ATH TRAIN 101: Introduction to Knee Braces
Welcome to Intro To Knee Braces (ATH TRAIN 101).
Required Text: None
Schedule: M F W 10:30am-11:20am
As an athletic trainer, your primary goal is to tend to the injured athletes under your watch. Whether it's acute, chronic, or preventative, bracing is an integral part of athletics.
Due to the complexity of the structure of the knee, there are various types of injuries that your athletes can sustain. Consequently, there are different knee braces that will address the wide variety of trauma that can occur to the different parts of the knee.
This survey course we will discuss the main types of knee braces (orthosis):
a) Knee Sleeves: As the name implies, a knee sleeve is simply a sleeve that will encompass the knee joint. Sleeves, by definition, are cylindrical in nature and are traditionally comprised of neoprene material. Neoprene is dynamic in nature (it stretches), retains heat (which is why SCUBA divers use it for wet-suits), is durable (it's made out of rubber), and relatively inexpensive. In the past few years companies have also begun to offer an alternative to neoprene. As with all things, there are usually one or more trade-offs when compared to the original.
Within the realm of knee sleeves, there's a few different options, including open patella (knee cap shows through), closed patella (the knee cap is covered), closed popliteal (it's closed in the back behind the knee), open popliteal (open behind the knee), etc. A brace can have all or none of those openings. Due to the simplistic nature of a knee sleeve, it has a variety of indications from controlling adema (swelling) to arthritis.
[Open Patella Knee Sleeve]
b) Patellar Tendon Straps: While not a brace per se, this is the ubiquitous strap you see all over the place. Worn just below the patella (knee-cap) it puts pressure on the patellar tendon. We want pressure there for one of two reasons- a) The patient has Osgood Schlatters Disease, which reduces the pull of the patellar tendon on the tibial tuberosity or b) The patient has Patellar Tendonitis, which compresses the inflamed tendon and changes the angle of insertion on the patellar tendon.
[Patellar Tendon Strap]
c) Knee Stabilizers: This is essentially a knee sleeve but with additional support, usually in the way of "spiral stays". As the name implies, these are metal wires spun around tightly and flattened. What's great about this particular type of support is that it offers a good amount of support, but it bends with the knee, is light weight, and low profile. It provides compression around the knee but will also address some minor instabilities. Customers with arthritis and/or cartilage issues tend to gravitate towards this type of support.
[Knee Stabilizer]
d) Patellar Centralizing Braces: In a "normal" knee, the patella (knee cap) sits in this little groove on the tibia (shin) and femur (thigh). Sometimes though, the knee cap will jump out of that groove (a dislocation) or just start grinding on one side. Both of these events tend to cause pain which is where bracing comes in. A patellar centralizing brace does just that- keeps the knee cap centered. It does this a few different ways but they're all basically the same. It's essnetially a a knee stabilizer but with a firm buttress around the knee on at least the lateral (outside) aspect. Since the tendency is for the knee cap to slide outward, the lateral buttress prevents this from happening.
[Patellar Centralizing Brace- Lateral "J"]
e) Hinged Knee Braces: This type of brace is probably the one that you think of when you hear the words "knee brace" It's usually made up of neoprene (but call be made entirely out of metal) and has a pair of metal bars on each side. The hinge at the middle allows for the natural motions (straightening and bending) but prevents any side-to-side motion. Depending on the type of hinge, there is also the possibility to "lock" the brace up to prevent full flexion and/or extension (making the knee straight or bending it all the way). A hinged knee brace has been known to help protect all 4 of the main ligaments of the knee (ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL)...
[Hinged Knee Brace]
f) Osteoarthritis Braces: If you recall, a hinged knee brace keeps the knee and leg straight. An osteoarthritis brace (OA Brace) looks just like a hinged knee brace (some have metal bits on both sides, others just on one) but it actually pushes the knee out to the side just a little bit. At first that sounds a little bizarre, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Osteoarthritis occurs when a bone rubs on another bone at a joint. In most healthy joints, there's cartilage and fluid to make the motion of a joint smooth and pain-free. After wear and tear (age, injury, etc.) the stuff that kept the joint smooth, is now gone, making motion a bit more painful. Base on anatomy most people get arthritis on the inside of the knee (medial compartment). An OA brace actually pushes the leg bones over, so instead of rubbing on the bone where the cartilage has worn away, it is shifted over to wear where there still is cartilage. It's no wonder that's why people refer to these braces as "unloading" braces.
[OA unloading brace]
I look forward to having you in my class and I hope we'll have a great semester together!
