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Old     (VLX_Fixation)      Join Date: Nov 2012       11-18-2012, 4:37 PM Reply   
Hey guys, im looking for a good knee brace for wakeboarding, i tore my meniscus a few seasons back and never had surgery. It's pretty strong now but get sharp pains occassionally so im thinking a good brace might help me out. I've always worn a neoprene one but i dont feel very sturdy in it. Im looking at cti but not sure what opinions are. Can i measure and fit myself or do i HAVE to be fit by a salesman? (I have skinny calves and strong thighs, no matter how hard i work out my calves they just shred not grow, lol) let me know what ones you guys use that are pretty affordable. Thanks
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       11-18-2012, 5:35 PM Reply   
I'd probably consult with an orthopedic doctor before wanting/ordering a brace. Varying opinions out there but if there isn't anything 'technically' wrong with you meniscus, you rehabbed it and it is strong... I am one who would ask what you really need a brace for/if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Old     (Anaru)      Join Date: Jan 2012       11-18-2012, 6:31 PM Reply   
Podmx are great. They have adjusters in them so you can adjust the max angle that they will straighten. This is to prevent hyper extending your knees and cause more problems.
My knees fill up with fluid and get really sore after only an hr or so. With the podmx I can last 3-4 hrs and be fine the next day.
Hope this helps
Old     (VLX_Fixation)      Join Date: Nov 2012       11-18-2012, 8:22 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakebordr11 View Post
I'd probably consult with an orthopedic doctor before wanting/ordering a brace. Varying opinions out there but if there isn't anything 'technically' wrong with you meniscus, you rehabbed it and it is strong... I am one who would ask what you really need a brace for/if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I normally run the same opinion lol but the reason i opted out of the surgery is because i dont want to take the time off of work/riding and winter is out cuz i snowboard. Lol i know its stupid but oh well...i get a pop in my knee prob 1 out of every 10 rides. Instant pain for like 15 minutes then its gone so just wanna try a brace to see if i can eliminate that "pop." My wife tells me the same thing...have the damn surgery or "kwitcherbitchin" lol
Old     (VLX_Fixation)      Join Date: Nov 2012       11-18-2012, 8:22 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaru View Post
Podmx are great. They have adjusters in them so you can adjust the max angle that they will straighten. This is to prevent hyper extending your knees and cause more problems.
My knees fill up with fluid and get really sore after only an hr or so. With the podmx I can last 3-4 hrs and be fine the next day.
Hope this helps
Definitely gonna check them out. Thanks
Old     (Anaru)      Join Date: Jan 2012       11-19-2012, 2:13 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by VLX_Fixation View Post
Definitely gonna check them out. Thanks
I will add that u need to duct tape the Velcro straps once you have it in the right place, they tend to come off and slip but simple tape fixes it up. Not the totally perfect brace in that sense but it seems the norm as all people who wear them at my local park tape them up.
Old     (VLX_Fixation)      Join Date: Nov 2012       11-19-2012, 5:21 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaru View Post
I will add that u need to duct tape the Velcro straps once you have it in the right place, they tend to come off and slip but simple tape fixes it up. Not the totally perfect brace in that sense but it seems the norm as all people who wear them at my local park tape them up.
Yea i think thats with most Velcro braces...i put athletic tape on my neoprene ones now...looked em up, cant justify $800 on a brace right now. Lol esp when my wife's already bugging me about going to the ortho about it. Shes saying more than likely out insurance will cover it but i have to clear a physical every couple years for my job and id hate for that to disqualify me if knee probs show up on a background...
Old     (Anaru)      Join Date: Jan 2012       11-19-2012, 12:12 PM Reply   
Mine cost 299 aud
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       11-20-2012, 8:29 AM Reply   
Your knee problem is only gonna get worse. The reason you're feeling occasional pain is because that little flap of torn meniscus tissue is folding over and getting pinched between your femur and tibia. Get it fixed. Meniscus surgery recovery is not very long. A knee brace will not help you much with a torn meniscus. They're mainly meant for ligament injuries.
Old     (steezyshots)      Join Date: Feb 2008       11-20-2012, 9:58 AM Reply   
CTI's are the only way to go
Old     (bbr)      Join Date: Apr 2002       11-20-2012, 6:35 PM Reply   
^^^^^^^^

