Running is a healthy activity at any stage of life. However, in some circumstances, it may bring you injuries. For example, running continuously or excessively may put extreme stress on your knees. On the other hand, running on uneven surfaces or falling during running may also cause knee pain or injuries. Wearing knee support braces helps avoid putting excessive pressure on your knees. Thus, they help you in preventing injuries. As well as this, they also help you minimise pain, swelling, and other discomforts following a knee injury.
How do knee braces help with running?
Whether you are a professional runner or participate occasionally in running activities, you may hurt your knees at one point or another. The common knee injury in runners is the runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome. Other injuries may include knee ligament injuries, meniscus tears, cartilage tears, and patellar tendinitis. The common cause of knee injuries in running is overusing your knees or putting excessive pressure on the knees.
Bracing your knees during running may help you in a variety of ways. For example, bracing your knees helps keep your knees protected from external forces. They may also help keep your knee joints aligned, helping prevent awkward movements or overextension during running. Moreover, they provide continuous support and compression, helping keep your muscles active and warm. As well as this, they also boost your blood circulation. Consequently, they help you perform well throughout your sessions.
A guide on choosing the best knee braces
While choosing a knee brace for running, you need to take care of a few things. For example, the right size, materials, compression or support level, and brace type are some noticeable factors. Ensure that you wear the braces that are properly fitted around your knee joint. Support or compression level varies from basic to advanced or elite levels. Then, knee braces are divided based on their functionality, including magnetic braces, knee wraps, knee straps, pull-up knee sleeves, hinged-knee braces, and patellofemoral braces. You are advised to choose knee braces under the guidance of your GP to get maximum benefits.
How long should one wear knee braces?
The duration of wearing knee braces depends on your activity or condition. If you want to wear braces to prevent injury chances during running, you can wear them as long as you feel comfortable. People who are suffering from knee pain must wear braces under the duration set by their GP. Overusing knee bracing may cause circulation or other problems.