads. Obv it pushes the shin pad out a little bit but i became use to it after a while.

[joshy207 15]

I tore both ACLs and had surgery on both, so now I wear braces on both knees. I took my shin pads and flattened them as much as I could--heated them up gently with a heat gun and stood on them for a few minutes. I think I'm on my 3rd pair since my first surgery, haven't really had any problems with fit. Just make sure your pads aren't really narrow-profile.

[fatwabbit 93]

I've worn quite a number of knee braces on both my knees. Had an ACL reconstruction in 97, MCL strain in 2002, and have had about 3 bracecs for my left knee. I've tried the Innovation Sports CTi2, MVP, C180, and also Gen 2 3Dx. I've gotten an additional C180 for my right knee, more of a preventative thing though.

The best brace is still the CTi2. They also make one specifically for hockey!. You can try the webbie innovationsports.com. Ossur have bought them out a few years ago, but I think they still make the braces under the innovationsport logo and name. Just a word of advice though if you are gonna get that knee brace: Make sure your insurance covers the cost of the knee brace! Its a customised off the shelf knee brace, but if the person who measures it is not experienced, you could end up hating the damn thing. The C180 is a much cheaper alternative (bought with my own money) and is pretty good to use and very very low profile.

Sorry for the long story... just that its something that's taken a large part of my life. To answer your question on the shin pads and knee brace, both my CTi2 Hockey and C180 knee braces fit under my previous bauer 1000s, and my current Mission Sub Zero shin pads (damn bulky on their own). The braces seem to float a little at first, but I've gotten over that by using some ol' neoprene knee sleeves I had that were stretched out over time. I fit those over the shin pad and it holds it down like a glove! You can also tape it down, but i find that a wasteful way to use tape.

[indaslot 0]

I have seen models of custom shin pads and shoulder pads in occupational therapy stores.Probably expensive,but not sure.I know this is done for the pros.Ypo might want tp check this out or try to find out online.(The store I am thinking of is in Montreal)

[riesman20 0]

I wear the Jofa shin pads that someone mentioned above with a brace as you described. The first couple of times I went out after using the brace I had to hammer the pad down on the knee for it to go down that last little bit but it is fine now (it has been a couple of months). Once taping the shin pad down around the knee it did not move.

[Hobbes_86 0]

I have a custom fit Donjoy Defiance brace (post ACL surgery). I gutted a pair of old CCM Tacks shinguards but that didn’t work well. I switched to the RBK 6k with suspension straps and it works great as is. The top strap in the shinguard fits perfectly in-between the 2 lower straps on the brace. At first it looked a bit more bulky than the opposite shinguard but I never had a problem getting used to it at all.

[t1tan 19]

Just figured I'd comment. I've had knee problems for about 10 years after a whole lot of impacts and other knee injuries and after reading this thread I decided to consult an orthopedist about getting a custom knee brace because neoprene ones just weren't cutting it. During the initial appointment I got x-rays, to check up things and see what may be wrong, found something in my femor. Next step, got an MRI, shows the same thing. Next moved on to a CT scan, doctors still were not sure what it was and then decided to order a Nuclear bone scan, and to make sure it wasn't anywhere else in my body a full skeletal scan was done, which was cool to see my entire skeleton on a computer screen as it scanned me front, back and sides. Nothing else was found but they still didn't know so I had to go to a specialist, who is top of his field and is the Oncologist/Surgeon for the Chicago Bulls and Socks, looked at my scans and x-rays(which I had to get redone at the hospital because the other hospital didn't send my initial ones over) and decided it wasn't cancer and a most likely a Non-Osifying Fibroma, which is supposedly quite common. Here and finally about a month and a half later the doctors decided a knee brace would be a good solution, exactly what I asked for in the beginning, but oh well. I decided I wanted to give the Innovation Sports/Ossur CTi2 Hockey a try. Went and got casted and had a hell of a time getting things sorted out with my two insurances. Finally after about 2 weeks for the cast to be sent out, brace to be built and sent back and waiting 2 additional weeks because insurance companies are assholes I got to pick it up yesterday for the price of 391.80, 20% of the total cost. So unless you're insurance is going to pay for quite a bit, it is a hefty sum. But so far after a day of use I'm really liking it, the rubber pads are comfortable and do not slip, at all, very similar to the rubber bike handles are made out of, super gummy, straps are comfortable and the hinges are very fluid and smooth. Only thing I think I need to do is install the smaller stops because it feels like it restricts my ability to fully straighten my leg to stand up or run/walk. It is definitely light too, I figured it would be knowing it is Titanium and Carbon. One and only problem, I just got new NBH One90 Shin pads and it is too big to fit underneath, so I'm debating on what to do, as of now I'm thinking I'll just wear it at all times except for on the ice, I don't have a problem with playing or skating, it's just after games or during off ice workouts.

