ACL Brace--CTI v Donjoy

Question for those of you with ACL injuries who have had bracing prescribed--Do you recommend Donjoy braces or CTI and which model works best for wakeboarding? I know CTI is waterprrof but am not sure about Donjoy. I just saw a second Dr. today and he said I have a partial ACL tear and wants me to use a brace for sports and watch it closely to see if surgery is necessary. Please let me know any findings you have for braces so I can get the best one! Thanks!

I like my cti2. when I first got it, I hated it, now I don't even notice it.

2nd for CTI. Tracy, you are in SoCal, right? Innovation Sports (CTI) is in Foothill Ranch, easy to get service (rebuilds, new straps). http://www.isports.com

I have a donjoy brace. It is waterproof. My doctor had it specailly made for the dimensions of my knee and leg. It has definetly protected my knee several times now. I think that either brand will probably be equally good.

Mine also came from Cali, I am in Atlanta. But my doc says that this brace should last me a good 10 years, and he gave me extra pads and gave me info on how to get new straps.

Donjoy, custom Defiance 3, two years, no problems yet after ACL recon.

I own a Donjoy custom, OrthoTech custom and Townsend custom.
Which do I recommend? Definitely not Townsend (Too bulky and other things you have to wear in order to use brace)

Honestly I've never worn any of these ACL braces for sporting activities. It's a pain in the arse with a little pinching here and a little pinching there, throw in a blistering rub that you can never find the right adjustment.....blah, blah,blah...

Working on strength, coordination and proprioception is the best thing you can do.

I am using cti2 and it's been good. I would recomend the cti2 custom, vapor, or edge.

I'm with Phantom. My Dr. prescribed a brace after an ACL avulsion (ripped acl out of tibia) and I've never been a huge fan of it. I have a custom Donjoy Defiance 3 and it's just never worked well, especially in the water for wakeboarding. Seems no matter what I do, I just can't get it to fit right. I've had DJ reps order me new pads, straps, sleeves, and show me how to put it on correctly, but the thing moves around after a jump or two no matter what I do. Beyond that, the thing blows completely off quite often on hard falls into the water. I've been weening myself off the brace lately and spending as much time as I can in the gym trying to strengthen up my leg. My DJ Defiance is a $2k paperweight at this point, I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it.

If given the choice, which I wasn't, I'd go for the CTi over the DJ. If given another choice, I'd go for the EBI Alliance over the CTi, it appears to give the best fit out there.

i have a cti....works great !!

Thanks for the info! I agree about that PT and working on strength, etc. are VERY important but since I have a partial tear, the doctor wants me to use the brace to protect it for awhile. It sounds like the cti2 is definitely worth checking out and since I live in So Cal it does sound convenient.

I have EBI alliance and it has worked great so far. Wakeboarded all summer and ride bmx park once a week with it. I will be snowboarding with it in a week or so too. Its got some special "snake skin" padding so it does not slip when wet. I do have to wear an under sleeve when biking/snowboarding so it doesn't rub me raw. Not as cool looking as a CTI but works great so far.

Has anyone had problems with using Donjoy Defiance for wakeboarding? CTi definitely says it is waterproof, while Donjoy doesn't specifically say that. Any problems with Donjoy slipping in the water or not holding up well with watersports?

CTI2 Custom or vapor

yah i have a donjoy custom but it isnt cti because i broke my growth plate and so my leg gives out a lot but now i can do double-ups to flats no problem with no pain.

really thinking about this..how does he know it is partially torn...the md doesn't know till they actually get in there (my mri showed complete tear, however only partial when they were in there)....

have you gotten a 2nd opinion?

I did get a second opinion--basically, the MRI shows a tear and they really can't tell from that if it is full or partial. First doc thought just grade 1 sprain of ACL and bad bone bruise but radiologist saif complete ACL tear...went to second dr at Kerlan Jobe and he said definitely an ACL injury but stability is good--has me doing PT, ordered a brace and will watch carefully to see how it responds. Right now it is responding to PT and I am able to run/jump/etc without pain or feeling of instability. He said 75% chance I won't need reconstruction since stability is good and that's why he thinks it might be a partial tear.

