Sports, occupations, and any other activities involving bending or twisting of knees may cause knee cartilage to tear. Wearing knee support braces is considered the best treatment to reduce mild to moderate symptoms of a knee cartilage tear. If you are susceptible to cartilage or other injuries, wearing knee braces may help you reduce the chances of overuse injuries.
How do knee braces help with cartilage tears?
People involved in high-contact sports or athletic activities may require putting excessive pressure on their knees. At the same time, they may also involve in twisting, bending, jumping, and side-to-side movements. All these actions may make your knees vulnerable to overuse injuries, and cartilage tear is a common injury. People suffering from knee arthritis may also b more prone to knee cartilage injury. The common symptoms of knee cartilage tear may include knee pain, swelling, stiffness, tenderness, difficulty straightening or bending your knees, and a crunching or clicking feeling.
Many healthcare professionals suggest wearing knee support braces, as they help you manage knee cartilage injury. For example, wearing knee support braces help protect your knee joint, preventing further discomfort after an injury. They also stabilise your knee joint and provide continuous support. Thus, they help with mobility or improve your range of motion. As well as this, knee support braces help improve blood circulation through sufficient compression. Thus, it helps speed up recovery or improve healing following an injury.
How to choose and wear knee braces?
Everyone should take care of a few things before choosing or wearing knee braces. If your healthcare professionals recommend wearing knee braces then you must go for them. First of all, you need to choose knee braces with the right size. Ensure that the knee brace is not too tight in fitting. Too much tight brace may cut blood circulation. On the other hand, a loosely fitted knee brace may slip down, causing discomfort. It may also not be able to provide the needed compression. It must be a snug fit to offer sufficient support and compression.
How long one should wear knee braces?
The exact duration of wearing knee braces depends on your condition. People who just want to wear braces to protect their knees during sports or occupation may wear them throughout their sessions. However, in the case of wearing knee braces to manage knee problems, such as knee cartilage tears, must wear braces as recommended by your GP.