What do you do when you hurt your knee really bad? Your knees are pretty complex. There are 4 different bones connecting with muscles and tendons from all angles. You can tear a ligament and/or cartilage and dislocate bones witch may give you problems, so it’s important to know all about the knee brace and what it can do to help you recover.
Need a Knee Brace?
anatomy of the knee
Like all joints, your knees bend and straighten to walk and run. But unlike other joints your knees also twist. Athletes that go beyond their knee’s flexibility often get a tear in one of the ligaments that make your knee twist. Torn knee ligaments are the biggest reason why people need a knee brace.
Types of Knee Braces
types of braces
Basically all knee braces surround the knee with pressure to try and tightly secure the shape and form of the knee. However, knee braces come in different shapes, sizes and forms with different technology. Here are the main types of knee braces:
- Prophylactic braces are designed to protect knees from injuries during contact sports like football.
- Functional braces give support to knees that have already been injured.
- Rehabilitative braces limit harmful knee movement while a knee is healing after an injury or surgery.
Doctor’s Dilemna
doctor's decision
It’s important to get a doctor’s opinion before you go out and buy one. Try to go to a doctor that specializes in sports as sports doctors have connections with companies that provide knee braces to professional athletes. Knee braces are expensive and there are so many companies that make them nowadays it’s important to get one that has had good results.
Resume with Rehab
Once you have your knee brace, it’s important to focus on rehabilitating your knee. DO NOT expect your knee brace to be the solution. Even with your knee brace on, no knee brace is 100% foolproof. You have to make sure to constantly exercise and strengthen your knee with proper rehabilitation exercises.
Kobe's purple brace
One day you may find yourself in a situation where you have to keep playing sports despite your knee injury. Whether you're a professional athlete like Kobe Bryant or just a coach, trainer, or even a gym teacher. Make sure you get yourself a good knee brace that is comfortable and specific to your injury.
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- How to Treat a Torn ACL
- Freaky Sports Injuries
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- Quiz The Coach: How Do I Prevent Injuries?