So, clubmyke, what did they do when they got in there?

Be careful with that Tracy. I am currently scheduled to get a new acl (tore my acl in late october) and according to research statistics 80 percent of active individuals who continue to stay active on a torn or missing ACL see further knee damage; however I am not sure how bad the extent of damage is. I have been talking to my doctor about options plans etc. and according to him using the allograft is the least painful operation and rehab due to the lower amount of invasiveness. He also mentioned that for someone young and active, the acl procedure is pretty much the best decision unless that individual has professional obligations regarding performance etc. FWIW the doctor I am recieving my information from works with almost all of the local professional teams and comes very highly regarded.

I second Matt. He's right in the middle of 5 or 6 professional teams. Eric Heiden at UC Davis was a gold medal speed skater and he has some great advice as well.

i have worn 2 cti2's racing moto x for the past 6-7 years and have never had a problem. never worn them wakeboarding though.

my vote is the cti2, i have a donjoy and hate it!!!!

Jason - just wondering why you hate the Donjoy...does it slip, uncomfortable, etc?

Steve & Matt - I totally understand what you are saying and that's why I went to a new Ortho who deals with professional athletes. Also, have heard the same about allograft being the least painful and quickest to rehab. Matt, is yours a full tear and do you feel like it is stable now or can you tell it is torn? Just wondering...and good luck with the surgery! I do go for a follow-up in 2 wks and have been doing extensive PT--it feels pretty stable now even jogging and doing other activities, so it's hard to tell how it really will perform while playing sports, wakeboarding, etc but the PT won't hurt even if I end up needing surgery!

Yes I have a full tear. I also have a pretty large bone bruise and "dented" (not sure what the medical term is) my femur bone as well, but that is it so far (knocking on wood until the surgery). The MRI did not show any cartilage, miniscus or patella damage.

A few days after the initial tear I could feel a fluttering and was hoping for just a pcl rather than ACL. Now when I turn certain directions I can feel a sloppiness and a loosening and tightening of what feels like my lcl (probably not). I have a feeling this is partially due to the swelling and fluid slowly leaving the knee area as well as a decrease in physical activity. It is my right knee and if lean like I were doing a regular footed soul turn/manual I get feeling of my knee giving out. This may also be due to the lack of "knee workouts (trampoline, cycling, lifting etc.)" I have done since the injury. I have heard of catastrophic knee injuries from continual use of a knee with a full ACL tear where it just tore the snot out of everything since the ACL wasnt there.

The quick & dirty test the doctor performed to check for possible acl tear is common; relax knee muscles and slightly pull on lower knee half to check "rebound". Compare both knees respectively. My doctor also mentioned that he had one specific case where someone came to him for a possible ACL tear and the patient had no clue that both were in fact torn, which was later confirmed in an MRI after the docs initial quick test. That person had been a olympic level gymnist who had not injured the "good leg" in a long long time; so it is possible to go on.

In the end its your decision on what to do. Luckily I: sit at a desk most of the day, decent healthcare, great sports ortho, young, extremely active, have the funds, support, and time available. For me it was pretty obvious what to do. Though I am seriously bummed about missing the bulk of snow season here, things could be A LOT worse than this issue.

Steve: I am super bummed about not being able to ride with you this winter out in Denver. Rest assured I plan on continuing to push my riding; just staying away from the injuries. I think I paid my dues for the next few years after this past year I had, lol.

hey tracy - my donjoy does slip around a lot and the tighter i put it on, the more uncomfortable it gets. i still wear it to ride motocross and snowboard, but not to wakeboard. i say the cti2 cause it has a more natural fit to me. plus it comes with a patella cup and a acl support strap. just my 2cents!!!!!!

Matt, there will be plenty of time to ride. I'm still so bummed you got hurt. First the ankle and now this. Ugg...

I believe in doing the PT on your own in addition to what the Docs say. I pushed it a little sooner than I should have but the PT made it stronger, quicker. Don't forget to take your Flintstones.

Hopefully you'll be up and around by the Shasta trip in May. I'll be looking forward to filming your first 7!!