To brace or not to brace?

Have had three ACL reconstructions and have basically never worn a brace (except for the immediate post-op one with the lock on the hinge).

I have a tear in my ACL right now, apparently not a full tear but the MRI didn't show well how torn it is. Ortho prescribed a sports brace which he wanted me to wear for skiing. I did for two days and it kind of sucked--stopped because on the second day it was really cold so I doubled up on long underwear which caused major irritation where the two pads on either side of the knee are supposed to touch the skin (or whatever is on the skin). I also didn't feel the brace was doing anything for me and hated dealing with it (not sure if it really impeded my skiing, but it felt like it might).

I don't really think a brace can help protect an ACL (torn or not), and I don't feel my knee is more susceptible to injury right now than any other time (I do have pain and discomfort, but not really while skiing).

Am I being dumb not using the brace? Any evidence for or against? Studies I have read about don't show much/any benefit to these braces.

I'd brace'r up. I have had both knees ACLR'd w/in the last 10 years (i'm 44 yrs old for reference) and think that I currently have a torn meniscus on my left knee.Although it doesn't present as instability, it really gets irritated after skiing all day and will swell.

I have been experimenting with braces over the last couple seasons and find there is less swelling when I wear the brace. I rock one of those hinged types with the hole over the knee cap. I find it helps.

I’d brace it up as well. Shell out the extra money for a fully custom brace. I’ve been skiing with one on since I tore mine and I never notice it now (5 years post surgery). Takes a few days to adjust to wearing one but you’ll get used to it. If you’ve been trough it 3 times do you really want to risk it again?


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Less irritation with my brace, and, I guess I'm a bit psychologically dependant on it. I'm guessing that it has prevented further injury, by stabilizing what is essentially a weak joint.

So I never did get a real knee brace but on recs from the ski coach I got some of these and they work, l duno if anybody down there is using them cuz its a Canadian product but they are making inroads up here, coach never did get surgery but she skied/ coached 80 days this season and swears by them

https://stoko.com/

some of the cool things are no cumbersome brace in the way

easy to size

they show up by mail in about a week

guarrantied to work or send them back

You get a brace for both legs and back support for only 417 can$ ( 37$ US )

2 ACL reconstructions here and haven't worn a brace post-op (with success).
But it sounds like my case might be different from yours as your ACL is partially torn?

Maybe get some lightly insulated shorts with side zips like the Ortovox Piz Bo (sp); easy on/off even with a brace to account for layering and comfort concerns.

My buddy has a partial ACL tear and uses those stoko cable tights for skiing and speaks very highly of them


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Looks to me like those adjustment dials are going to interfere with wearing a pack?

I'm not sure what it means to say that they work? I've torn both ACLs and have skied with and without braces, and I now prefer not to. I do wear compression sleeves as it helps with swelling.

What is the graph flavor of your acl? Hammy? Allograft? Other?

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Originally Posted by pfluffenmeister

2 ACL reconstructions here and haven't worn a brace post-op (with success).
But it sounds like my case might be different from yours as your ACL is partially torn?

Maybe get some lightly insulated shorts with side zips like the Ortovox Piz Bo (sp); easy on/off even with a brace to account for layering and comfort concerns.

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They told me my ACL was completely done and recommended surgery, the surgeon who did the cutting said i shouldn't need a brace, he did the patellar tendon graft , I would feel shocks thru the leg of of skiing and it took the full 3 yrs to completely rehab, I probably could have gone the whole rehab without but got the Stoko's and it definatley helps ... I might be old

They qualify as a class 1 medical device so my extended health paid for them

they got a piss hole so you don't have to take them off to pee, on their own they are not that warm so I also wear some polartec 200 under my gortex warmup pants

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Originally Posted by Bosco

I'm not sure what it means to say that they work? I've torn both ACLs and have skied with and without braces, and I now prefer not to. I do wear compression sleeves as it helps with swelling.

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well Jess the ski coach did not do surgery, previously used a big honking Donjoy, now she just uses the Stoko, I also know other people like a guy who blew his patellar tendon skiing, also hockey players are using them, so I'm running into people who are using them and nobody is saying they don't work

and if you think they don't work you got 2 months to send them back, I had a bad seam on the waist band so I compalined I think I might have sent them a pict, I returned them after ski season was over and was sent new pair in a week

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Originally Posted by yeahman

Looks to me like those adjustment dials are going to interfere with wearing a pack?

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You dial those up like you would a BOA on your shoe or ski boot so you turn the knobs hear the clicking and feel the cables tightening

the dials don't stick out that much but they would be way less intrusive than using a big mechanical brace, I think those dials / that waist band/ all those cable might be really good for someone with a bad back


In any case now TGR knows about the Stoko product

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Originally Posted by mcski

What is the graph flavor of your acl? Hammy? Allograft? Other?

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Allograft-easiest recovery, worst long term outcomes
Hamstring-the middle ground all the way around
Patellar tendon-hardest recovery you will ever have, rock solid later but it takes 18-24 months to really get back

My buddies that had cadaver or hammie grafts all had another tear 1-4 years down the road, I had a patellar tendon done in 1996 on my left knee. Still intact today; the rest of my knee is fucked. Having TKR on it on 6/24. See TKR thread for more pictures and details.