The use of knee braces in sports medicine is a controversial topic. Knee braces are used for a wide variety of problems and conditions. But do knee braces help?
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Types
There are two basic types of knee braces:
Functional Knee Braces
Most patients who are concerned about knee braces already have a ligament injury. These patients may be interested in the functional knee braces. These functional knee braces are designed to compensate for a torn knee ligament.
Functional knee braces are not as effective as normal knee ligaments; however, functional knee braces may help in patients who have aligament injurylike an ACL tear. There have been a number of studies to investigate the effectiveness of these knee braces. The summary of these studies is that functional knee braces provide some protection to the knee at low loads.This means that when a force is applied to a knee that is supported with a functional knee brace, it is more stable than without theknee brace.
The forces that are applied in these studies are thought to be much lower and more slowly applied than forces applied to the knee during competitive athletics. When a knee injury occurs during high-level sports, the knee is subjected to very high forces that occur very quickly. Unfortunately, testing these braces under these unique conditions is difficult. It is difficult to prove if functional knee braces are of much help under these unique conditions.
Should You Wear Functional Braces?
You should discuss this with your healthcare provider because it depends on several factors, including:
Prophylactic Knee Braces
Prophylactic knee braces are designed to prevent knee injuries in healthy athletes. These knee braces were popularized in the late 1970s when the use of prophylactic knee braces was tested in NFL players. Since that time, several studies have investigated the injury rates in athletes who wear prophylactic knee braces versus those who don’t wear a knee brace.
Again, the evidence is cloudy, because the difference is very small. Studies do show that athletes in certain sports (such as football) have a lower rate ofMCL injurywhen wearing a prophylactic knee brace.However, the effect of the prophylactic knee brace should be placed in perspective.
Much more important factors in determining the likelihood of an injury include:
There was some concern that knee braces could alter the forces on the knee such that prophylactic knee braces could prove problematic. However, knee braces, when properly fitted and worn, have not been shown to increase injury rates. They are probably safe to wear and have not been shown to increase rates of knee orankle injuries.
Where to Purchase Knee Braces
Your healthcare provider can prescribe the proper type of knee brace for you and your sport. Furthermore, any effectiveknee brace must fit properly. Once you have a knee brace, ensure that your practitioner inspects the fit of the knee brace to ensure it is sized and placed properly.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sprouse RA, McLaughlin AM, Harris GD.Braces and splints for common musculoskeletal conditions.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(10):570-576.Mortaza N, Abu Osman NA, Jamshidi AA, Razjouyan J.Influence of functional knee bracing on the isokinetic and functional tests of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(5):e64308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064308Focke A, Steingrebe H, Möhler F, et al.Effect of different knee braces in ACL-deficient patients.Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8:964. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00964Ackerman DR, Ptasinski AM, Edmond T, Dunleavy ML, Gallo RA.Prophylactic knee bracing in offensive linemen of the National Football League: a retrospective analysis of usage trends, player performance, and major knee injury.Orthop J Sports Med. 2023;11(8):23259671231191767. doi:10.1177/23259671231191767
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sprouse RA, McLaughlin AM, Harris GD.Braces and splints for common musculoskeletal conditions.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(10):570-576.Mortaza N, Abu Osman NA, Jamshidi AA, Razjouyan J.Influence of functional knee bracing on the isokinetic and functional tests of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(5):e64308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064308Focke A, Steingrebe H, Möhler F, et al.Effect of different knee braces in ACL-deficient patients.Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8:964. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00964Ackerman DR, Ptasinski AM, Edmond T, Dunleavy ML, Gallo RA.Prophylactic knee bracing in offensive linemen of the National Football League: a retrospective analysis of usage trends, player performance, and major knee injury.Orthop J Sports Med. 2023;11(8):23259671231191767. doi:10.1177/23259671231191767
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sprouse RA, McLaughlin AM, Harris GD.Braces and splints for common musculoskeletal conditions.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(10):570-576.Mortaza N, Abu Osman NA, Jamshidi AA, Razjouyan J.Influence of functional knee bracing on the isokinetic and functional tests of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(5):e64308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064308Focke A, Steingrebe H, Möhler F, et al.Effect of different knee braces in ACL-deficient patients.Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8:964. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00964Ackerman DR, Ptasinski AM, Edmond T, Dunleavy ML, Gallo RA.Prophylactic knee bracing in offensive linemen of the National Football League: a retrospective analysis of usage trends, player performance, and major knee injury.Orthop J Sports Med. 2023;11(8):23259671231191767. doi:10.1177/23259671231191767
Sprouse RA, McLaughlin AM, Harris GD.Braces and splints for common musculoskeletal conditions.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(10):570-576.
Mortaza N, Abu Osman NA, Jamshidi AA, Razjouyan J.Influence of functional knee bracing on the isokinetic and functional tests of anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(5):e64308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064308
Focke A, Steingrebe H, Möhler F, et al.Effect of different knee braces in ACL-deficient patients.Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8:964. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00964
Ackerman DR, Ptasinski AM, Edmond T, Dunleavy ML, Gallo RA.Prophylactic knee bracing in offensive linemen of the National Football League: a retrospective analysis of usage trends, player performance, and major knee injury.Orthop J Sports Med. 2023;11(8):23259671231191767. doi:10.1177/23259671231191767
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