Required Text: None
Schedule: M F W 10:30am-11:20am
As an athletic trainer, your primary goal is to tend to the injured athletes under your watch. Whether it's acute, chronic, or preventative, bracing is an integral part of athletics.
Due to the complexity of the structure of the knee, there are various types of injuries that your athletes can sustain. Consequently, there are different knee braces that will address the wide variety of trauma that can occur to the different parts of the knee.
This survey course we will discuss the main types of knee braces (orthosis):
a) Knee Sleeves: As the name implies, a knee sleeve is simply a sleeve that will encompass the knee joint. Sleeves, by definition, are cylindrical in nature and are traditionally comprised of neoprene material. Neoprene is dynamic in nature (it stretches), retains heat (which is why SCUBA divers use it for wet-suits), is durable (it's made out of rubber), and relatively inexpensive. In the past few years companies have also begun to offer an alternative to neoprene. As with all things, there are usually one or more trade-offs when compared to the original.
Within the realm of knee sleeves, there's a few different options, including open patella (knee cap shows through), closed patella (the knee cap is covered), closed popliteal (it's closed in the back behind the knee), open popliteal (open behind the knee), etc. A brace can have all or none of those openings. Due to the simplistic nature of a knee sleeve, it has a variety of indications from controlling adema (swelling) to arthritis.
[Open Patella Knee Sleeve]
b) Patellar Tendon Straps: While not a brace per se, this is the ubiquitous strap you see all over the place. Worn just below the patella (knee-cap) it puts pressure on the patellar tendon. We want pressure there for one of two reasons- a) The patient has Osgood Schlatters Disease, which reduces the pull of the patellar tendon on the tibial tuberosity or b) The patient has Patellar Tendonitis, which compresses the inflamed tendon and changes the angle of insertion on the patellar tendon.
[Patellar Tendon Strap]
c) Knee Stabilizers: This is essentially a knee sleeve but with additional support, usually in the way of "spiral stays". As the name implies, these are metal wires spun around tightly and flattened. What's great about this particular type of support is that it offers a good amount of support, but it bends with the knee, is light weight, and low profile. It provides compression around the knee but will also address some minor instabilities. Customers with arthritis and/or cartilage issues tend to gravitate towards this type of support.
[Knee Stabilizer]
d) Patellar Centralizing Braces: In a "normal" knee, the patella (knee cap) sits in this little groove on the tibia (shin) and femur (thigh). Sometimes though, the knee cap will jump out of that groove (a dislocation) or just start grinding on one side. Both of these events tend to cause pain which is where bracing comes in. A patellar centralizing brace does just that- keeps the knee cap centered. It does this a few different ways but they're all basically the same. It's essnetially a a knee stabilizer but with a firm buttress around the knee on at least the lateral (outside) aspect. Since the tendency is for the knee cap to slide outward, the lateral buttress prevents this from happening.
[Patellar Centralizing Brace- Lateral "J"]
e) Hinged Knee Braces: This type of brace is probably the one that you think of when you hear the words "knee brace" It's usually made up of neoprene (but call be made entirely out of metal) and has a pair of metal bars on each side. The hinge at the middle allows for the natural motions (straightening and bending) but prevents any side-to-side motion. Depending on the type of hinge, there is also the possibility to "lock" the brace up to prevent full flexion and/or extension (making the knee straight or bending it all the way). A hinged knee brace has been known to help protect all 4 of the main ligaments of the knee (ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL)...
[Hinged Knee Brace]
f) Osteoarthritis Braces: If you recall, a hinged knee brace keeps the knee and leg straight. An osteoarthritis brace (OA Brace) looks just like a hinged knee brace (some have metal bits on both sides, others just on one) but it actually pushes the knee out to the side just a little bit. At first that sounds a little bizarre, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Osteoarthritis occurs when a bone rubs on another bone at a joint. In most healthy joints, there's cartilage and fluid to make the motion of a joint smooth and pain-free. After wear and tear (age, injury, etc.) the stuff that kept the joint smooth, is now gone, making motion a bit more painful. Base on anatomy most people get arthritis on the inside of the knee (medial compartment). An OA brace actually pushes the leg bones over, so instead of rubbing on the bone where the cartilage has worn away, it is shifted over to wear where there still is cartilage. It's no wonder that's why people refer to these braces as "unloading" braces.
[OA unloading brace]
I look forward to having you in my class and I hope we'll have a great semester together!
Labels: Football, injury management, knee braces
posted by JAMES at
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