The various symptoms and condition of mild to severe arthritis in the knees causes a varying degree of both pain and loss of mobility. With progressive osteo arthritis (OA) cartilage wear in the front of the knee will progressively become worse, the inflammation cascades into swelling and then requires intervention to reduce the extra pain associated with increased boy volume from the swelling. This case is a more established and progressive case of OA. That being said the main pain and complaint areas of OA is that cartilage area which gets worn away through age, overuse, gender and family per-disposition.
Where can a knee support brace help?
1. 90% of OA pain will be targeted around the joint cartilage this will be where any kind of support and repositioning of the patella tendon may help alleviate some discomfort. the problem lies with the internal cartilage structure causing the pain. Where a brace can help is where swelling is constant or is triggered with movement, the compression will help keep the swelling down but speaking from the mind of patients it’s more psychological in the way that it gives extra confidence and of course some kind of measure against the locking of knees which can occur along with complete knee collapse from unexpected pain.
Open Patella design with neoprene is the first choice to consider
The open patella design helps push or track the patella tendon into a possibly more favorable position it can make a the difference between pain or no pain in certain range of motions. A covered sleeve style support does not give the option to adjust and find a comfortable groove that can aid in this area. Not all knee support will give a good level of patella support and compression, he level of such compression comes hand in hand with how well the knee support is actually designed. The EX-701 has two dedicated adjustable straps to allow for unique compression of the patella tendon. It can be tight or loose but all the time isolated.
2. Support for medial and lateral ligaments especially in Rheumatoid arthritis – Medial and lateral ligaments are areas where weakness and lack of integrity to keep a study stance and gait will be felt the most. these two ligaments are the main supportive structures which keep the knee from collapsing side to side. If you have seen people with very lax or loose knees that have an incredible range of movement they will have compromised lateral and medial ligaments. It could well be hereditary and natural and in some cases this can be true with no apparent pain, but in the context of disease and arthritis this area is very vulnerable and can cause mobility issues. Using a knees support which can add additional support where these ligaments are compromised is essential.
3. Look for comfort enhancers as you will need to wear the support for extended periods of time daily and it is worth noting that many knee supports are very generic in design with no real attention to what makes it comfortable to wear. Features which will help in this area are firstly having a skin friendly lining which will not irritate the area in constant contact with the support, the EX-701 has a premium jaquard inner liner which is the same material used in under garments to minimises any chances of rashes developing. Another aspect which enhances comfort is how the supports sites and feels around the back of the knee, if you still have the range of motion and ability to bend even at low angles some knee supports can be very restrictive here by having excess material pile up behind the knee. This makes range of motion somewhat limited but also becomes irritating to wear. A comfort gap is essential to allow this areas to breath and also bend
Summary
If your suffer from arthritis you can benefit from an advanced level knee support which has specific features which will make the difference for reducing swelling, pain and also adding functional support for weak knees for both osteo arthritic and rheumatoid arthritic knee conditions. For milder arthritic conditions the use of a good knee support can certainly aid in helping with doing exercise and other recreational activities. Use of knee supports for exercise and running is a way to overcome possible loss of fitness and excessive weight gain which unfortunately can actually worsen OA. You can buy the EX-701 knee support at on amazon UK