Six Knee Brace Questions And Answers · Dunbar Medical

Knee braces, while appearing dim-witted at first glance, can be complex and baffling objects to many patients upon promote inspection. That ’ second why we ’ ve put together six of the most common knee pair questions that patients may ask and some aboveboard advice you can give to them.

What will wearing a knee brace do?

All patients want to know why any discussion, support, medicine or exercise will help them feel good and stay better, so this is a great place to start familiarizing them with knee patronize products. There are different knee back products for unlike purposes, but for the sake of helping a affected role understand the basics, start with a general breakdown of how they work. Knee braces support the knee ’ second ligaments by regulating the movement of the roast and guarding against unusual movements during recovery from wound. They can facilitate recovery in a variety of ways such as by using heat and compression to reduce pain and excitement, correcting improper and damage movements or protecting and supporting the knee against excessive push or twisting out of position.

Does it matter what kind of knee brace I have?

To answer the question, yes, it does matter, but it ’ south important to go bass with patients and explain to them what the differences are and why they are important.

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While many patients will follow your instructions to the letter, there are some who will not. If they are uninformed about the wide array of knee braces and their specific purposes, they are much more likely to believe they can decide for themselves which brace is suitable for them and chose the improper one, pushing their recovery rear and potentially making the wound bad. While there are hundreds of different knee support products out there, all with slight variations geared to helping patients with specific problems, there are general classifications that you can explain to patients before making a finical recommendation. The four main knee braces to briefly outline with patients are :

prophylactic braces, designed with the aim of preventing knee injuries. They are mostly used in sports like rugby or basketball in which there is frequent bodily contact with other players.
There are then functional braces, which support knees that are already injured.
Next, there are rehabilitative braces, which restrict potentially harmful movements of the knee during the recovery period after either surgery or an injury.
Lastly, there are unloader or offloader braces, which provide relief from conditions like knee arthritis.

When should I use a knee support and how should I put it on?

time is everything, as they say, and it ’ s specially crucial when it comes to wearing a knee brace. That ’ s why it ’ sulfur very important to help patients understand all the ins and outs of how to properly use a knee brace, including the logistics of putting on the product. Give very detailed instructions on when the support should be used and when it is best to shed the brace and leave it behind. Depending on the type of stifle support, these instructions will be different, but help the patient get a definite sense of if they should wear the couple all the time or only when doing certain activities, including sports, rehab exercises, daily transport from plaza to rate, sitting and sleeping. The future step is to help patients get comfortable with putting on and taking off the brace. One of the worst things that can happen is that a affected role is uncertain of how to properly put on a brace and does so falsely, causing far injury or a miss of convalescence. Have identical thorough education, write it down or invite the patient to bring the brace in and go through the motions with them.

How should I clean and take care of my knee support?

This is probably one of the most normally asked knee brace questions. After so much explain, it should be clean to the patient by now that the knee brace is a all-important part of the recovery process, about like another limb, and that ( south ) he should treat it with diligent care. now it ’ s up to you to give them a template to doing merely that.

Knee braces don ’ t much come with a fix of care instructions and so it is normally up to the physical therapist explain how to best conserve the knee stimulate so it works well and it works for ampere hanker as the patient needs it, specially as stifle braces get a bunch of mileage and stress put on them. A few basic tips for patients include inspecting the brace frequently for wear, regularly cleaning it with family soap to help maintain the framework and keep it clear of bacteria, and covering exposed metallic element to reduce the risk of injury ( including to others ). It ’ second besides dependable to explain the unlike price points and material that braces are made of to help the patient understand the unlike concern and maintenance that is required with each, along with the potency and lastingness of each type of knee brace.

How long should I wear my knee brace?

The first four knee brace questions and answers will undoubtedly help patients to get a run start when using a knee brace as they provide a great newcomer ’ s kit for first-time brace wearers. however, it ’ s not enough to fair give patients lone half the pieces in the puzzle ; you besides need to explain how to gauge the effectiveness of the stifle brace and how to listen to the consistency when measuring the impact of the stimulate. The first gear thing to do is to help patients establish expectations ; a week of wearing the knee brace won ’ metric ton mean a broad recovery and the truth is, most stifle braces are needed for some clock. This will help patients to avoid getting thwart or feel negative emotions if they don ’ t have flying results. Guidelines for the habit of knee braces depend on a number of factors. The most significant is the amount of action on the stifle ligaments in combination with the muscles that are designed to actively absorb that activity. If the injury and use of the brace is chiefly for sports, it depends on the sport being played. Sports which involve a set of turning and jumping pose an add risk. At the end of the day, there ’ s no clear-cut answer as to how long a pair needs to be worn, but it is authoritative to let the patient know to take note of any concerns or improvements and bring them to you frequently. patronize visits will mean that the brace is used properly and isn ’ thymine worn a moment besides long or besides short.

Do I still need to do exercises or rehab if I wear my knee brace?

The short answer is yes, of course. Wearing a knee couple international relations and security network ’ t a shortcut or a silver bullet to getting 100 per penny healthy and patients should be very intelligent of this. While knee braces can be an necessity part of the convalescence and rehabilitation process, they are lone part of a much larger laid of tools to help the body get back to full health. It ’ sulfur important that the patient knows precisely what these other tools are, how they work in junction with knee braces and what their impact is on a flying, effective recovery. It ’ mho besides crucial to ensure the patients knows that wearing a stifle brace doesn ’ t make him or her invincible. injury remains a risk even while wearing the brace. To fully recover from the injury and avoid a future recurrence, the patient needs to besides focus on stretching and strengthening the joint a well as improving proficiency.

Providing the affected role with cautiously considered answers to the knee stimulate questions in this post will put them on the road to a quick and more arrant recovery. For more information on how to help patients stick to their home drill plans, particularly when wearing a knee brace, check out our position on submission at home plate. If you run competitively or for casual exercise, please consult our post on choosing a knee brace for running for more guidance on this subjugate. basketball players can obtain alike guidance relevant to their sport from our station on how to choose a knee brace for basketball. How knee braces work