Knee injury (knee brace?)

[balaclava]

Five months back I went from no problems to crippled in one day. The (£300) MRI scan showed tears and damage in both meniscus (cartilage). After 5 months I can walk 18 holes without any problems and I can play 9 holes (badly on one leg). I am keen to try a knee brace but there are so many options. The physio simply says that they don't recommend them (I think she's worried I might ask the NHS to pay for it). I am male, 73 years old. Does anyone have any experience with knee braces e.g. some are hinged, some are huge?

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Several years ago an orthopaedic surgeon described my knees as "f****d" which was a pretty basic way of telling me the scale of the problem. Mind you he had conducted three arthroscopies over the years , drained fluid and realigned my left patella.

This year was to be the one where replacement(s) was to be undertaken but due to COVID I have deferred treatment.

I play as often and as best I can with the aid of supports as I was advised a brace would be too intrusive and possibly restrictive.

NEO G reinforced supports, available from Boots, are proving pretty effective.

 

[Imurg]

I'm in the middle,e of an arthritis flare in my left knee.
Around the house I don't feel I need one but when I go out, especially playing golf, I put one on.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MUBYTREE-Compression-Adjustable-Breathable-Prevention/dp/B08CXW9CS7
GP was happy I was using one.
Works a treat...one on, one in the wash.

 

[balaclava]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SSQVY3X?th=1

I think I might give this one a try. It's always going to be a trade off but my biggest fear is another complete failure which is why I have literally been playing on one leg. If this will enable me to anchor my foot on the ground I might be able to get a little torque.

 

[williamalex1]

I've tried an elastic version of the one above but didn't feel it helped. It seemed to cut of the blood supply below the knee, bottom of my leg felt very cold.

 

[jim8flog]

My mate wears them and reckons the ones from Super drug are good.

I tried one and found it kept slipping down but I use a buggy and the problem was I keep bending the knee so they get flexed more often and it kept slipping.

 

[GreiginFife]

I had a bad knee injury where I ruptured my ACL, medial and co-lateral ligaments.
I still suffer from problems with it and from time to time need to wear a "cage" brace. Its a Donjoy 'Renegade' and whilst it was quite pricey, the support it provides is brilliant.

 

[chrisd]

I had an ACL graft back in 1997 and it's fantastic, but I do still get occasions where my knee is painful, I own what I'd describe as a ski brace which is solid as a rock and occasionally i wear it as it's my left knee which I swing on to in golf. I recently bought a synthetic one with side supports for any time I just want some support but I've not had to wear it yet

 

[Grumps]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SSQVY3X?th=1

I think I might give this one a try. It's always going to be a trade off but my biggest fear is another complete failure which is why I have literally been playing on one leg. If this will enable me to anchor my foot on the ground I might be able to get a little torque.

i bought this one as have the same cartledge problem (unfortunately I’m still waiting for my scan) I found it ok but where the hinge is on the inside on my knee I’ve got a bruise where it was rubbing so bought one of the ones with the plastic inserts in a sleeve which just as good

 

[craig l]

Five months back I went from no problems to crippled in one day. The (£300) MRI scan showed tears and damage in both meniscus (cartilage). After 5 months I can walk 18 holes without any problems and I can play 9 holes (badly on one leg). I am keen to try a knee brace but there are so many options. The physio simply says that they don't recommend them (I think she's worried I might ask the NHS to pay for it). I am male, 73 years old. Does anyone have any experience with knee braces e.g. some are hinged, some are huge?

Have you considered using KT Tape? Also I would look at buying some ankle weights and when your sitting at home slip then over your foot then spend 5 minutes straightening your knee, concentrating on the last 30 degrees, this should help to strengthen the knee muscles

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I struggle with my knees courtesy of football and the injuries I sustained. Really struggled walking and carrying today wearing two Boots elasticated supports. Should really go and get them looked at as they are giving more and more grief and clicking all the time

 

[clubchamp98]

I dislocated mine years ago .
My experience of braces wasn’t good they give you a false sense of security.
It’s very easy to forget you have one on and you can do futher damage if you over do it.
There is no brace for everyone and I would suggest a phisio recommendation so it gives you the correct fit and support.
Sorry it’s a bit downbeat but you must be very careful how you support your injury.
All the best .