What he said! CTI make the best braces on the planet. In the past I've had Donjoy and Townsend and the CTI blow them away. You can hardly feel them on your leg when riding and the fit is amazing. To top it off their customer service is the best in the biz. Don't even waste your money on any other brand, in my opinion.
Old     (wgetty01)      Join Date: Jun 2010       11-20-2012, 6:47 PM Reply   
CTI, their off the shelf models can be found online for $399 which are just marginally less effectif in terms of fir than the 2k $ custom version. hold up well in water and for MX
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       11-21-2012, 1:02 AM Reply   
If you have abnormal leg anatomy, a custom is the way to go. My leg anatomy fits in the "normal" parameters so I could get the off the shelf CTI. Caveat: the Velcro doesn't last long so buy a spare when you order. Again, if you want to relieve the pain, you gotta do the arthroscopy. Just nut up. My 17 year old son had what's called a bucket handle tear in his meniscus (not good) and had it fixed in a February and was back to football conditioning (he was a starting tailback) within a month or two. Having it fixed doesn't mean you can't walk/run. It just means you can't cut hard etc. for a bit. You'll be on crutches for under a week. I've had two knee surgeries. First one was ACL/MCL/meniscus. Second one was meniscus only. The meniscus was a cakewalk to recover from compared to the ACL surgery. The fact that you say you're currently wearing a brace makes me think you feel like you have instability in your knee which begs the question: have you had an MRI to see what's actually going on with your knee? You may have more problems than you think... One last note, if it's only your meniscus that needs fixing and you get it fixed, you probably won't even need any brace at all.
Old     (GeistWakeDoc)      Join Date: Aug 2010       11-24-2012, 8:42 PM Reply   
Hey, I'm an orthopod myself... and hate missing time off the water -- but you have gotten some good advice here, particularly from "markj"...

if your meniscus is torn, and you continue to have pain from it you could be setting yourself up for a more significant tear later on. Little tears can been nibbled away with arthroscopy and dont have a huge impact on the development of arthritis later in life... a bigger tear, or bucket handle tear that cannot be repaired, and needs to be cut out really sets up someone for bad knee arthitis in 10-12 years...

Also, my biggest fear for someone who has a symptomatic meniscus tear and continues to push it, is that scenario where you hit some huge air, land -- get a spasm of pain that short circuits your quads and you have a huge high speed wreck -- with all its consequences.

I would get in to see and orthopod, get an MRI and get whatever is wrong addressed. If you need a simple partial meniscectomy you could easily be back in business in 4 weeks.

Also, a routine brace that offers "support" doesnt really address the meniscus tear. I also agree with Markj on that one -- if you get the meniscus addressed you may never need one at all.

If you really want a brace though, the CTI brace is awesome, I used one when I tore my MCL & PCL, and if you have a very thin calf/gastroc area then a custom brace will stay in the right place much better, and do what its supposed to do... It is better than the Donjoy in that it has a hard portion in front of the lower portion, where most of the Donjoy braces are made for contact sports where you fall on your knees alot and have the hard support behind the knee/calf area, and the soft straps in the front. I think that is why it is used so much in extreme sports (Wake and motocross) and less in football and soccer players...

Get it checked out, at least then you will know what the options really are...

PS... any free medical advice is worth the paper its written on...
Old     (VLX_Fixation)      Join Date: Nov 2012       11-24-2012, 10:44 PM Reply   
Ortho it is!! Apt on Monday. You guys talked me into it. Lol
Old     (natepribyl)      Join Date: Jun 2012       11-25-2012, 1:22 AM Reply   
Where do you find the cheapest CTI off the rack braces (NON Custom) I have heard a price of 399 on this forum
Web site or phone number
Thanks
Old     (brett_cti_knee_braces)      Join Date: Feb 2009       11-25-2012, 10:20 PM Reply   
Very cool to see everyone jumping in and helping out a fellow rider - super cool to see an actual orthpod weighing in. A lot of good advice! Obviously, I am going to be very biased when it comes to my opinions on braces so that is why I don't always jump in. However, I greatly appreciate all the guys who use our product stepping up and helping to spread the word.
As for where to get a CTi OTS (off-the-shelf) from an on-line resource, I STRONGLY urge everyone to order through buywake.com. We offer them a bundled kit for wakeboarders that nobody else gets. It is the correct version of the brace (standard carbon amount), an AMS wrap (anti migration system), neoprene undersleeve and an extra set of straps. The cost is $450. I would be extremely skeptical of any online source selling it for less.
Also, I want to remind everyone that CTi braces are a medical grade product and covered by most insurance plans with a doctor's prescription. A lot of the other braces out there aren't - and that is why they are often less expensive. If you have a knee injury and are seeking a brace, you may have to help educate your doctor on how gnarly the sport (wakeboarding) is, why you need to ride with a brace and, specifically, why you would like a CTi (as there are a lot of tangible differences between all the braces out there). We have some materials on our website you can print out and bring in to help educate your doc. Go to: www.ossur.com/CTi then click on the "Support Documants" tab. Then click on "CTi for Wakeboarding". The info sheet is a bit old but it should help explain to your doc why the brace will work well for your specific needs as a rider.
Ride safe and have fun!
Brett
Old     (Orange)      Join Date: Jun 2012       11-26-2012, 11:49 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeistWakeDoc View Post
Hey, I'm an orthopod myself... and hate missing time off the water -- but you have gotten some good advice here, particularly from "markj"...

