Sports Knee Brace

Earlier this year, I went on a snow mountain hike. We set off at five in the morning and came down at five in the evening, with hardly any breaks along the way. The path was slippery, steep and very difficult to navigate, and my right knee was sore for a week afterwards.

Knowing that knee injuries are irreversible, I searched online-feeling both anxious and hopeful-to see how to treat it and whether there were any other netizens who'd had a similar experience.

My search revealed that I'd been missing an 'essential piece of kit for mountain climbing'-knee braces!

According to online advice, everyone should have a pair of knee braces; for those uninjured, they can help prevent injuries, whilst for those with existing knee injuries, they can prevent further damage.

Just as I was thoroughly convinced and about to place an order, specialists from the orthopaedics and rehabilitation departments promptly stopped me and shared two counter-intuitive truths:

1. Knee braces do not actually protect your knees from injury; it's the thigh muscles that provide the real protection; 2. Over-reliance on knee braces can actually be risky and may cause further damage to your knees;

Tsk… I stared at the knee braces in my shopping basket, lost in thought.

Are knee braces actually useful? Are they a genuine lifesaver or a waste of money?

Let's set the record straight today.

First, the conclusion: the protective benefits of knee braces have been exaggerated-

The name 'knee brace' is rather clever, isn't it? It gives the impression that simply putting one on will protect your knees and prevent injuries during exercise.

All sorts of online advertisements and influencer recommendations say the same thing, even going so far as to hail them as 'knee saviours' or 'guardians of sports'.