 

[harpo_72]

I have ruptured both ACLs in both knees, the first one wasn’t diagnosed until I had a bucket tear in my meniscus. The meniscus tear comes with these injuries if you are not careful, I feel my other knee is on the verge. However, you need to look at the action your knees are doing in the swing and try not to get trapped on one side. I have had most success by keeping my knees warm and stretching up the muscles around as they hold them all in place. A simple bandage sleeve does the warm thing, or a pair of thermal under leggings is enough. I have also narrowed my stance down as well so the weight doesn’t get trapped. You have to take the distance hit, it’s not massive, my swing speed with the driver is 95-102mph and my efficiency is 1.43-1.48 .. so technique is keeping me competitive.
I am waiting on a proper knee ACL solution though, currently my situation is okay

 

[Grizzly]

As someone who has had knee problems since his late teens (turns out its not meant to bend both ways...who knew?) I have a fair amount of experience with supports of various kinds.

I would say steer clear of the hinged ones - I have one, but I only ever wear it when I'm doing a long day in the mountains, and its a real trade off support vs comfort. For most purposes, a good quality neoprene one will suffice - there are a few things to bear in mind though. Firstly, make sure it is properly breathable - otherwise you'll just end up with a skin problem. Secondly, taking account of OP's age, think about whether your circulatory system is good enough for the task - the support needs to be on tight to do any good, and this can lead to some impinging of bloodflow (hence some people feel cold below the support).

 

[Cristhanbur]

You know what might help you... Or at least help ease the pain. It would be that athletic tape some wear it for their injuries. I've heard about people with arthritis wearing it, and it does help keep their knees in one place. Besides, it's an effective nonsurgical intervention that'll take some pain off. It would help if you tried that... Surgery would be way too risky at your age, and no results are promised if your doctors told you your knees are f***ed up. See if that works for you. Some more reviews about it on the internet can help you make up your mind. Be safe, and let me know how it goes!!!

 

[Tashyboy]

You know what might help you... Or at least help ease the pain. It would be that athletic tape some wear it for their injuries.

Welcome to the forum.The athletic tape would be no good. That tape that some athletes wear for “ injuries “ is not applied by themselves but by people who know what there doing.Most golfers would not know how to put it on.

 

[oleinone]

Have you considered using KT Tape? Also I would look at buying some ankle weights and when your sitting at home slip then over your foot then spend 5 minutes straightening your knee, concentrating on the last 30 degrees, this should help to strengthen the knee muscles

I saw my consultant yesterday for a hyalouronic acid injection into my left knee where the cartilage has worn away. I mentioned my regular exercises with ankle weights -he told me to stop immediately as it only aggravates the problem!
Bought a hinged Donjoy brace but found that it kept slipping so it's gathering dust somewhere.

 

[Oddsocks]

As someone who ruptured both ACL / PCL in 2000 and now has mcl issues also, I have looked into this heavily.

For motocross i used the full donjoy armoured (now replaced with renegade) brave which was great, unfortunate I found it a little to rigid as it blocked any form is flex in the knee other than the conventional higher movement, I’ve kept this brace however as any pre op gym work requires more then support so I use solely for weight machines. Over the past 10 years my knee has progressive deteriorated and now for things like cross country walking I have the donjoy playmaker II although I think I should have purchased the web. Witt the play maker and armour the brace has inserts around the high which can be adjusted to limit hyper retention with is great for ACL damage, unfortunately it’s a conversional strap brace so can move slightly, the web design is good as it self centres around the knee cap and the silicone design looks to minimise movement. Donjoy are one of if not the best brand in the industry which is why I stick with them, they also supply the back range of post opp braces to the health care sectors in addition to the other side of the business which manufacture replacement joints.

https://www.djoglobal.com/products?brand[]=10&category[]=57&anatomy[]=51&type[]=706

I did find a golf specific brace called the unloader one by ossur who are the sister company to cti braces which is in Surrey. Again cti and ossur are world know for their quality as 85-90% of the worlds off-road motorcycle riders use them and if you are going down this route I’d suggest visiting them for a proper measure up. The good thing with the unloader is it’s not dual hinged (both sides) it’s single hinged so allows a small element of movement needed for golf.

https://www.ossur.com/en-gb/bracing-and-supports/knee/unloader-one

I’m ironically having another MRI today as I was due to go under the knife in 2020 for the op however covid delayed it and now the pre Covid MRI need renewing but I’m hoping for the op this year and after using my donjoy armour for rehab will invest in the unloader going forward post op if even only for a few years