Knee pain is one of the worst enemies of any person living an active lifestyle. It can suck all the joy out of your days. The inflammation causes horrible pain, which can debilitate and prevent you from the movement most people consider normal. There are many therapeutic ways to deal with discomfort. Using the best unloader knee braces is one of the simplest ways to take control of the conditions affecting your knees. The best unloader knee braces come in different shapes, sizes and colours. At the end of this article I will include a review of the three best unloader knee braces.
The best unloader knee brace reviews:
- DonJoy OA Everyday Osteoarthritis Knee Brace
- Ossur Unloader One OTS Osteoarthritic Knee Brace
- Breg Fusion OA Plus Osteoarthritis Knee Brace
- BraceAbility OA Knee Brace for Osteoarthritis
Use of Unloader Knee Braces
Unloader knee braces are most often used by people suffering from knee osteoarthritis or other types of joint inflammation. People with an active lifestyle often develop knee problems. Runners who live in cities often can’t escape running on hard pavement. This inevitably results in the damage of the knee joints. The impact of the steps on the city streets sends shocks through the legs, which are absorbed by the joints. The best unloader knee braces will stop the pain and allow people to continue living an active lifestyle. Almost as if the injury never happened.
Knee Brace Types
A medical professional can recommend the exact right type of knee brace for your situation. It is crucial to visit a doctor since there are so many different unloader knee braces on the market. Only a doctor can recommend you the exact right type. Also there is no one unloader knee brace that could be labelled the best unloader knee brace for every single person’s situation. Great models give you stability, support and stop the pain. The best unloader knee brace has to not only give back the joint’s range of motion, but also prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
Different Types of Knee Braces
Unloader Knee Braces
Unloader knee braces are best when the pain of arthritis has to be stopped. These braces relieve the affected area of the stress. These braces force the knee to bend away from the inflamed area by putting pressure on the joint in three different points. The pressure goes to the outside of the knee instead of the insides, which are suffering from arthritis. The patients who don’t get such knee braces usually have wobbly knees, because they try to hold their knees in a different angle to transfer pressure away themselves. With unloader knee braces this is not needed anymore. The best unloader knee braces transfer the pressure themselves.
Unloader knee braces are usually made of some combination of plastic and metal. Usually folded plastic with steel struts. The brace has a strap and hinges. These latter parts are responsible for keeping the brace on the leg.
Offloader Knee Braces
The best offloaded knee braces work on a completely different premise. Offloader knee braces apply slight pressure to the knee to realign the joint and relieve the area from the force compressing it and causing all the pain. They are called offloaded knee braces because there is a hinge on the side of the brace to make offloading easy. Offloader knee braces are used for treating arthritis as well as impact knee injuries.
Best Offloader Knee Brace
Braceit K2 ComfortLine Knee Brace
A universal knee brace, good both for your right and your left knee. A lightweight, everyday use high performance knee brace. Excellent for mild pain, osteoarthritis and sports injuries. FDA approved, also excellent for stopping the degeneration of the knee joints. The stainless steel polycentric hinges transform all the pressure from the knees to the calves, hence helping the knees recover. The advanced, flexible plastic thigh and calf frame confirms to the shape of one’s legs and provides perfect grip. This brace has been designed to give the best support during sports, or when recovering from osteoarthritis.
Click here to check reviews and pricing options on Amazon
Other Types of Knee Braces
Prophylactic knee braces
Prophylactic knee braces are used more to prevent injuries to the knees. They are supposed to stop injuries, or lessen their impact. These types of braces are used mostly against impact sports injuries.
Rehabilitation knee braces
Rehabilitation knee braces are usually worn only for a limited period. Usually after somebody went through surgery or during rehabilitation. They are designed to limit movement so that the area affected by surgery can heal. They can be bought in almost all pharmacy or sports shops. You don’t kneed a doctor’s recommendation to buy one.
Functional knee braces
Functional knee braces are most often used to provide assistance to shaky joints or to give stability to otherwise unstable knees. They can be purchased at most pharmacies or sports shops. However you don’t need a doctor’s prescription for them. They are most often worn only during sports activity. So only when the joints are under significant stress. They are often referred to as derogation braces. They are designed to allow motion and speed for the movement of the knee joints during sports activities. If you want to survive a little bit of knee pain while you continue running, these are the perfect choice for you. Functional braces can also give the joints a better structure, hence lessening the pain that is caused by poor structure or poor movement patterns.
The Best Unloader Knee Braces
DonJoy OA Everyday Osteoarthritis Knee Brace
This is one of the best, simplest, easiest to use osteoarthritis knee braces on the market. What makes it really special is that it allows patients to fine tune the load put on the knees. This is possible thanks to the patient controlled telescoping condyle pad. You can fine tune the assistance it gives your knees according to the activity you are doing, and how much pain you feel in your knees. It is very easy put on or take off. You don’t need to push your legs through it, only put the braces on and you are done. It has an ergonomic sweeping medial thigh/calf frame, which is very low profile and comfortable to wear. The three-point load redistributes compressive forces away from the degenerative area to the healthy parts of your legs. This helps redistribute the load and help you heal quicker from osteoarthritis.
Click here to check further reviews and pricing options on Amazon
Ossur Unloader One OTS Osteoarthritic Knee Brace
Ossur makes plenty of knee braces. This model is considered one of the best unloader knee braces on the market. This is the perfect unloader knee brace to treat knee osteoarthritis. Small, very reserved contours which allows the patient to wear it underneath trousers or other clothing items. Quick strapping technology, easy to put on or remove without any special tools. Has a lightweight frame that puts no extra weight on your legs. Easy to wear and walk around in it. The lightweight frame is perforated, allowing ventilation and the knees to get as much air as possible. Has dual dynamic force straps, which increase unloading capabilities. Although they come at a high price point, the quality of the braces is certainly worth the investment.
Click here to check further reviews and pricing options on Amazon
Breg Fusion OA Plus Osteoarthritis Knee Brace
An ideal brace option for patients suffering from medial compartmental osteoarthritis. Made with innovative AirTech frame pads to allow ventilation. The innovative windows and channels in the frame pads allow the air to ventilate and cooling breeze with air flow allows the heat and moisture to move away from your skin. The braces provide suspension and comfort together with pain relief. The company’s Proform technology provides a superior, comfortable seamless fit. The braces are thin, tiny. They take the contour of your legs excellently and you can wear clothes over them without any problems. The thumbwheel dial hinge helps you offload the heat on your knee braces easy. You can easily adjust the load you get on your knees with these hinges.
Click here to check further reviews and pricing options on Amazon
BraceAbility OA Knee Brace for Osteoarthritis
This is an affordable, lightweight, low profile, hinged knee brace designed to unload stress from your knee suffering from ostheoarthritis. This makes them one of the best unloader knee braces on the market. Easy to put on or take off with release buckles and straps. It is excellent at limiting the side-to-side movement of your knees, hence taking pressure off them. The insides of the braces are applied with faux-suede padded liners to prevent the pads from rubbing against your knees. Made of aluminium and glass-reinforced nylon cuffs, comfortable for all day use. These pads are excellent if you don’t have to go to surgery yet, but also if you are just coming back from surgery.
Click here to check further reviews and pricing options on Amazon
Conclusion
Osteoarthritis and the pain that comes with it can put a significant strain on your life. It can limit you in your daily tasks such as work, playing with your kids or athletic activities. But the best unloader knee braces can give you relief and improvement from your osteoarthritis. The best unloader knee braces will help you’ve your days free of pain. No matter what your lifestyle is, or what you will use the knee braces for. You can find the best unloader knee braces for yourself.