| By :
Wendy Moyer
If you've suffered a sports injury and now have an unstable knee joint you may be considering having knee surgery. Although you should speak to your doctor, it is possible to avoid the necessity of going under the knife for surgery if you simple use knee braces to support your injured knee joint. There are a number of knee braces that can help you with your knee problems both before and after surgery, if it is necessary. Functional Knee Braces Functional knee braces are primarily used for patella dislocation and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (ACL) reconstruction, and they have a history of working quite well. An ACL injury is often the result of having a direct blow to the knee. When it happens people often hear a loud pop immediately after they are injured. Once it happens they will find that they may not be able to move their knee. Patella dislocations are also caused by direct blows to the knees. Most often they happen after someone falls or is involved in an accident. In addition these injuries can happen if you make a dramatic change in direction while you are running. If your patella is dislocated and your knee is dislocated you will probably feel intense pain and may not be able to move your knee. And you'll also find that a short time after the dislocation that the area around your knee will swell and feel tender. Many sports professionals and athletes have found that functional knee braces are very helpful for ACL and patella injuries. When you wear them you may avoid the need for having surgery. The only drawback seems to be that you may feel a bit uncomfortable when you wear this brace because it will provide traction to your skin. Prophylactic Knee Braces Prophylactic knee braces were designed with the thought that they would be able to prevent knee injuries. The jury is still out on these devices because a number of studies have indicated that they may actually increase the risk of injury by putting additional loads on the knees. If your doctor advises that you have surgery for your knee injury then it's highly likely that he or she will prescribe post surgical knee braces that will aid in your recovery. There are two types of post operative knee braces available - rehabilitative braces and transitional braces. Rehabilitative Knee Braces This type of brace is used if you have had a knee operation. A rehabilitative knee brace can be essential to the healing process because it gives support and comfort to your injured knee. These braces are often used after ACL, PCL, MCL, or meniscal injuries. They are also sized a bit longer so that they can give the wearer maximum support while permitting the recovering knee to move freely. Transitional Knees Braces Transitional knee braces are a rather an expensive follow up for people who are using rehabilitative braces. These braces are used primarily to avoid surgery and to help prevent any serious injury.
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