• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Choosing an ACL knee brace for skiing

Freetoski

Diva in Training
Hi! Tore ACL and MCL last season. MCL healed well. Opted no surgery on ACL because it never gives out on me. I’m looking for brace recommendations please. Ortho office recommends Breg Fusion but I’m in between sizes so custom they say is best. Or Don Joy custom Defiance. There seems to be so many option in off the shelf ones too. The big thing between Breg fusion and Don Joy is the lowest support wrap- Breg has the rigid metal piece on the front so on your shin. Don Joy has rigid metal piece on the back so it’s on your calf. Would love to hear if anyone has any opinions on this. Thank you!
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I have the Defiance for OA. It's bulky. If you have any close fitting pants, it's not going to fit underneath.

You should take your ski boots to the fitting. They have 2 "lengths" available. I got the short so it didn't interfere with my boot.

FYI - my cottage neighbour is the national sales manager for Canada for Don Joy. He was very helpful.
 

Freetoski

Diva in Training
great tip! Thank you. Will take boots along. Meeting with Don Joy guy Monday. He was super helpful on phone.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
When I was researching knee braces, I'd pretty much decided the Don Joy would make the most sense. Definitely was looking at a custom fit. But for me as a successful coper, in the end I opted to pay for ski lessons and personal training instead of buying a brace. The way my health insurance was set up, paying for a brace would've been out-of-pocket.
 

Freetoski

Diva in Training
thank you! I plan to take some lesson and have been ramping up my exercise routine. not sure how much skiing we will get todo this winter anyhow. Thank you!
 

Idahoskier

Diva in Training
I had a very severe knee injury in August 2016. I completely ruptured my ACL and now have a cadaver Achilles’ tendon instead. Also tore my MCL, LCL, PCL, lateral and medial meniscus, shredded my kneecap cartilage, burst my synovial capsule and cracked my tibia. I have gone through extensive physical therapy and have a regular workout regime to continue my active lifestyle. With that said, I went with the Don Joy custom fit. I put my ski boot on when I was fit for the brace. I have to buy a size larger pants or some that are baggy so that I can clear the brace. Snowboard pants and Flylow Chemical pants have all proven a good fit with Flylow Chemical having the best waist fit and room for the brace. Skiing I never feel it, on the chair it sometimes pinches a bit but you soon forget it once you are off and skiing again.
 

TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
I had a very severe knee injury in August 2016. I completely ruptured my ACL and now have a cadaver Achilles’ tendon instead. Also tore my MCL, LCL, PCL, lateral and medial meniscus, shredded my kneecap cartilage, burst my synovial capsule and cracked my tibia. I have gone through extensive physical therapy and have a regular workout regime to continue my active lifestyle. With that said, I went with the Don Joy custom fit. I put my ski boot on when I was fit for the brace. I have to buy a size larger pants or some that are baggy so that I can clear the brace. Snowboard pants and Flylow Chemical pants have all proven a good fit with Flylow Chemical having the best waist fit and room for the brace. Skiing I never feel it, on the chair it sometimes pinches a bit but you soon forget it once you are off and skiing again.
OUCH!
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
My surgeon recommended, and my insurance paid for custom Donjoy defiance knee braces. I used them for the first few years after my ACL reconstructions.
 

BlueSkies

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I tored my ACL in 2012 along with my MCL and meniscus. ACL was repaired with a cadaver tendon. I have a Bledsoe semi-custom fitted that my insurance paid for. Light weight. I still use it particularly in spring conditions.
 

Ski Around Sue

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I used the Donjoy custom fit Defiance up until last year after my ACL/MCL tear and repair in 2011 (?). I finally decided I would chance it without the brace. I always hated putting it on and took it off right after skiing but when I was skiing I never really noticed it. It's a great way to have some peace of mind and helps for a confidence boost. I bumped into a woman in a changing rom last year - she was putting her brace on and I was taking mine off. We chatted for a bit. She seemed to have a newer model. The metal was much thinner than mine and seemed like it would fit better under ski pants.
 

Blackwidow

Diva in Training
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one. It is a terrible health condition that can bring you problems if not healed enough throughout your entire life. I know it because my sister didn't wait long enough before exercising, and now she was to go to the doctor every six months to keep her ankle safe.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one. It is a terrible health condition that can bring you problems if not healed enough throughout your entire life. I know it because my sister didn't wait long enough before exercising, and now she was to go to the doctor every six months to keep her ankle safe.
Sorry your sister has had a long term impact on her health after ACL surgery. What I learned after popping off an ACL (not a skiing injury) almost 10 years ago is that every knee injury is different. The recovery process can vary a great deal as a result of both the injury and the personality of the person involved.

