How to choose the best knee brace?

Whether it’s knee osteoarthritis, a ligament tear, or patellofemoral (kneecap) pain – knee braces can help stabilize your joint, reduce pain and promote recovery. Kintec specializes in custom and off-the-shelf bracing solutions to help treat or accommodate many common knee conditions. Let’s review the different types of braces and how they work!

Compression-Based Knee Sleeves

Compression-based knee sleeves are characterized by their lightweight, breathable construction and designed to provide compression to the knee.

These types of knee braces help to improve joint stability and promote a greater awareness of when your knee moves outside of normal limits.

Hinged Knee Braces

Hinged Knee Braces are designed with more rigid components and use a strategic configuration of strapping and hinges to provide enhanced stability or pain relief.

Hinged braces provide a combination of compression, joint awareness and external joint stability.  Unlike compression braces, they provide a greater sense of support for side-to-side and forward bending motions.

Suffering from an ankle injury? 

Return to play and prevent re-injury.

If you’ve ever played sports – such as soccer or volleyball, then there’s a good chance you are familiar with managing an injured ankle.  Rapid changes of direction, constant accelerations and uneven playing surfaces all contribute to the frequency of ankle injuries.  

Bracing Accelerates Recovery of Ankle Injury  

Ankle bracing is an effective way to manage and prevent ankle injuries. When you wear an ankle brace you will feel more secure and confident when walking or participating in your sports and activities.  

Let’s review the 3 different categories of ankle bracing and how they can help in your recovery.  

General Support Ankle Braces 

The traditional type of ankle brace involves a sleeve or stirrup-type configuration that secures the brace onto the ankle and works through two mechanisms: kinesthetic awareness of the joint and external mechanical support. 

The kinesthetic awareness refers to the ability of our brain to recognize the position and movement of different parts of our body, and then activate the appropriate muscle groups to avoid overstretching of that joint.

These general support ankle braces also help by providing a level of external mechanical support against side-to-side movement. The Bauerfeind Malleotrain is a good example of a general support ankle brace.

Motion Specific Ankle Braces

A nice innovation in the bracing industry is the development of braces that are made to restrict motion in only a single direction. Bauerfeind’s MalleoLoc® is a good example of a motion-specific brace that is used to prevent ankle inversion and commonly used in the treatment and return-to-play regimen following ankle sprains.

Condition Specific Ankle Braces

These braces are specifically designed to support a specific anatomical structure and its rehabilitation. The AchilloTrain from Bauerfeind is a nice example of a brace that is designed to support individuals with achilles tendinopathy (aka tendinitis). The knit-fabric sleeve assists in calf muscle activation while the uniquely contoured gel insert relieves pressure on the sore achilles mid-portion.

Foot Bracing

Foot pain is rarely life threatening, but always life altering. Having foot pain can interrupt your daily activities and make it difficult to do the things you enjoy. Kintec carries a wide variety of foot braces to support your health and well-being.

Plantar Fasciitis  

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common foot conditions that we see at Kintec. It is usually characterized by heel and/or arch pain in one or both feet. It can be especially painful in the morning when first getting out of bed, or after an extended time on your feet. You can find more information about this condition, and our recommended treatment guide for it, here: Plantar Fasciitis: The Complete Treatment Guide. Kintec carries a wide variety of products to help treat plantar fasciitis, including:  

• Plantar Fasciitis night splint  
• The Strassburg Sock    
• Heel cushions    
• OTC insoles    
• Custom foot orthotics  
• Kintec massage ball

Bunions

Another common foot condition we see at Kintec are bunions, a deformity of the big toe and big toe joint. You can visit our Foot Health Centre to learn more about this condition and our treatment guide here. There are many products available to help with bunions that can be worn during the day or at night:

• Hallux Valgus splint  
• Darco Toe Alignment Splint  
• 3-Point Bunion Aider  
• Toe separators  
• OTC insoles  
• Custom foot orthotics

Toe Alignment Supports

Kintec carries several products to help manage toe corns, claw/hammer toes, crooked or overlapping toes, calluses and blisters, and toe arthritis. These items can all assist with increasing comfort and reducing pain. Most products are designed to be worn daily within your regular footwear.  

• Toe crest
• Toe straightener (single, double, or triple loop options available)
• Darco Toe Alignment Splint
• Toe separator  
• 5-Toe Buddy    
• Hammer toe cushion  
• Corn protector

How to choose the best elbow brace

The most common injury that we see at Kintec in the elbow area is epicondylitis, otherwise known as  “tennis elbow”. You certainly don’t need to be a tennis player to experience this painful condition as most cases of ‘tennis elbow’ occur in people working in the trades or who have to maintain a closed-grip hand position for prolonged periods of time. Epicondylitis causes pain where the tendons of your forearm muscles attach to the bone on the outside of your elbow. This pain may also spread into your forearm, or up into the biceps area.  

Bracing solutions for elbow injuries:

There are a variety of braces available for the elbow. Because these joints are complex, it is important to ensure we are targeting the correct area for the brace to be effective. Let’s review some of the most common bracing options for the elbow below.  

One of the most common treatments for epicondylitis is a counterforce brace, such as the Band-it Forearm Strap, the MedSpec Epigel Strap, or the Bauerfeind Epitrain Elbow Sleeve.  

How do they help?

These braces are designed to work by compressing the upper forearm and absorbing the forces which are transmitted through the soft tissues to the point of pain on the outside of the elbow. They also help redistribute the forces which are applied to the tendon attachment allowing the injured area time to recover. These braces are simple to put on and can be adjusted for a snug fit.  

 If you have recently had surgery on your elbow or biceps tendon, you may be prescribed a Donjoy X-Act ROM Elbow Brace to wear post-operatively. This brace is typically only used when the joint needs to be immobilized.  

How to choose the best wrist brace

The wrist is a complex area with many tiny joints. The most common injury we see at Kintec is carpal tunnel syndrome that is caused by pressure on the median nerve. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of your hand. When the median nerve is compressed from overuse of the surrounding tissue, the result can be numbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the hand and arm.   

Bracing solutions for wrist injuries:

Common braces to support the wrist in the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist sprains, or post-fracture-cast recovery are the Kintec Actifit Wrist Brace and the MedSpec Tripod Wrist Brace. Both are lightweight and comfortable options to wear during the day or at night, with a simple Velcro closure, and can be hand washed.  

For more severe sprains, fractures, or cases of carpal tunnel that are recurring and refuse to get better, the Exos custom heat molded wrist, thumb, and hand braces can provide more immobilization and support. These products are only available at certain Kintec locations, so please call us if this is something you are interested in.     

How do they help?

These wrist braces all work from the same premise –  restricting how much your wrist can bend during activities or sleep to allow the carpal tunnel, and the compressed tissues within its space, to rest and reduce inflammation.