CTI Knee brace - Custom or off the shelf

Finally got a break from work and headed to the lake this past week just to end up tearing my left mcl and tweeked the right knee. I will know the extent of the damage once I get the MRI on Wednesday.

My question is once I get back to riding I will need a brace, is it worth the extra money do go with a custom brace?

I know that my insurance will pay 90% of the Off the Shelf but not sure if they will pay anything on a custom.

I would push for it if I were you. I think they will cover it because they wont want you to injure it again.

There are a couple of good threads about this. The bottomline is get one that fits you best. I have an off the shelf asterick as well as an older off the shelf CTi Edge and both do just fine for me.

I got the Custom CTi Vapor. It is SO awesome, fits perfect, light weight and it is really cool how they make it. I'd see if your insurance will cover it, well worth it

I just got my CTi Custom and I love it too! I love the support that it gives. Insurance covered mine.

Also, I got the upper part of my knee brace flared so that it wouldn't bring on any quad muscle irritation/squeeze while riding

If you can get a custom one made, do it. The off the shelf ones are ok, but personally I'd rather have something that was made for me so I know it's exactly what I need and not something that's only going to complicate my knee problems.

I have a cti morph that sits in the boat since I started using the asterisk brace. lacing on the asterisk holds the brace in place better. The velcro comes apart on mine.

If you take two regular neoprene knee braces and stretch them over the carbon brace, both top and bottom, the velcro will not come undone when you hit the water. ;)

your ins should pay 90% no matter what. It is all listed under Durable Medical Equipment. I would go with what ever is the best. You are going to have to pay your deductible no matter what. Also, if you give the rep a finacial hard luck story, they can usually waive that 10% you are suppose to pay. Good luck man.

Wakeboarding is a sport that takes a heavy toll on your body. There are a lot of unnatural forces and wear-and-tear that your body (specifically your knee) was not designed to absorb. A brace is going to act as an exoskeletal support to help absorb and redistribute these unnatural forces. The more intimate and better the fit, the more likely the brace is to stay in position and function properly. So, I always try to encourage people to get a custom... if they can. That is what I put all our professional athletes in... custom CTi's. The CTi OTS (off-the-shelf) is a great brace (better than most company's custom braces), but it is not the same as having a custom. Custom CTi's are made specifically to your leg - we take 23 measurements - to make sure we get your exact contours and the correct femur/tibial alignment. It can be shortened or lengthened depending on your height and weight, with a bunch of other modifications that can be made depending on your anatomy. It is a truly custom brace.

i dont wear a brace. but my dad has the off the shelf one and absolutly loves it. they told him that if he gains or loses weight, or gains or loses muscle then the custom wont fit. they recomended the off the shelf. they said it is more adjustable

I know my insurance (Kaiser) wouldn't pay any portion of a custom knee brace after my husband's knee surgery last year. They said the options are either a knee brace after injury.. OR surgery.. not both.

See what your coverage is on DME that will tell you how much they will cover

David - OTS braces are definitely more adjustable in fit. They have to be to fit such a wide variety of people. A guy that is 5'5" with stocky knees might wear a size medium... the same size medium that fits a guy that is 6'2" and is kind of skinny. Way different body types with often different needs. The braces just aren't going to have the same intimate streamlined fit of a custom. That is one of the huge benefits of a custom. They are streamlined to fit your exact contours and needs.
As for gaining weight - custom CTi braces have a one year fit guarantee. Usually, if we do make adjustments in the first year it is do more to swelling or muscle atrophy than actual weight gain or loss. The most critical area for brace fit is in the width/or circumference of the knee joint, a place that usually doesn't fluctuate to much even with weight gain. Thighs will fluctuate a little bit (especially on women), but not to the point where I would stray away from a encouraging a custom.

Elizabeth - I haven't heard that before? Typically, docs will prescribe a ligament brace post-operatively to protect the investment of the procedure they just performed. They often encourage patients to use it during rehab, and then slowly ween them off of it, EXCEPT for when they are doing activities which are high risk for re-injury.... like wakeboarding.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. And thanks Brett for chiming in, its nice to have you on the boards.

I talked with the Orthotics department at TOC and then talked with BCBS about what they will cover. I was told by BCBS that the custom brace would be covered but TOC told me if the doctor puts on the prescription that it is for being able to participate in a sport such as wakeboarding or motocross they would not cover it. I just have to talk to the doctor and ask him to put for rehabilitation.

Brett - I had never heard that either. I don't know if it's Kaiser specific or just an Ortho that said that because he personally doesn't believe in braces.

I know Anthony had a CTI brace before his injury and loved it. (Until it sunk in the Delta)