This will be the spring I start attempting to throw inverts. I’m 54 and have zero problems with my knees, and want to keep it that way. Can anybody recommend a good knee brace that is reasonably priced. It’s hopefully a preventative measure. If I injure myself, my wife will no longer pull me. Thanks for your help.
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A bit of background: I have been a physical therapist for 22 years and a wakeboarder/snowboarder for the same. Still, I can't claim to be an expert on all braces.Originally posted by Brianrzr View Post
There are basically 3 levels of knee braces you could look at: Sleeve, hinged, total control. The sleeve can be $50 or less, the hinged $150 or less, and the total control $400-800. If you're looking for injury prevention, avoid the sleeve. The hinged (like: https://www.betterbraces.com/donjoy-...paround-sleeve) will provide lateral stability and some compression (helps with muscle activation) but will not prevent an ACL injury. It may not prevent a LCL/MCL injury, but it's better than nothing. This would be your best bet as far as minimizing risk while staying within a reasonable price point. The total control brace (like: https://www.betterbraces.com/donjoy-...tom-knee-brace) will help with all excessive forces that target the knee but are expensive.
Finally, remember that the forces that will cause the injury are there regardless of what you wear to protect yourself. Many times, those forces will also affect the hip/ankle so braces don't necessarily prevent injury. With attempts at inverts, I'd be more concerned with whiplash type injuries or lower back injuries. Just my opinion, but I'd go with the hinged if you want a brace. BTW, I'm 46 and still attempt things on the wakeboard/snowboard that I shouldn't so I certainly wouldn't suggest you don't attempt the tricks, just be aware that the knee brace may or may not help.
Good luck! Post some pics of the tricks!
Mike -
Thanks! I appreciate your insight. I do understand they are not a sure thing, but I’m sure they are better than nothing.Comment
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Being a regular footed rider, is there one knee that is more prone to injury than the other?Comment
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I’m blew out my left knee riding regular!Originally posted by Brianrzr View Post
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
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Hi Brian, I looked for some research on this question and it lead me to an article with an interesting finding:Originally posted by Brianrzr View Post
There was a statistically significant finding that 78.6% of pro/advanced wakeboarders injured the right knee, compared to only 36.8% of intermediate/beginners. For most wakeboarders’ stance, the right (dominant) foot is placed at the back of the board and, when landing correctly, absorbs the most ground-reactive forces from impact. It is possible that the improved body control of the advanced boarder leads to a more consistent injury pattern to the dominant leg, as opposed to the intermediate/beginner, who may more frequently be landing off balance on the nondominant (left) leg.
So, it would appear a large portion of advanced riders tend to injure the back leg. It also stated that "landing jumps" was the prominent mechanism of injury. Here is the link to the article if you're interested.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435921/Comment
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That’s great information! Thank you very much. I guess it’s one of those things that if you wear one and never hurt yourself, you don’t know if it works or not. I think it’s worth the gamble.Comment
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I would like my 50-year-old to feel in shape like you. I'm already 32, and I feel old. I quite often wearing a brace knee, because I'm fond of running. My doctor recommended a knee stabilizer because a few days ago my the ligament has been overstretched. But here, I have found an article that might be useful for anybody https://dunbarmedical.com/product-ca...upport-splint/ Any knee brace for every knee pain and problem.Comment
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