knee braces

Keep at it, girl.

Good to hear that you are getting on well with your exercises, keep it up, no slacking ) :D

As far as private vs NHS for braces. My OH saw a consultant privately with insurance, was operated on privately, which confirmed the scan and diagnosis and tidied up the knee internally. The same consultant made the case for the supply of a Cti Edge brace on the NHS, based on the need for OH's knee to be braced when he was walking on steep uneven ground as part of his job (at that time).

Caron-a,

All those comments and advice were great, may I supplement!

I have worn a knee brace for 20 years due to a rugby injury! Had 3 operations due to this ACL tear! Each operation tried to "rebuild" knee! I am making comments and suggestions on my experience.

Never just depend just on the brace. That is always do physio and low weight high repetition excerises. Do this all your life regularly.

Listen to your body. If you get swelling, sudden pain STOP what you are doing!

Always but always stretch before any activities

The more "correct" ski technique you can learn,,the less stress you will put on knee.

Now for specifics on a brace.
Never buy generic braces ( ie fit for all)
You must get a cast made of your leg, then a brace will be made based on your exact leg dimensions. One major mistake many skiers do is get a brace right after an operation when muscles have athrophied ( got smaller)!

Make sure you get brace when you are in "skiing shape"

Insist in have a inner leg sleeve with brace! This is a very thin elastic underwear like "sleeve" which goes between you and brace! If not after 7 hours of skiing you will develope sores, chaps, etc...

I will send you the company that made my brace if you like via PM since I do not wish anyone to conclude that I am "marketing" for them.

Consider also that if you get brace you will have to "modify" all your ski pants! I can also send you via PM all these modifications!

If you read all the professional literature world wide about the positive and negative aspects of wearing a brace in skiing you will find equal groups for and against! I "feel" it helped me greatly! However consider this only as a "transitory" solution! I do not knlw how old you are...however you will develope "secondary complications" since the knee must hold up much stress! May I suggest you get yearly X-ray in order to follow knee degeneration! Sorry but in 60% of cases that is what happens!

May I suggest you start meeting serious sports surgeons! I can also send you ( if you have heart for gruesome visuals) pictures of possible surgeries.

The cost of a brace in my area is $600.

If you do get a brace, you must modify your boots and install orthodics!c
Consider also a "flexion" cap! This is a device integrated into the central rotating metal part of brace which "stops" knee flexion at a fixed angle! Thus it stops knee from being damaged more in the famous "rear rotational over-extension fall"!

Finally if every you get brace,,,design some velcro straps on the outside of your ski bag so that you never "forget" brace !!!! You will understand the importance of these straps when you forget that brace at homer for the first time!

By chance,,,, measure your thighs and gastronemius muscles, since I have three braces to give you if we are some dimensions!

Hope this helps you!

Get them custom made-for ones for skiing/good durability-if you have the money pay £1000 for the pair.

caron-a wrote: donjoy

Yeeeeah that's what you'll want. Great to have around after your knee gets snaked out. You can set them to different angles so you don't over exert it. Their products are second to none. They are built to withstand anything, including taking a ride down the icy-mid summer Gefrorene Wand in H-tux. :oops:

My beast cost my insurance co. $1,021 Best investment, seriously
Good luck on the recovery! You'll be rockin' out in no time 8)

Buy the brace that fits. Get measured, get advice, and get it fitted anatomically, by a specialist physio.
Fit is everything.

at the risk of repeating myself...

actually, first the great news - I've just had my 6 (and a half) month follow up with my surgeon. progress is good, knees are feeling excellent, very stable and very good movement (it's all that yoga!). he's ok'd me to have a go on the "realli-ski" to see how I feel and then he has positively encouraged me to have a sneaky weekend on some easy slopes in the new year before the group holiday at easter!

WOOHOO! la la la :D :D :D

So, onto more knee brace advice. My consultant has told me that I'm as likely as the person skiing next to me to have ligament trouble in the future so doesn't see why braces are necessary. He thinks times have moved on from when braces were commonplace as operations are more simple and successful. He told me that people used to wear them to avoid the operation and having to be in plaster for 2 months. The most important thing, in his opinion, is to keep the knees warm.

I think that I'd benefit psychologically from wearing something so wondered whether a good support would be a better idea or has my surgeon lost the plot and I really need to spend hundreds of pounds on braces?

caron-a wrote:positively encouraged me to have a sneaky weekend on some easy slopes

YEAH BABY!!! ROCK AND ROLL! 8) 8) 8) 8)

Oh sorry, that wasn't very admin-like was it? Er, splendid. Jolly good.

That's seriously good news... personally I'd take his advice to the letter and treat the sneaky weekend as a confidence-building exercise; get yourself to an alpine hotel with a spa, chill out, get pampered and do some half days, easy skiing so it all feels just right and you don't feel like you're overdoing it. 8)

Job done. Caron-a's back on the piste...