Best high end protective knee braces.

[sledhead ut]

I did a Knee bash report last year and couldn't believe all the responses. A lot of injuries out there.
I just had knee surgery yesterday and I'm going to try and get my insurance company to help pay for some good high end braces.
Wondering what everybody likes for comfort and max protection? Also if your insurance co. bought them, what brand did they pay for?

 

[thefullmonte]

We carry EVS knee braces. And I have seen insurance pay for them. Asterik I believe makes more of a custom fit application.I think this might be a better option.
My complaint is always the problem of trying to get them to stay in place. If you have chicken legs this isn't a problem. If you have calves and quads, expect the back of your legs to be bleeding by the end of the day. The strapping system seems to be inadequate on most of these. And you will find it difficult to get them to stay in place when they don't have your boots to help hold them up like in MX.
There was a huge thread on this over on Thumpertalk too. Many of the same issues. In the end, I went back to using a standard knee guard, but I don't have knee problems.

 

[snowrodeo]

ron, this topic came up last year. i stated my opinion and it turned into a 2 week long, hundreds-of-posts, bash and argument. call me and i'll try to answer any ??'s you might have.

did i give you my # ? if not, PM me for it.

oh yeah, dont call 'til you change that nasty avatar!!!

 

[sledhead ut]

I did do some reading on Thumpertalk too. CTI's, EVS and Asterisk seem to be the name brands that most are riding with.

Andy: I'll have to wait till Sunday to call then.

 

[skidooboy]

i had a catastrophic dislocation to my left knee in march at the indoor mx park with my supermoto bike. i was wearing knee/shin guards from thor. no, they werent desiged to be a brace, and that was my mistake. now after tearing my acl, mcl, pcl, destroying both meniscus, and rupturing the posterior capsule corner from that incident, i wear pod mx braces. fox imports them from austrailia. http://www.podmx.com/en/pages/products/mx_brace.htm

they are carbon fibre framed, velrco strap adjustable. has intregral patella protection (on the frame, not on your knee cap like most braces). has a built in ligament like strap on each side of your joint that in the case of a big hit will rupture like your own body to prevent femur, or tib/fib fractures that can happen with braces that dont give.

now braces dont mean you still cant get hurt, but it does prevent smaller hits from being big injuries or surgery. good luck on your healing. i spent 4 months getting myself back to close to normal. hoping i make it through sledding season without tearin it again. ski

 

[Rixster]

CTi2 or astrisk. both great braces.

 

[Ex-Member]

We carry EVS knee braces. And I have seen insurance pay for them. Asterik I believe makes more of a custom fit application.I think this might be a better option.
My complaint is always the problem of trying to get them to stay in place. If you have chicken legs this isn't a problem. If you have calves and quads, expect the back of your legs to be bleeding by the end of the day. The strapping system seems to be inadequate on most of these. And you will find it difficult to get them to stay in place when they don't have your boots to help hold them up like in MX.
There was a huge thread on this over on Thumpertalk too. Many of the same issues. In the end, I went back to using a standard knee guard, but I don't have knee problems.

Well said. I ride with the better thor force knee guards, they hold on pretty good and give way more coverage than the $20 ones.

 

[WFO]

CTI2's for me bud! Cross the two straps in the middle and I don't have the slipping or the digging that is mentioned. My insurance paid for everything!

 

[Uller]

sledhead ut,

I have had multiple knee surgeries on both knees (not from snowmobiling) and was able to be prescribed knee braces by my doctor for both of them.

I have Don Joy Armor knee braces (http://www.donjoy.com/index.asp/fuseaction/products.detail/cat/1/id/146 which work really well. They don't slide down, aren't too big or bulky and provide real good support. These are the highest end knee brace from Don Joy that isn't custom. Don Joy is the main supplier of knee braces for pro sports.

I also purchased the optional knee/shin guard which gives me real good protection from the running boards.

 

[GYP M-80]

CTi2 or astrisk. both great braces.

X2! i got CTi2s now... love 'em! know people that astrisk and swear by them!

 

[Vertical_Escape]

Glad this topic was brought up. Knees are getting in worse shape as the years go by and I was considering EVS braces. Now I need to research a bit more before deciding.

 

[hellclimber]

yeah, this is deffo a good topic..
i busted my knee late this season and i was looking at the EVS Web knee brace

and i found it at $299..
what's the price on the PodMX and the CTi2's?
i guess the C180 is the one to get from CTI?

not sure if i want/need a brace if they are too bulky but i know my knees want 'em
i've got a pair of FLY regular guards but they seems too be a little "weak" and not supportive regarding twisting etc..

but, as the total dork i proved to be, i didn't wear them the day i crashed.. otherwise i'd probably would be ok...

 

[tudizzle]

I just got Donjoy custom knee braces with the integrated knee/shin guards. I had them made as small as possible. $3600 for the pair!

Have not used them yet but they seem like they will stay put and during "extensive garage testing" they seemed to do the trick...even when spilling beer on them!

Gotta take care of my knees after multiple surgeries on each the doc is talking about a total replacement next time

 

[A CAT]

4 knee surgerys here and the CTI 2 is the best custom fit out there.

 

[Vertical_Escape]

That is the same model I was looking at. My right knee was torn up 35 years ago in football .... No surgury was my motto then and still....... but I pay for it on cold days.


Thankfully they make lots of Aleve......

 

[eeberg]

Ron, here is something I put in another post about Knee braces.

"I always considered wearing knee braces when I ride and ski, but I thought the price was way too high for a decent pair. I tore my ACL 2 years ago and had to have knee surgery and 6 months of rehab. Now I ride with Asterisk braces on both legs all the time. They work great, and fit great. After a little while, you don't even know you have them on anymore. They protect your knee from twisting, they have a knee cap protection pad, and they have an adjustable hyper extension limit. There has already been a few injuries they have saved me from. They are expensive, but knee surgery and rehab is much more expensive and I'd rather not do it again."

I wore them for the entire season last year, Dirt and Snow, and had no problems with them. I'm sure any of the high end ones will work good for you. If you decide on the Asterisk I can tell you where to get them the cheapest. I had them on for the whole day when we rode AF canyon, so you can see how much you notice them. If you want, you can try mine out for a day to see if you like them.

 

[i_got_wings]

Just an FYI. There is a doctor over on ThumperTalk doing a study on whether or not knee braces actually help. So far I think he has decided that they prevent minor injuries that you would not have to go to a doctor for, but the jury is still out whether on whether or not they actually prevent major injuries. They offer peice of mind, but may not actually help as much as you think.

 

[Ex-Member]

I can say with a high degree of confidence the cheap ones I wore last season are the reason i'm walking right now...

 

[sledhead ut]

Have not used them yet but they seem like they will stay put and during "extensive garage testing" they seemed to do the trick...even when spilling beer on them!

tudizzle: that's got YouTube written all over it. Get out the camera.Hahaha

Berg: I may take you up on thank for the offer.

Mule: I'm with you on that one. I wear cheap Black Diamonds now. Pretty sure I would have a busted knee cap by now if not for them.


I know I need something to limit the twist and hyper extension of the knee. Although my MX injury was from a knee jamb (L&M meniscus tear) which in no way could a brace have stopped from happening. But it does make you realize how important that little complex joint is and how much strain we put on it with our crazy extreme activities.

 

[TIM]

insurance paid for my custom made donjoy. You cant compare a store bought brace to the custom made ones.