Knee Brace

[mustski]

Yeah I've seen a few of the Don Joy ones. The one I have currently is just one I got off amazon so nothing very specialised. I'll have a better look into the custom ones!

My hubby has been skiing with a Don Joy brace for the last 12 years. It’s the only way he CAN ski. The brace is still working great. I highly recommend giving Don Joy a call.

 

[lh_1990]

Thanks everyone! I ended up seeing a PT and ordering a Don-Joy Defiance brace. While I'm not sure there's necessarily a 'right' brace for my leg, I think it'll help a lot with stability and give me more confidence too which is a big thing...picking it up next week so will report back! It turns out my benefits through work will cover a brace which made it a much easier decision to make, as I was a little stressed about the cost of it!

 

[Idahoskier]

I recently got back to skiing having been away from it since my teens (now 31) due to surgery on my leg. I now have prosthetic in place of most of my femur, part of my tibia and my knee joint (full disclosure, skiing is not exactly 'recommended' for me, but the minute I got back to it it made me incredibly happy and I'm now obsessed...so I guess I'm going rogue).
Im wondering if anyone had any experience with braces to help provide knee stability. Currently I use a hinged brace which definitely helps. Considering a custom brace, but these are super expensive so im weighing the options. Realistically nothing is going to take away the risk but may help a bit. I realise this is maybe a bit niche, but thought this community might have some suggestions.

I suffered a catastrophic knee injury August 2016. I literally tore every single ligament in my right knee (grade 2 PCL, grade 3 MCL and LCL) and completely detached my ACL. I tore lateral and medial meniscus, shredded my patella cartilage, cracked my tibia and burst my synovial capsule. Yep, I almost lost my leg. I now have an achilles tendon for an ACL and spent 12 weeks non weight bearing plus a number of weeks gradually adding weight bearing back. It took me a year of rehab and must continue consistent workouts to keep my quads and knee strong.

That all said, with the blessing of my surgeon (you already know how to ski, stay out of the powder and no jumps he said) I returned to skiing late in the 2017/2018 season and continue to ski today. I wear a custom DonJoy Defiance brace with PCL strap added. The first season the brace bothered me a bit off and on. Now, once I put it on I no longer feel it. The brace does not make me bullet proof but it does keep me from hyperextending and allows me to ski. The first couple of seasons back I was very cautious and stuck to groomers. While my surgeon advised me not to ski powder, I live in the west so I ski powder. I am only good for a half a day if the snow is deep.

I would absolutely not ski without my DonJoy brace. I put it on and forget it is even there until I take it off at the end of the day. I wear my DonJoy over 3/4 length thin base layer pants so it does not sit on my skin. The thickest base layer I wear under the brace is a mid weight 3/4 Smartwool pants. If it's really cold I add some shorts so they do not interfere with my brace, my pants are only a shell. If you get a custom brace you will need pants big enough to go over it which might mean a size bigger than normal. Snowboard pants work well. I'm currently wearing FlyLow Chemical pants and LOVE them.

The DonJoy brace is an expensive investment but IMO it is well worth the money. I've more than paid for it in pure enjoyment. It allowed me to get back out on the snow and enjoy skiing with my friends and family. This Grandma gets to hang out with the kids and teach the youngsters.

This season, cruising 4" of freshies on a groomer with my FAT pow skis (LOVE these skis, they make everything easy). My right knee is the braced up knee.


DonJoy custom brace, expensive...being able to teach this little dude to ski, priceless.