Playing with knee braces?

T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
What are your experiences adjusting to playing tennis with knee braces?

The aging body has been feeling more fragile lately, so I picked up some cheapo lightweight ankle braces from Walgreen’s this weekend to test some added ankle stability. I found it easy to adjust to these.

But in testing my movement with them at the gym tonight, I tweaked my knee (LCL, apparently) as it seems the extra ankle mass placed more stress on my knee.

So my next step is to shop for knee braces.

1. Is there a lightweight knee brace that can be found at Walgreen’s / CVS that provides decent support that you can recommend?

2. How easy was it for you to adapt your strokes and movement to playing in it?

3. I’m thinking I should buy 2, to stay balanced. Anyone play in dual braces?
 
K

ktx

Professional
my perspective is someone with a "bad knee" (multiple surgeries and it's never gotten back to full function) - if a knee brace is lightweight it doesn't have enough support. I tend to need stability support more than compression and I prefer KT tape for that.
 
happyandbob

happyandbob

Legend
I've been dealing with knee pain since high school when I blew out one of my knees playing football. Now 54, have had surgery on left knee two years ago and right knee just this Jan.

IME, and after experimenting with dozens of knee brace designs, knee braces are useful for structural support and not necessarily great for pain management. If you need structural support, you'll need to get something with a metal hinge. It will be heavy and limit your movement, but it will protect you from additional injury.

If your primary concern is pain management, I've become a big fan of taping. I only just recently found out about its effectiveness (I use a technique called "McConnell taping" that I learned about here on TTW). Reading about taping, it seems like most every taping method is useful for reducing pain -- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30526288 (tldr - they all work)
 
N

nyta2

Hall of Fame
imo, unless you're buying a high end rigid knee brace (like i wore after acl surgery), no OTC brace is gonna give you support... it is useful as a reminder not to overextend (ie. i feel the brace stretching/limiting me... but we are strong enough to stretch beyond at OTC brace if we want to)
 
T

tennis3

Hall of Fame
I play with a Shock Doctor 872 or 875 knee brace. They list for $75, but you can often get them for $20 with Amazon Warehouse Deals. Just be sure to size up (that's why they all get returned).

I wear a sleeve under the brace. This keeps it in place and makes it easier to get off. Mine doesn't slip at all while playing.
 
M

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
I wear these. Helps a lot. Easy to wear and remove. Can find it at Walmart

www.mcdavidusa.com

Knee Support/Adjustable

The McDavid Knee Support/Adjustable Strap has an adjustable hook and loop closure for custom-like fit to keep you moving. Features latex-Free neoprene that provides thermal/compression therapy. Learn more...
www.mcdavidusa.com www.mcdavidusa.com
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
  • Like
Reactions: Cap
onehandbh

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
travlerajm said:
What are your experiences adjusting to playing tennis with knee braces?

The aging body has been feeling more fragile lately, so I picked up some cheapo lightweight ankle braces from Walgreen’s this weekend to test some added ankle stability. I found it easy to adjust to these.

But in testing my movement with them at the gym tonight, I tweaked my knee (LCL, apparently) as it seems the extra ankle mass placed more stress on my knee.

So my next step is to shop for knee braces.

1. Is there a lightweight knee brace that can be found at Walgreen’s / CVS that provides decent support that you can recommend?

2. How easy was it for you to adapt your strokes and movement to playing in it?

3. I’m thinking I should buy 2, to stay balanced. Anyone play in dual braces?
Click to expand...
Are you still playing tennis in running shoes? Not enough lateral stability or support. Then again, running shoes weren't designed for people to run sideways in them for 5km.

You should consider using tennis or basketball shoes instead. Given that you like running shoes, I'd recommend using lowtop basketball shoes. Tennis and basketball shoes have improved in comfort over the years. Many are no longer clunky.
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
onehandbh said:
Are you still playing tennis in running shoes? Not enough lateral stability or support. Then again, running shoes weren't designed for people to run sideways in them for 5km.

