 Mueller Hinged Wraparound Knee Brace, Black, Lg Lowest Price: $15.00 |
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High impact sports can put a ton of strain on your body. The more you play sports like football, soccer, hockey, and basketball the more you will feel frayed and battered at the joints. One of the main areas of concern on the body in regard to injury is the knee. Your knees are used constantly when playing sports and they will no doubt take the most traumas. To prevent injury to your knees, or help with healing old injuries, it is a good idea to wear knee braces during rigorous play or exercise.
Knee braces come in a variety of different forms. There are four main categories of knee braces: prophylactic, functional, rehabilitative, and unloader/offloader, and within each of those categories are multiple brands and styles. Prophylactic knee braces, or sports knee braces, are going to be the main focus of this article because they are the knee braces you can wear during the game. Most of the other forms of knee braces will be prescribed to you by your Doctor or physical therapist after a knee injury has taken place.
Remember, it is always important to consult your doctor before you use any kind of brace. This article deals with the top 5 most popular sports knee braces. These five knee braces will provide you with the most protection without hindering your performance on the playing field.
1. Captain Sports Hinged Knee Brace with Patella Stabilizers: $32.19
The goal of every knee brace is to force your knee to move properly. A knee that moves properly, with added strength support, is a knee that will avoid serious injury. The Captain Sports Hinged Knee Brace with Patella Stabilizers uses metal hinges on either side of the knee to create this stabilizing effect. But, even though that sounds uncomfortable, it is easily customized to your knee and you hardly feel it at all while you’re wearing it.
It finds itself on the top of this list because its adjustable nature allows you to customize it to your own knee and that makes it extra comfortable. The built-in patella stabilizer ring and stabilizer straps make this knee brace top of the line for joint support and it doesn’t hurt that this knee brace is the best Captain knee braces have to offer.
2. Mueller Sports Hg80 Knee Brace: $39.99
When you’re playing sports you’re probably going to sweat. The Mueller Sports Hg80 Knee Brace understands that when people sweat they get wet and that can be really uncomfortable if you happen to be wearing a skin tight brace on major parts of your body. It features a moisture-resistant fabric that not only keeps the brace dry and light weight during heavy exercise but also provides added protection against odor and bacteria.
A knee brace has to be comfortable when you first put it on all the way until you take it off at the end of the game. Mueller’s Sports Hg80 knee brace succeeds in this through its comfortable hourglass design and water resistant materials but does it also provide enough support for your knee? The simple answer is: yes. Flexible steel springs run along the sides of your knee and a lightweight strapping system keeps the brace in place no matter how long you wear it.
3. Drytex Economy Hinged Ligament Knee Brace: $71.40
The Drytex Economy Hinged Ligament knee brace is a little more expensive than the first two but it still provides great support and flexibility. The Drytex is kind of a bare bones athletic knee brace designed for ligament support. Unlike most athletic knee braces, whose purpose is to prevent injury, this one is designed to help prevent and treat a bunch of knee injuries.
As far as the design goes it is pretty basic. You can slip it on like a pant leg and adjust it to get the hinges in the right places but unlike the two knee braces above it, you have to remove some of the components in order to wash it. The Drytex is an elastic knee brace as opposed to a neoprene knee brace so it is the perfect replacement for anyone allergic to neoprene.
4. Captain Sports Adjustable Knee Brace with Lateral Supports: $17.19
Captain makes some excellent knee braces these days. This adjustable knee brace with lateral supports comes in at an incredibly cheap price and still manages to provide adequate support and comfort. The only main concern with this knee brace is the breathability. You’ll find that even though it has the built-in patella stabilizer ringer and adjustability of its successor it just doesn’t breath as well and can get rather uncomfortable.
5. EVS RS7 Knee Brace: $166.46
By far the most expensive knee brace on this list, the EVS RS7 knee brace also happens to be the largest. If you are really serious about preventing injury, or if you have had a serious injury and are trying to heal from it, you should use this knee brace. The EVS RS7 is a full leg sleeve knee brace that weighs in at about 3 pounds. The hinges accurately imitate and correct the motions of the knee and you can’t get much more support than they provide.
The problem is that this knee brace is so big and so expensive. Even though it is marketed as a sports knee brace it really is more of a functional one. This knee brace would be great for walking about town with an injured knee but when it comes to high impact sports it can be really cumbersome.
No matter what knee brace you end up choosing, as long as it is comfortable for you and provides you with the right amount of support, you are bound to feel stronger in the knees than you did before.