Knee braces can be used for various purposes, whether you are going through physical therapy or have a pulled tendon. It is not difficult measuring your knee for a brace, as long as you know the type of brace you need for your particular injury. They come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, and the prices can range from $20 to $400, depending on what you need the brace for.
Instructions
1. Make sure you know what problems you are trying to treat in your knee. If you need your knee supported while exercising to aid in therapy, you need a knee brace the is supportive but quite flexible and easy to wash. Hinged knee braces or meant for the most mild knee pains, and are the least expensive. If you are trying to keep your knee stable completely from a bad injury--to immobilize the knee--you need a brace that is firm, stable and inflexible. For injuries of the ACL, PCL, LCL and MCL, it is smart to get knee structural braces, which expose the knee but have light plastic siding that helps support your injured muscles. These can be expensive, though. For meniscus tears, sprains, patellar problems and hyperextensions, proper knee braces are hinged, compressive and are flexible if they are wrap-around braces.
2. Measure you knee. Take the cloth tape measure and wrap it around the thickest part of your knee, directly over the kneecap and where your knee bends. This will help measure the circumference. You can also measure the areas right below the knee and above on the lower thigh just so you have a couple of solid measurements.
3. Look over the selection of knee braces. Many feature sizing charts, so take the written measurements of your knee with you to the store. Use this measurement of inches to find your correct size on the sizing chart. If you can't find your exact size, purchase the one that is slightly larger than your measurement. It is better to get a knee brace that is a tiny bit bigger, rather than a tiny bit smaller.
4. Wear the knee brace the rest of that day, or starting the next morning, to make sure it fits comfortably and snugly. Sometimes joints expand over the course of the day, so it may feel at times that your brace has shrunk. If it is too uncomfortable, return it for the next size up.
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