Overview
A knee brace for osteoarthritis may help reduce pain by shifting your weight off the most damaged portion of your knee. This may improve your ability to get around and help increase the distance you can walk comfortably.
Knee braces come in a variety of designs, but most are constructed with a combination of rigid and flexible materials — plastic, metal or other composite material for basic structure and support, and synthetic rubber or moldable foam for padding and positioning.
Why it's done
Knee arthritis
Osteoarthritis is the wear-and-tear type of arthritis that commonly affects the knees of older people. The disease frequently affects one side of your knee more than the other. This unequal damage can cause or worsen a malalignment that may make your stance look knock-kneed or bowlegged.
As the damage progresses, this malalignment worsens. A knee brace can take pressure off the part of your joint most affected by osteoarthritis and help relieve pain. If your knee feels like it might buckle when you put weight on it, a knee brace can also help you stand and move around with more confidence.
Risks
Risks of knee braces may include:
Discomfort wearing the brace. A knee brace may feel heavy, bulky and hot at first
Irritation or swelling. The skin under the brace may become red and irritated if your knee brace fits poorly. Some people also experience swelling around the joint.
Lack of benefit. Studies of knee braces for people with osteoarthritis have been limited, and results have been mixed. Some people experience no benefit. Others report diminished pain and increased function.
How you prepare
Discuss your interest in knee braces with your doctor. Together you can decide whether a knee brace is likely to help your problem and how likely you may be to actually wear it regularly.
If you decide to try a knee brace, your doctor will need to write a prescription for it and refer you to a health professional who, on your doctor's order, measures for and fits braces and other devices to improve function in people with orthopedic problems.
Some types of knee braces are ready-made in several sizes. Some designs allow you to adjust the pressure they apply to your knee, depending on how much support you need for different activities and at different times of day. If you find an off-the-shelf brace that fits you well, you may be able to take it home that day.
Custom knee braces are designed and built to fit your exact measurements. But it takes time to build a custom knee brace, so you may have to wait for a few weeks. When your custom brace is ready, the orthotist will check the fit before you take it home.
During your knee brace fitting
You may adjust to wearing a knee brace more quickly if you start with a good fit, which is the goal of working with a professional. During the fitting, be prepared for your brace professional to:
Do an examination of your knee
Ask about your history of knee arthritis and the symptoms that trouble you most
Ask what activities you hope to increase by wearing a knee brace
Ask you to walk a few paces to show how your knee functions
Take several measurements of your leg to determine what size you need
Discuss the pros and cons of off-the-shelf and custom braces
Explain how knee brace designs differ from each other
After your knee brace fitting
With help from the brace professional, you'll learn how to put on and take off the knee brace and how to tell whether it needs adjustment. You may walk around to try out your brace.
Follow your doctor's instructions about when to wear your knee brace. Some people wear their knee braces only during continuous activity, such as walking or playing certain sports. Other people find it beneficial to wear the brace most of the day.
Results
Osteoarthritis can make you feel as if your knee is about to give out. As a result, you might automatically guard your knee and avoid putting weight on it. A knee brace may offer some stability and increase your confidence in your knee. Some evidence suggests that knee braces may help reduce symptoms and improve function in people who have knee osteoarthritis.