Overall, this is an awesome product and totally worth the 20 or so appointments and dragging my poor girlfriend along for company to all of them.

[Havok19 0]

T1Tan i advise aginst it.The thing is with ice hockey skat you have torsion that is above the normal one you endure during normal activities.It was explained to me while i was geting my brace.

Has far as the CTI hockey brace you can cut the price by half if you phone them directly they will send someone at your house (that is a little secret btw).I have a donjoy one and i can tell you we (ice hockey player) are getting no love for knee pads that would help us continue our hockey career with a brace.

I will be looking at this thread for sure to help me get back on ice with this stupid knee brace of mine.

Havok

[t1tan 19]

Well one reason mine cost(1959) so much is because I didn't get a customized off the shelf, I got a custom made, built to my leg for optimal fit and minimal bulk. Big difference in price.

[EBondo 242]

I wear a DonJoy brace on my right knee, and a regular pharmacy brace on my left knee. I have Synergy 900 shinguards and they fit perfect over the braces. I went one inch higher for the size.

[LkptTiger 1]

It's been my experience, after tearing my ACL and MCL, that you're not going to find a decent knee brace that will fit comfortably underneath your shins.

It's pretty flimsy, but this is the best, least obstructive thing I've found: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp13424_334918_s...lizer_large.htm. I'll deal with the pain and fight through the now-shaky nature of the joint in favor of mobility and weight.

[flahockey 0]

After trying on a bunch of pads at the few hockey shops down here, I ended up with the Bauer 8000s. I'm able to take the liner out easily (it is attached with velcro) and that gives me the right amount of space to accommodate the knee brace. They also have velcro straps which help keep the pad in place. (I still use tape over my socks, though.)

I thought I was going to use one of the new pads just for the braced leg and my old ones for the other, but ended up using the other new pad for the uninjured leg. The new ones are about 2" bigger than what I am used to. I needed a couple of sessions before they felt normal to me, but now that they are broken in, they are real comfortable pads.

I'd definitely suggest these for anyone needing that extra space for an ACL brace. I'd even recommend these for someone who is just looking to get new shin pads.

ACL Brace: $500 (free with insurance!)

Bauer 8000 pads: $90

Getting back on the ice: Priceless.

Thanks again for the input, everyone!

[fatwabbit 93]

If you need a cheaper alternative to going the customised route, go with some Innovation Sports C180. They are carbon fibre, and similar in design to the customed made ones. The hinges are identical, and of all the braces I've tried, these hinges are pretty good, durable, and last a long time. I've used my knee brace for more than 2 years, and the hinges still work great. Innovation Sports is now a fully owned company under Ossur, who are a huge HUGE company itself.

The C180 is a lower profile brace, but can withstand the rigors of sports. I not only use them for hockey, but for soccer as well. Here is a forum that have a lot of people who have injuries (knee being the most common) Do read the threads by Michael Frind, he's got a lot of experience using knee braces. You have to be careful with some of the guys there, cause they would tell you that this brand is better or best, and thats cause they sell that particular brand. Do use the search for 'braces' and you can also search for particular brands.

http://www.factotem.org/cgi-bin/kneebbs.pl

Having said all this, the best thing you can do is to weigh ALL the options. Get advice from your doctor, second opinion, check with insurance etc. Get fitted at a certified orthotist, and casually ask him what is the best brand, best fit and most importantly how many he's actually done in the past few years.

On my end, my left knee is covered by insurance due to previous injury. My right knee doesnt have anything wrong with it, but i bought a brace on my own anyways. So far they have been great, and give me a peace of mind when I play. After a while you dont even notice they are there.

Best of luck... you arent alone on this... and there are many who have these injuries yet play a full hockey life...

btw, when you get sleeves or neoprene sleeves (you know what I mean) look for those that have a hole in the middle for the kneecap (patella). They dont restrict the kneecap as much. That's what my boss in the army (Major) told me. At 35 years of age and in the elite commandos, he was still doing his 2.4km run in 8 mins..... and wearing those neoprene sleeves with the holes in them. Not going to argue with that.