In my case, I opted to avoid ACL reconstruction surgery. I'm a successful coper who is over 60 and I'm skiing more days and harder terrain than before knee rehab.
 

Blackwidow

Diva in Training
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one. It is a terrible health condition that can bring you problems if not healed enough throughout your entire life. I know it because my sister didn't wait long enough before exercising, and now she was to go to the doctor every six months to keep her ankle safe.
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one. It is a terrible health condition that can bring you problems if not healed enough throughout your entire life. I know it because my sister didn't wait long enough before exercising, and now she was to go to the doctor every six months to keep her ankle safe. Happily, she has some braces helping her, from https://remaininthegame.ca/product-category/orthopedic-bracing-support/knee-brace-support-splint/. Maybe they can be suitable for you too, but I advise you to wait a bit longer before going skiing. It would be best if you took care of your life.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I would go with whatever your Ortho is suggesting. I didn't tear anything but a meniscus, but I need a brace for OA. Insurance would only pay if Dr wrote it up. Then it wasn't all of it. I have the Don Joy Defiance with the short bottom "arm". The only way if would fit into a ski boot if I needed it to. So far, not, but...
 

MaineSkiLady

Angel Diva
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one.
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. There are a lot of factors in play with regard to the time line at which a skier can return to the sport: advice of the orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist, age and strength of the patient, severity of the injury, length of snow experience.

Especially helpful is whether the orthopedic surgeon specializes in sports medicine, ditto physical therapist.

My family has been through 3 ACL surgeries in the last 15 years (knock on wood, though - I’m still okay, though I’ve had other injuries). One was straight-up ACL, two were ACL and meniscus, one of those with a complex meniscus tear. Both individuals had to obviously miss that particular ski season, but both were at it the next season, with braces (although my son was prescribed Don Joy custom braces for more intense training). Neither of them had any issues. Both of them actually felt stronger post-ACL surgery, primarily because they were diligent with physical therapy. DH did some rather intense skiing that next season, as did DS after ACL #2.

Picture is 7 months after DS ACL #2.
 

Attachments

  • 100_3630.JPG
    100_3630.JPG
    158.1 KB · Views: 5

lisamamot

Angel Diva
Wow, I didn’t even think about the height of the ski boot and the brace not working. My daughter is planning to ski this season and has a Don Joy, I believe it is the Renegade, she used for soccer. Looks like this. Fingers crossed since she is coming up next week and we were going to do a trial run day!

65350C0E-2586-4E00-BDD1-F4DA8CF03F88.jpeg
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Remember they are custom sized to your leg as well. So if you have long legs....short legs...

I think I have about3/4" between the bottom 2 straps. My bottom strap is much smaller than the one shown.
 

AMellieTT

Diva in Training
I wore one of those braces after my injury, but one of them rubbed on me a little bit. At first, I thought some thread might have come out, the stitching might have come loose, but I scrutinized it and found no snags. I tried wearing leggings underneath, but that was uncomfortable, so I started using a sports bandage dunbarmedical.com. Can you please tell me if anyone else has experienced this?
The doctor told me that the knee will never become normal with a complete ACL tear, whether you have had surgery or not. There will always be a risk of weakness, loss of coordination, and pressure on the internal structures of the knee.
 

MaineSkiLady

Angel Diva
The doctor told me that the knee will never become normal with a complete ACL tear, whether you have had surgery or not. There will always be a risk of weakness, loss of coordination, and pressure on the internal structures of the knee.
Dr. Downer!! 3 knee surgeries in my family, never once was this ever mentioned. Lots of rehab, yes. Braces, no. Might be worth a second opinion.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
I feel like, after surgery ACL, you must stop skiing for some seasons, not just one. It is a terrible health condition that can bring you problems if not healed enough throughout your entire life. I know it because my sister didn't wait long enough before exercising, and now she was to go to the doctor every six months to keep her ankle safe.
Sorry this is your experience. In 2017 I destroyed my ACL and tore my MCL. Six weeks in a brace and the MCL healed without a surgical fix, but I had full ACL replacement with a hamstring graft. I was "out" for skiing for one full season. My PT rehab was prescription "return to sport" therapy (as compared to return to office). I followed rehab to the T and waited for Dr/PT release for each level of activity. I have never worn a brace for skiing post surgery. I do realize not everyone has this outcome for different reasons.

Before anyone flames me for saying "Many, not all, people who do no heal fully do not have sport PT or they quit early or just don't do it." I know there are lots of factors in outcomes.----Yes, I read OP is looking for a brace and that's her situation. Personally, in my orbit, I have a half a dozen friends who tell me, they should have completed PT and waited for the release before doing (insert activity) but they didn't.... and now they need repeat surgeries wear braces when they might not have had to, or have other problems.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,233
Messages
497,561
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top