Friday, February 13, 2009

Knee Braces For Arthritis

By Amy Clark

One of the most common parts affected by arthritis are the knee joints, and the use of knee braces is an age old technique for reducing the often debilitating pain caused by arthritis. These braces help lessen the pressure on the leg and knee, gradually aligning the leg in the right position to lessen the impact of arthritis pain.

Arthritis knee braces have 2 broad categories - custom made and off the shelf. "Off-the-shelf" entails choosing the right braces from a ready-to-wear set, while "custom-made" involves pre-ordering braces based on explicit specifications and targeting the patient's unique knee requirements. Not surprisingly custom-made knee braces are more pricey than the off the shelf ones. However, a custom made knee brace is substantially better, as it is custom-designed to address the patient's own condition. Along with arthritis knee braces, footwear type is also crucial to determine your body pressure on your knees. The particular shoes a patient wears can either make your pain worse or improve it considerable.

Besides these two broad classes, knee braces may also be grouped into 4 distinct types.

An off loader arthritis knee brace, also called an unloader, is normally worn to provide knee alignment. Off-loader knee braces offer knee support by lessening the valgus or varus stress from the knees, or the defective mechanical alignment on one side of the knee.

Prophylactic arthritis knee braces, meanwhile, are used typically by individuals who suffer from knee injuries, such as sports injuries.

Alternatively, rehabilitative arthritis knee braces are recommended to improve lateral and/or medial movements. Rehabilitative arthritis knee braces also help to enhance the flexion & extension of the knee joint after knee injuries or a surgical procedure.

OA knee braces, as their name implies, are worn especially by OA (Osteoarthritis) patients. OA knee braces manage pain by enabling proper knee alignment.

Generally speaking, knee braces are an inexpensive and effective technique of controlling pain in the knee joints. Such braces have been reported to work in most cases. However, there is still some debate over their effectiveness.

Some groups insist that these braces are only a momentary treatment to a long-lasting condition, and often delay the requirement for knee surgery. The artificial support of these knee braces can debilitate the knee and leg muscles, which may consequently bring about permanent weakness and all the more deteriorate the patient's condition.

Nonetheless, various patients attest that regular use of arthritis knee braces effectively work in correcting knee alignment, manage body weight on the knees, and reducing pain significantly.

Ideally, the results of brace use are dependent on the uniqueness of each case and must not be oversimplified. One's overall health, body constitution, plus the extent of the disease, and other factors, can affect the outcome of knee brace use.

In deciding on the appropriate arthritis knee braces for your own use, always consider your own unique requirements. The particular type of knee brace for you is dependent on the gravity of your pain or the state of your condition. The more severe the pain, the larger the knee braces you need. Off the shelf knee braces are equally as reliable as custom-made braces, unless you have a distinctive pain or area to address or a rather irregular knee shape.

It is always imperative that you seek the advice of a doctor first to identify the right knee brace type for your condition. Always consult a qualified doctor before deciding on any type of treatment, be it medicinal drugs or alternate therapies or knee braces. - 15438

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