if your meniscus is torn, and you continue to have pain from it you could be setting yourself up for a more significant tear later on. Little tears can been nibbled away with arthroscopy and dont have a huge impact on the development of arthritis later in life... a bigger tear, or bucket handle tear that cannot be repaired, and needs to be cut out really sets up someone for bad knee arthitis in 10-12 years...

Also, my biggest fear for someone who has a symptomatic meniscus tear and continues to push it, is that scenario where you hit some huge air, land -- get a spasm of pain that short circuits your quads and you have a huge high speed wreck -- with all its consequences.

I would get in to see and orthopod, get an MRI and get whatever is wrong addressed. If you need a simple partial meniscectomy you could easily be back in business in 4 weeks.

Also, a routine brace that offers "support" doesnt really address the meniscus tear. I also agree with Markj on that one -- if you get the meniscus addressed you may never need one at all.

If you really want a brace though, the CTI brace is awesome, I used one when I tore my MCL & PCL, and if you have a very thin calf/gastroc area then a custom brace will stay in the right place much better, and do what its supposed to do... It is better than the Donjoy in that it has a hard portion in front of the lower portion, where most of the Donjoy braces are made for contact sports where you fall on your knees alot and have the hard support behind the knee/calf area, and the soft straps in the front. I think that is why it is used so much in extreme sports (Wake and motocross) and less in football and soccer players...

Get it checked out, at least then you will know what the options really are...

PS... any free medical advice is worth the paper its written on...
What is your opinion of these kind of braces as a preventative measure? I have never had a serious knee injury and don't "need" a brace, but am paranoid about blowing out a knee wakeboarding due to the number of pro riders I see who now wear braces. I heard essentially rumors that braces can't protect from injury but they can support a weakened knee following injury etc., but have no knowledge of whether this has any merit. I'm getting older and am in a little worse shape each year... Each year my mind shifts a little further away from focusing on performance and more towards focussing on longevity and injury prevention.
Old     (GeistWakeDoc)      Join Date: Aug 2010       11-27-2012, 4:50 AM Reply   
I am speaking off the top of my head, but I believe that the data on prophylaxis of injuries is from as study done on college football players quite a few years ago. In that study they followed lineman who were forced to wear the braces through their careers and found that there were still injuries even in the group wearing the brace.

I would have to go back and see if their is any more recent literature on the use of these prophyactically.

Perhaps the best prevention for an injury is to ensure that you maintain adequate off water conditioning, preparing for the season with exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the core and quads, and keeping the hamstrings flexible. Plyometric training is a huge piece of the conditioning that doesnt get enough attention. It will really help the balance and coordination.

Balance and coordination are huge, and that is the area where braces can be helpful. The traditional wisdom has always said that any brace will help the user know where the body part is in space, because it puts pressure on the skin and nerve fibres and adds to the brains input on where the body parts are, how fast they are moving and what direction they are moving -- this is called proprioception. Basically the improvement in proprioception allows the brain to adjust more quickly to any dangerous position and shift the body or fire muscles more quickly to avoid an injury... I dont think there is any hard data to prove this. However, it is the conventional wisdom.

If you havent had and injury, and you are already keeping your core and quads strong, I dont think a brace has much to add, and probably isnt worth the money or inconvenience.

I wonder if Brett, or people in the industry have some more up to date references for you on this.
Old     (InjuredCody)      Join Date: Jul 2013       07-15-2013, 9:34 AM Reply   
Hey guys,

I know i'm a bit late to the conversation here, however i think i have found some great options that may still be of some assistance or can be helpful to people in the future at least. I tore my ACL wakeboarding when i was 17 but didnt want this to stop me from wakeboarding after recovery! So before i was fully healed i did a ton of research on injury prevention/recovery and techniques that would prevent another injury!

I found that wearing a knee brace is one of the best things to do so youve got the first step! I had to spend a lot of time searching for a knee brace that caters to wakeboarding. I found a fantastic wakeboarding knee brace that i wear to this day here:

http://www.braceability.com/ossur-ct...ent-knee-brace

They also carry a few more braces for wakeboarding on their website which is awesome!

http://www.braceability.com/sports-braces/wakeboarding

If anyone knows of anything better i would love to hear about it but this was the best brace i found!

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