You should consider using tennis or basketball shoes instead. Given that you like running shoes, I'd recommend using lowtop basketball shoes. Tennis and basketball shoes have improved in comfort over the years. Many are no longer clunky.
Click to expand...
I should go back to the running shoes. I was rarely injured until I switched back to tennis shoes recently. Technically they are pádel shoes but they are more like tennis shoes than running shoes.
 
onehandbh

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
travlerajm said:
I should go back to the running shoes. I was rarely injured until I switched back to tennis shoes recently. Technically they are pádel shoes but they are more like tennis shoes than running shoes.
Click to expand...
Oh. You got injured switching to tennis shoes? Which tennis shoe model were you wearing?
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.

CVS Health Knee Deluxe Stabilizing Compression Support

<strong>HSA/FSA Eligible</strong></p> <p><strong>Product packaging may vary.</strong></p> <p>MED<br /> <br /> KNEE<br /> <br /> Provides support to injured knee whn active<br /> <br /> Cushioning gel pad for extra comfort<br /> <br /> Breathable material<br /> <br /> CVS Health™ Deluxe...
www.cvs.com

These are first class support if you don't need metal. Though technically they have some metal on the sides:

 
I

Injured Again

Hall of Fame
I play all the time now with a McDavid level 2 brace on the knee that will be replaced soon. It's not the support so much as the compression and warmth that gives me the confidence to go harder. My knee hurts with every step and it doesn't hurt any less with the brace.

I also wore ankle braces at various times. These were the ones that laced up to provide support against twisted ankles, and I wore one after I ruptured my peroneal retinaculum during a tennis match. After a while, that ankle healed up and now I tape up my OTHER ankle to prevent getting a rupture on the non-injured side. The ankle braces were too bulky and necessitated a half size larger shoe, which is just a hassle.

I can't imagine how the weight of any brace can cause injury. It's no different than going from a worn to a new pair of the exact same shoes.
 
ngoster

ngoster

Semi-Pro
I play with a lightweight one on my right knee. It's design is a neoprene sleeve with 2 straps at the bottom that crisscross over the patella to provide some support for the patella and help keep the sleeve in place. Overall, it provides some support via compression but the other benefit is that it helps keep the area warm to help with overall movement. If you need lateral support, you might need to find one with either a hard, yet pliable, plastic strip (or 2) (like a popsicle stick) or more robust hinges found on each side of the knee. The one with the strip(s) is more lightweight and less intrusive but the more robust one doesn't impede lateral movement too much.
 
I

Injured Again

Hall of Fame
ngoster said:
I play with a lightweight one on my right knee. It's design is a neoprene sleeve with 2 straps at the bottom that crisscross over the patella to provide some support for the patella and help keep the sleeve in place. Overall, it provides some support via compression but the other benefit is that it helps keep the area warm to help with overall movement. If you need lateral support, you might need to find one with either a hard, yet pliable, plastic strip (or 2) (like a popsicle stick) or more robust hinges found on each side of the knee. The one with the strip(s) is more lightweight and less intrusive but the more robust one doesn't impede lateral movement too much.
Click to expand...

The McDavid level 2 braces I use have two fairly pliable stabilization supports on each side of the knee. As far as I'm concerned, these are so pliable they really don't do much. They also have a hole on the front to center the knee cap and that can help in specific injury situations but for me primarily serves to keep the knee brace in place. There is a circumferential velcro strap above and below the knee to customize how tight the brace is.

I've tried the hinged knee braces but they don't work for tennis. There's too much twisting required and the metal braces won't allow that movement so it just chafed my thigh as the upper support twisted on my skin. I still primarily play 4.5 level singles despite being just a couple of months out from knee replacement so I'm just dealing with the pain of every step until I get my new knee. I think I'm one of the fortunate ones who's knee degradation just causes pain but isn't so severely limiting that I can't be out on court. I can't run, and I can't backpedal, but I can do most other movements on court. It's just a matter of how much discomfort I am willing to put up with.

