braces

not these:
http://www.versionsofu.com/braces.jpg

i'm talking knee braces.
i know lots of us have had or have impending knee reconstructions. Not all surgeons prescibe a brace, and i'm sure some people get back to killing it post acl reconstruction without one. however, my surgeon gives his pateints a brace for one year post op. i just got fitted for a CTI2 over the weekend.

http://www.hitechathleticbracing.com/cti2_brace_250.jpg

it looks bomber as hell. does anyone have experience with this brace? any problems encountered while skiing with it? i know the donjoys are also popular for skiing, comparisons?

any insight is welcome

It's got cool flames painted on it, probably makes you go faster.

Bitchin'. Too bad it doesn't match your styling "Fitted Mesh Bo-Sox Hat."

Sorry you have to go through this, mang.

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Originally posted by iceman
It's got cool flames painted on it, probably makes you go faster.

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well mine wont. thats a custom paint jobber. i could have the mint ghost flames for another $100-150, but insurance doesn't cover mint ghost flames. so no dice.

Fackin' cheap insurance bastards.

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Originally posted by Tippster
Bitchin'. Too bad it doesn't match your styling "Fitted Mesh Bo-Sox Hat."

Sorry you have to go through this, mang.

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i could have gotten a red one. damn i could have put my favorite sox players number on it and everything. oh well.

i went for the kacking green color they offer. it was an impulse decision. i was thinking igneous killer green. and i was stoned.

I'm going to get fit for a brace tomorrow.....

And now that I think about it......I'm not sure of the logic of this seeing that once I have surgery, my leg will be probably shrivel and atrophy like a prune and the thing is going to too big....no? yes? wtf? thsi suck.s

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Originally posted by Tyrone Shoelaces
I'm going to get fit for a brace tomorrow.....

And now that I think about it......I'm not sure of the logic of this seeing that once I have surgery, my leg will be probably shrivel and atrophy like a prune and the thing is going to too big....no? yes? wtf? thsi suck.s

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you are getting it pre op??? that does sound wierd.

which one are you getting? the CTI2 has a one year fit garuntee, so i guess you could always send it back in after you have built up enough muscle and get the thing close to regular shape. you prolly won't be needing it for three months after surgery anyway (unless you doc has you doing a lot of higher impact stuff than mine did.) the brace i had sfter sugery was more of a imobilizer rom restricter than a sports brace.

I have the exact same brace, I think it's called a CTI2 Lateral Unloader, it's purpose it to unload the outside of my knee joint because I have some bad arthritis there.

It works great and is comfy, no complaints. I rarely have to re-adjust it, and I typically wear it above my light base layer.

That brace is bomber for sure. Just make sure the brace doesn't interfere with your boot. I think the Donjoy Defiance comes with a shorter lower section to accomodate a ski boot.

basom -- yeah weird huh? my ortho kinda just said that he'll order the brace in the event I want to postpone surgery and ski a little on it this season....and then I'd need it anyway once I do initially get surgery.

I dunno..I'm probably just being a little pessimistic as to how much atrophy there will be, but I'm guessing there will be enough to throw off the fit of the brace.

and yeah I'm pretty sure it's a CTI2...I'll find out for sure tomorrow.

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Originally posted by Vinman
That brace is bomber for sure. Just make sure the brace doesn't interfere with your boot. I think the Donjoy Defiance comes with a shorter lower section to accomodate a ski boot.

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I was worried at first, buy my 4-buckle Garmont boot barely fits beneath my brace. Good point, Vin.

Best wishes, shoe, I was away when the initial announcement was made.

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Originally posted by Vinman
That brace is bomber for sure. Just make sure the brace doesn't interfere with your boot. I think the Donjoy Defiance comes with a shorter lower section to accomodate a ski boot.

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i asked about that when i got fit. The guy said it was the priemire skiing brace, and used by lots of world cup athelets and such. he asked how high my boot cuff was though. i couldn't really rember how high it goes. i need new ones ayways, so i guess i can get something with a lower cuff if my xwaves are a problem. i have extreamly long legs so i think the fit should be kosher.

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Originally posted by Tyrone Shoelaces
basom -- yeah weird huh? my ortho kinda just said that he'll order the brace in the event I want to postpone surgery and ski a little on it this season....and then I'd need it anyway once I do initially get surgery.

I dunno..I'm probably just being a little pessimistic as to how much atrophy there will be, but I'm guessing there will be enough to throw off the fit of the brace.

and yeah I'm pretty sure it's a CTI2...I'll find out for sure tomorrow.

