Specialty Knee Braces

There are many types of knee braces available on the market today. They range from a simple sleeve of Lycra to complicated contraptions with moving parts and external water coolers. Once upon a time, knee braces served solely as protective devices, providing compression and sometimes immobilization. Times have certainly changed when it comes to knee braces! Not only can the knee braces help to heal knee injuries more quickly, in some cases they can prevent them altogether. Many top professional athletes wear knee braces every time they compete in their sport. Referring to his own use of DonJoy knee braces, motocross champion Grant Langston said, "Prevention is better than any cure" and that couldn't be truer.

One of the specialty knee braces on the market today is the DonJoy Protective Armor Knee Brace. This is one of the most sophisticated knee braces available without a prescription and is worn by many athletes, both amateur and professional, who require knee protection during their vigorous sports activities. This brace is great for mild to severe knee injuries as well as preventing injuries. It can be used by people of all ages and provides adjustable, comfortable protection for the knees and shins as well.

Another specialty brace is the DonJoy OAdjuster Osteoarthritis Knee Brace specifically for people suffering from osteoarthritis. This brace has been shown to help reduce pain for many people. This brace also stabilizes the knee joint to prevent injuries. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that these types of knee braces can actually help to build muscle which will further stabilize the knee joint and provide added relief to the OA sufferer. These braces relieve the strain on the joint through a process known as "off-loading" which redistributes the person's weight bearing load to an area that can handle it.

Patella bands are other types of specialty knee braces that provide unique support for runners and jumpers. An example of this type would be the Aircast Infrapatellar Band which is designed to relieve symptoms of patellofemoral pain and Osgood-Schlatter disease often associated with running and jumping. These knee braces provide compression on the patellar tendon which usually provides the desired relief. These types of knee braces may also be worn to prevent injuries from running and jumping.

The knees play an important role in the body and are subjected to a lot of wear and tear from everyday life, let alone vigorous jarring sporting activities and diseases. It is good to know that the knees can be protected and that injuries can be healed and weakness can be overcome by using the right knee braces.