Knee Braces
I have never been a fan of knee braces both after knee surgery (with certain exceptions) and as a preventive measure. I am amazed at the number of football teams that brace their offensive lineman. It is interesting to note that Caron Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback was wearing a knee brace when he was hit. He was wearing the brace due to a prior knee injury, but is did not prevent was described as a ‘devastating’ knee injury. The doctor who performed the surgery was quoted as saying:” The brace didn’t function well in this environment and should have done better than it did, frankly.” Well da!!!
Proper strengthening and learning to use the wisdom of the body is better than bracing. Not to mention that braces hinder mobility which in my opinion make the player more susceptible to injury. Any thoughts ?
posted by Vern Gambetta @ 1/26/2006 07:58:00 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I just don't get it. The knee is a slave to the ankle & hip with no places to hide and few places to go. I don't understand how a few pieces of neoprene, plastic, and velcro can control those kind of forces. Most of the scientific studies on knee braces are done under laboratory conditions, without having to deal with the reality of sweat, rain, mud, weight gain & loss, and skin lubricants on the brace's efficiency. HOWEVER, I do believe in ankle bracing in certain situations.
What about the increased "stability" of shoes. I heard an interesting talk about how the foot is so "encased" these days that the foot is actually weakening because of the increased technology in footwear. I think it is related to bracing. With that being said, I wondered about the prevelance of knee and ankle injuries back in the days of converse chuck taylor's vs. today. I know acl tears are up, but a lot of that is due to increased involvement of females in athletics. I would love to hear some opinions on footwear as well as bracing. I also believe in ankle bracing, but mostly in acute situations. I only used one immediately after twisting an ankle, but I felt it was best not to rely on it long term. I do notice an increase in the lace up ankle braces by middle school basketball teams, but how much of this is preventative and how much is image? I don't know.
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