If you're in a position where using the brace is to allow recovery from an injury or to prevent further injury, my opinion is that is not a good idea. Let it more fully heal before getting back out there. Torn meniscus really never heals, and cartilage once it is gone is forever gone. After going through what I have, I should have stopped playing a couple of years ago after my initial injury to give it a few months to repair itself. By continuing to play when it wasn't at full strength, I ended up getting a full thickness, non-displaced meniscus tear and that's what contributed greatly to me now needing a new knee. I'm sure I would have needed a new knee in the next few years anyway, but I sure sped up that timeline by playing when I shouldn't have.

This is the knee brace I use:

 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
ngoster said:
I play with a lightweight one on my right knee. It's design is a neoprene sleeve with 2 straps at the bottom that crisscross over the patella to provide some support for the patella and help keep the sleeve in place. Overall, it provides some support via compression but the other benefit is that it helps keep the area warm to help with overall movement. If you need lateral support, you might need to find one with either a hard, yet pliable, plastic strip (or 2) (like a popsicle stick) or more robust hinges found on each side of the knee. The one with the strip(s) is more lightweight and less intrusive but the more robust one doesn't impede lateral movement too much.
Click to expand...
The ones I bought have steel popsicle sticks, but they felt awful. Like they pushed against the tender LCL ligament I wanted to protect, and didn’t seem to add much structural support.

I’m eager to test these out tonight to see if they are a viable option performance wise to
compete with.
 
ngoster

ngoster

Semi-Pro
travlerajm said:
The ones I bought have steel popsicle sticks, but they felt awful. Like they pushed against the tender LCL ligament I wanted to protect, and didn’t seem to add much structural support.

I’m eager to test these out tonight to see if they are a viable option performance wise to
compete with.
Click to expand...
Best of luck to you man!
 
T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Last night I tested out the dual compression sleeves with some light hitting with @AnyPUG in Central Park.

I actually liked the added stability, but was losing some accuracy and clarity mainly because I was sweating into the sleeves, causing my timing to drift.

I took them off, and felt a bit quicker around the court. But after 5-10 minutes without, I felt my knee begin to feel vulnerable. So I put the sleeves back on, and then I felt more confident moving around the court again without worrying as much about the knee.

I tested in different configs. My favorite configuration ended up being the one pictured above, where the sleeves are seated 3-4” lower than intended by design.
 
Last edited:
ByeByePoly

ByeByePoly

G.O.A.T.
Shroud said:
ideal for any skill level! what does the lead help with
Click to expand...

Typical new paddles often weigh 7.8 oz to 8.3 oz … so you might personally want to bump up static weight.

Also … although paddles swingweight is nowhere as important as a tennis racquet swingweight, you can feel a difference from an extended paddle and a shorter one. Might want more drive at baseline, or faster hands at kitchen … constant tradeoffs with paddles … way more than racquets. Some put lead on sides for added twistweight and larger sweet spot. Does it really work … who knows … there are plastic cores. :-D I like my current paddle at 8.7 oz better than it’s 7.8 oz stock form … could just be in my head. Although there can be such a thing as “paddle lag” … 16.5 inch paddle vs 27 inch racquet is like comparing a wiffle ball to a tennis ball. Yeah … both are balls but only one of them bounce.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
bioskin knee braces-any experience
Replies
0
Views
555
EKnee08
E
Nostradamus
Bauerfiend sports knee brace for players with knee issues
Replies
7
Views
778
Pete Player
P
Z
Cho-Pat knee braces, post arthroscopy
Replies
2
Views
2K
gotwheels
G
S
Playing with Torn Cartlidge?
Replies
38
Views
5K
rudester
rudester
SFAce
When should I stop playing with a knee brace?
Replies
9
Views
572
SFAce
SFAce
Top