The knee brace is a medical device that supports and treats various knee problems. There are many types of knee braces. Learn about the best kind of medical brace for your knee.
Choosing the best type differs from one person to another according to the purpose of the brace. Each brace has benefits that make it distinct from others. Athletes’ knee brace differs from the one intended for arthritis in the elderly.
Wearing a knee brace relieves your knee pain and supports it by distributing the pressure of the body weight applied to the knee to other places along the lower extremity. Learn more about the best types of knee braces and their benefits.
Types of knee braces depending on their function
Many knee braces have recently appeared to ensure the maximum benefit for the person who wants to wear them. There are several factors you must consider when choosing the type of brace, such as the desired purpose and the external shape of the mount, in addition to the price of the knee brace.
Due to a large number of braces, we will classify the species into significant groups, namely:
Functional knee brace
This type of brace is used to ensure the stability of the knee joint when suffering severe injuries to the ligaments or tendons, as well as when rehabilitating after surgery on one of the knees so that this device controls the movement of the joint and ensures a safe movement of the knee.
The most common use for a functional knee brace is in the recovery phase after sports injuries. ACL rupture In the knee, which, along with the brace, needs prolonged physical therapy.
Weight distribution brace
This type helps relieve knee pain in patients who have Osteoarthritis (Arthritis) by reducing the pressure applied to the knee and distributing it towards the thigh.
The knee joint fully bears your body's weight, making it more susceptible to injuries and degenerative inflammatory diseases. Using this medical device, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the knee, which reduces the severity of the pain you suffer from and provides a better range of motion with less joint stiffness.
In advanced stages of osteoarthritis, a knee brace is often not helpful, and other pain relief methods must be resorted to as a procedure of Knee replacement surgery.
Protective knee brace
It is used to prevent and protect the knee from injuries, especially when practicing sports that put a lot of pressure on the knee joint.
Twisting or excessive knee bending may cause tears in the ligaments that connect the bones inside the joint. This brace plays a protective role in protecting the knee ligaments by preventing excessive stretching and pressure on the tissues around it.
There are several types of protective knee braces. Each sport activity has a knee brace dedicated to it. The brace for volleyball players differs from the brace for motorcyclists.
Hinged knee braces
The hinged knee brace is often used to stabilize a person's knee in cases of bone fractures or after surgical procedures. This brace may extend from the ankle to the upper part of the thigh to ensure the stability of the entire leg of the injured person. It may be equipped with an electronic counter that controls the degree of bending of the knee and its range of motion.
The benefit of the brace in treating knee stiffness is still not proven, but methods have recently appeared to treat stiffness, such as injecting. Knee plasma or treatment using stem cells.
Compression knee brace
This type of knee brace is primarily used to relieve swelling as it compresses the tissue around the knee to reduce joint swelling and is also helpful in improving the patient's knee pain and mobility.
It is made of lightweight material that allows air to pass through and is very comfortable, making it a favorite choice for many.
Types of knee braces depending on their shape
The knee brace has different shapes and components to suit its function. Some of them are simple belts that wrap around the person's knee, while others consist of metal or plastic pieces.
The types of medical knee braces are classified according to their shape into:
Knee Sleeves
They are made of neoprene that supports the knee and can slide over it. They come in many sizes and colors and are often worn by athletes during matches.
It is comfortable, light in weight which gives a feeling of warmth, supports the knee and is also used to manage chronic patellofemoral pain syndrome.
knee pads
It is used to protect the knee from the risk of injuries, especially when driving motorcycles or playing sports such as skateboarding, in addition to some professions requiring constant knee bendings, such as plumbers and paint workers.
The knee pad does not provide stability when moving, as its role is limited to preventing accidents.
Patellar Straps
Patellar straps have become widely used recently to manage the pain of the front part of the patient's knee, which is a medical corset that wraps around the location of the patellar tendon in the knee.
This band relieves the pressure applied to the tendon, reducing tendinitis's pain. You can read more about Patellar tendinitis.
Benefits of knee braces
A knee brace improves the quality of life for sick or healthy people by providing one of the following benefits:
- Knee support and stabilization
- Knee pain relief
- Improving the ability to move
- Reducing the pressure from the knee
- Ensure good blood flow to the knee joint
- Injury prevention, especially for athletes
Harms of knee braces
The use of a medical knee brace may involve some damage if it is not worn correctly or if you do not follow the instructions of the doctor or physiotherapist and choose the wrong type of brace that does not fit the knee of the person who placed it.
Among the damages that a knee brace may cause are:
- Feeling of pain and discomfort
- Redness and irritation of the skin where the stent was placed
- Not taking advantage of the knee brace
- Joint stiffness
The cost of Knee braces in Turkey
The price of a knee brace varies according to the type of brace and its manufacturer, but the cost range usually ranges from $ 10 for a simple mount to $ 1000 for the most advanced props used in the treatment of arthritis.
You can contact us In the event that you have an inquiry about the best types of knee braces available in Turkey, we at Bimaristan Medical Center work to provide our services to ensure that patients receive optimal care in all medical specialties.
In the end, although there are many types of knee braces, each one has a function that distinguishes it from the other type. The best way to choose a brace that is suitable for you is by consulting your specialist doctor who will evaluate your condition to give you a brace specifically for your knee.
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