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i had a shit ton of atrophy. but if you have good tone now, then you'll be getting that back eventually, and you certainly wont be skiing untill you do get it back. so i'd say the brace will most likley fit again. if you are going to try and ski on the flipper pre surgey a brace would be a must.

and turn that frown upside down. again, the refit the brace for free if its a CTI and your knee gets wider at the joint due to alien abduction or other strange phenomina.

I 've got a real similiar brace. It is bomber and helped me get over the mental hump a lot quicker. Over a light base layer is the way to go to prevent a bit of chaffing. They probably will give you some neoprene sleeves you can wear over and under the brace, but that stuff gets too hot for me.

As for being fitted pre-op --that might not be a bad idea. I got mine post op, and the quads got back to normal before the knee and ligamnts did so now it doesnt fit quite as well as it did before.

They told me they adjust the fit for something like 8% growth afterwards. Maybe the run some similiar math when they do it before hand

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Originally posted by basom


and turn that frown upside down.

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i can't yet.

but this did make me laugh.

I have a Donjoy Defiance - short model to work with ski and mx boots - fitted post-op. But they have a program so you get one fairly soon post-op, then get refitted and get another one free like 6 months later so it fits once your muscles are back to normal too. Don't know if they do anything similar with the CTI2.

Anyway, my Defiance works great skiing - I almost never notice it at all, even telemarking.

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Originally posted by altagirl

Anyway, my Defiance works great skiing - I almost never notice it at all, even telemarking.

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does your doc want you to contuinue using it, or are you weening yourself off of it?

what i'm worried about is getting used to the bionic i can't hyper extend my shit even if i wanted to feeling, and then moving away from the brace after a year and having to re train myself. the mental aspect of bracing if you will.

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Originally posted by basom
does your doc want you to contuinue using it, or are you weening yourself off of it?

what i'm worried about is getting used to the bionic i can't hyper extend my shit even if i wanted to feeling, and then moving away from the brace after a year and having to re train myself. the mental aspect of bracing if you will.

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What you will find is that skiing with the brace will take some getting used to, but once you get rid of it, it is like riding a bike, no problems at all.

IMHO the biggest mental block will be relearing how to trust you knee on landings. Air is still a bit scary for me 4 years post op on the 2nd recon and almost 11 years on the first.

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Originally posted by Vinman

IMHO the biggest mental block will be relearing how to trust you knee on landings. Air is still a bit scary for me 4 years post op on the 2nd recon and almost 11 years on the first.

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seeing as how nervous i get everytime i walk down stairs at this point i don't find that hard to belive. i'm sure i'll stay on the ground the entire season.

as it is now every little tweak i feel i think i've blown it. mind games with my delf. I can only imagine what will be going through my head the first time i wad with some momentum. kind of makes me feel sick thinking about it.

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Originally posted by basom
I can only imagine what will be going through my head the first time i wad with some momentum. kind of makes me feel sick thinking about it.

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And after that first time and you realize you are ok, things start to get better.

that just turned my frown upside down http://tetongravity.com/ubb/icons/icon6.gif

thanks vinnie, a constand source of orthopedic support to this community. Big up.


edit: itialics

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Originally posted by basom

thanks vinnie, Big up.

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yeah, even if he does get his skis mounted at a snowboard shop.

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Originally posted by basom
does your doc want you to contuinue using it, or are you weening yourself off of it?

what i'm worried about is getting used to the bionic i can't hyper extend my shit even if i wanted to feeling, and then moving away from the brace after a year and having to re train myself. the mental aspect of bracing if you will.

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Because I'm now missing part of my meniscus (=some instability that muscles can't fix), my doc said I need to use it for skiing forever. Last year I used it for riding DH too, this year I just went back to regular leg armor, but I'm planning on sticking with it for skiing. Go with what your surgeon recommends - everyone's situation is different.

I didn't have a brace (my first ortho didn't believe in them) after my ACL recon/meniscus repair. (I had 2 years of skiing after the recon and then I retore the meniscus), but I have to wonder if a brace would have helped prevent the meniscus injury later. Too many factors to know for sure - especially since the meniscus tear seemed to happen gradually (i.e. no major wreck, just "normal" ones - my knee started clicking more over time and then locked up one day).

As far as trusting your knee goes, it mostly just takes time. The first good fall when you realize it's more stable than you thought helps. Use it to your advantage and take some time to re-evaluate what you're doing and make sure you're doing things right and not unnecessarily endangering your joints. I came out of it a much better skier.

The only thing I remember about my brace is that it cost my parents $800.

Beyond that, it was bulky and a huge pain in the ass.

But it worked. Eliminated ALL lateral movement, so it took a bit of getting used to. They're built to take it, too. Someone coulda whacked it with a baseball bat & I'd have never felt it. Very tough. Not me - the brace.