zach. age doesn't really matter. i ride with a guy who just turned 49 and can still land tantrum to blinds and raleys way out into the flats. first and foremost, any brace... custom or not.. won't give you 100% protection from knee injuries however, they will provide stability to knees that have already sustained an injury such as a ligament tear or sprain. i've experienced ACL tears in both knees already and i am pushing 24. the most important thing is to stay in shape and take up a physical fitness routine, even if its for only 20 minutes a day. i'd say warming up before you ride is just as important, to get those muscle fibers used to firing as needed. plyometrics and yoga are personal favorites.
physical fitness and flexiblity are more important than having the brace. i tweaked my left knee the other day, wearing my CTi custom. i could've injured my knee had i not been wearing the brace but i also could've injured it had i not warmed up, stretched, etc.
all in all, its never a question of if it will happen (again), its question of when. zane schwenk has had 7 knee operations. if you don't want to pay the price of having another injury, you can still progress without going way out into the flats. and like robert said, if you are going to case the wake, let go of the handle to take some of the impact away. when you crash still holding onto the handle the impact is way worse because you're almost being pulled into it. at surf expo, andrew adkison told me he only goes out into the flats when he is doing photo shoots, videos, or demoes. ride smarter, not harder.
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