knee brace for knee injury prevention

[Moto-x]

I have a severed torn ACL,Torn Minicus and bone contusions in my left knee im waiting on surgery im going to try and get a set of good knee braces and was going to try and get a set of custom cti for me but if they dont come with a good knee cap cover or petalla cover which ever you call it would the pods be better the alpinestar one look like good knee guards but hell i dont know i hurt my knee at work been out of work since dec 1st 2011 and i sure dont want this to happen again and i hope none of you all have to deal with workmans comp they suck it took then 29 days to even get me a mri done now my knee doc has been on vac for 2 weeks and my next appt aint till jan 19th then i guess they will decide how to fix my jacked up knee

[wrench]

I messed mine up 9/18/11, had my surgery on 12/16/11.
First thing that I can tell you is that you need to (per my surgeon) strengthen the leg above and below the knee. Look up ACL pre op rehab on line. You will see what to do. You should already be in a temporary brace until surgery, 4/6 weeks of pre op rehab is normal.

Secondly, the knee brace comes down to what the DR prescribes and what the insurance will cove , dollar wise. My doc wants me to go with the Breg model, they do not have a knee cup. I have asterisk braces and were wearing them when I suffered the injury. You will be looking at 8/9 months of recovery time, Atleast 6, before you are riding again. You will be walking after a week or so on crutches, with a post op brace until the swelling goes down and they can get a true measurement for a brace.
Don't let the WC insurance push you around. You have to be firm with your demands and also ask for a 2nd opinion from a dr of your choice, on their dime. They are trained to deny your requests 3/4 times, because statistically that is what it takes for most to give up.
Good luck, I hope this helps.

[Moto-x]

Thanks for the info Wrench how is your knee doing would you say after getting it fixed you are back 100%???

[wrench]

100%? Not yet.
My surgery was 6 weeks ago, my Dr & therapist say that I am about 4-6wks ahead of where expected. They do not expect to clear me to ride a road bicycle for another month or so, and maybe back on my gasser by end of June. I am currently at the 3mi/10min (stationary bike) mark with minimal swelling. I walk everywhere without issue (w/post op brace), I can tell a difference when I go up and down the stairs in my house without the brace and the back of the knee swells a bit. Icing down is the key, along with PT within a few days to a week out of surgery.
I should have my custom brace from Ossur/CTi by next week. The Dr says that I will have to wear the brace everyday for 8/9 months, no matter how good the knee feels. He expects full recovery, as do I.
I am probably 60% with the brace on(40/50% without) right now. It is a long road, but worth it in the end.

Send me a PM if you would like my CTi reps contact info, he is willing to talk with anyone and put you in touch with your local rep if necessary. They may be able to help with the WC insurance situation.

[lonetree]

hi folks, going through similar stuff atm. wondering what sort of grafts folks have had done.
i had a LARS on my right knee acl. everything was going fine 5 months on..
then all of a sudden my graft let go, presumably the lars has slipped one thread on the bolts used to hold it in place, awaiting a mri to see if i need a "revision"...
im probably going to try for another lars as im worried about comprimising my hamstring, as im very active and do lots of physical stuff. Dont wanna blow a ACL and a hamstring..
looks like i'll be out most of this race season as well as last season... not happy.

[Krasi]

I'm with a patellar tendon graft from the same knee. 2.5 years later, no problem. Didn't get 100% bending, though, i.e. can't squat all the way down. I've also been cautious and avoid "dangerous" activities like soccer, skating, etc., and ride with Asterisks.

[cascade_crawler]

I have the hamstring graft, I got 90% ROM, but not limited on anything except for extreme bending, but thats getting better. Its been close to 7 months. Didnt ride for 5.5 and did aggressive PT. I'm also 22

I was wearing asterisks when I hurt myself, no brace can totally prevent that type of injury. The best thing you can do are agility exercises to strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your leg.

[lonetree]

Originally Posted by cascade_crawler

I have the hamstring graft, I got 90% ROM, but not limited on anything except for extreme bending, but thats getting better. Its been close to 7 months. Didnt ride for 5.5 and did aggressive PT. I'm also 22

I was wearing asterisks when I hurt myself, no brace can totally prevent that type of injury. The best thing you can do are agility exercises to strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your leg.

I think thats part of my trouble, i keep thinking im 22...... but that was a long time ago......

[wrench]

I had the donor graft from a cadaver.

[Moto-x]

Had my acl reconstructed and meniscus repaied on Jan 31 all went well so far its been 3 weeks and 3 days im doin really well in therapy at 2 weeks i could ride a stationary bike for 30 mins which added up to 4.7 miles im not on my crutches anymore either woohoo man i really want to ride very badly but they say i got to wait atleast 6 more months i think that riding the stationary bike everyday has helped the most i can already bend my knee back to 130 degrees got 15 more degrees to go