Best Knee brace for Boarding?

What is a good knee brace for someone who has not hurt their knees yet, but wants to prevent an injury? Im in my 40's and have not stopped watersports. I see alot of photos of boaders with braces. I just use a neo with a side bar from Wal Mart.
Thanks

Save your money and do an strengthening and stretching program based around your knees. This would be focused on your quads, hamstrings and calves. The stronger and more flexible these muscle groups are the less susceptible your knees are to injury. I can give you some exercises if you would like them. Just send me a PM.

I have the CTi brace. Lightweight, and all carbon fiber so water not an issue.

http://www.ossur.com/pages/3033

I was looking at the CTI braces, but look too expensive for me. I'm only 14 but I have had a torn ACL and some other ligaments in my knee. So I have a pretty bad knee. I think I will ask my doctor what the best one would be.

your doctor should be able to write a prescription for one and your insurance should cover most of the cost of the brace if you have had an injury thats how i got my don joy carbon fiber one and didnt pay a cent for it

Yeah if you've had surgery and have met your deductible and your doctor says that is the brace you need, then your insurance will cover it. I just had two knee surgeries over the summer and got Cti braces for both knees. I tore my ACL this summer and they cleaned out my other knee from a PCL reconstruction I had a few years ago.

Where did yall get them at? Or fitted?

Justin:

They are fitted and require a prescription. I specifically asked my ortho for a CTI knee brace prescription; making sure he put the word "CTI" on the prescription. I think my insurance classified the knee brace as "durable medical equipment" so check with your your insurance and find out what their policy is on that type of equipment.

I personally spent 10% of the total cost on mine (after insurance) which was about 175 bucks.

While a knee brace doesnt guarantee that you wont demolish your knee or cause other injuries (since it strengthens the weakest link if something were to break) I looked at it like this: cost of knee brace: $175, cost of knee surgery $5,000 out of pocket. Yes I have done both. IMHO if I had a torn ACL I would be buying a brace...even if it cost the full $1,750.

There a quite a few threads on this topic if you want to search those for a wide variety of opinions. I use the CTi and love it! Had a Donjoy and didn't like it due to slippage. CIi offers both custom and off the shelf braces.

(Message edited by wakekat15 on January 25, 2009)

(Message edited by wakekat15 on January 25, 2009)

im 49 years old with a possible posterior medial meniscus tear last march. im a strength coach and do manual rehab. i do active release techniques. i showed my friend who is a doctor who does ART on the worlds best athletes what i do on a wakeboard. he said to get a knee brace. i was told CTI or don joy by a wakeboard coach. i went w the don joy. i agree w previous post, it slips way too much. getting a cti this year.

Get an ARP machine and strengthen your glutes and hams, AND THEN get that CTI knee brace. Squats and lunges will help prevent knee problems when the exercises are done PROPERLY!

www.arpwave.com

Greatest training device ever.

i prefer the microcurrent machine. been using it for 5 years.
http://www.frequencyspecific.com/index.htm