Registered NDIS Provider
Knee arthritis is a chronic degenerative disease that causes constant knee pain and inflammation. It occurs when the cartilage that cushions and protects your joints, deteriorates. This results in bones rubbing against each other and the cartilage wearing down.
If you are suffering from this painful condition, a knee brace is a useful support that really helps. It will be your buddy in supporting your knee and patella from instability and knee pain. Not only will it just ease your pain, but it is also a roadway towards recovery.
What is arthritis of the knee?
Knee being the largest joint in the body gets most susceptible to Arthritis. It causes swelling, inflammation and stiffness and can make your knees tender. It is majorly divided into two types:
1. Osteoarthritis
This is the most common form of knee arthritis. It is traditionally considered as the result of some previous injury or trauma that causes the 'wear and tear' of the knee joint. It is also known as post-traumatic arthritis, which over time causes much of the knee joint cartilage to wear away. Osteoarthritis becomes more painful over time.
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis, your own immune system attacks and deteriorates the joint cells. This is a more extensive type of disease that ultimately damages the joints completely. It is often symmetrical, which means affecting both the knees at the same time.
Arthritis is more commonly found in females than in males. In Australia, one in six people is suffering from arthritis. There is a common misconception that arthritis is a disease that affects people in there 50’s and 60’s, but that is actually wrong. One out of every three people that are having arthritis, belong to the age group of 15 to 40 years. So arthritis can touch people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and ages.
What are the symptoms of arthritis of the knee?
The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain, stiffness, and constant – and sometimes extreme - inflammation. When the joints are inflamed, they may also impede your mobility and consequently can cause complete loss of movement.
However, using innovative and high-end devices such as knee support or knee braces greatly help in mitigating the debilitating arthritis pain.
How does a knee brace help with arthritis?
The goal of a knee brace for arthritis sufferers is to provide compression and support to the knee. In doing so it a decreases pain and improves function. A knee brace provides stability, manages the pain and associated swelling while addressing the mechanical issues. Wearing a brace may improve the feeling of confidence too. Braces also allow people to feel more comfortable exercising.
What kind of braces help with arthritis?
There are 3 main types of braces that can support your knees if you suffer from knee arthritis.
Knee sleeve
Although knee braces will not slow the progression of arthritis, they may be used to improve mobility and function in order to engage in an exercise program. If the soft tissue around the knee joint is ‘calm’ it will tolerate exercise in contrary to when it is irritable. That way muscles become stronger, eliminating even the need for a knee brace in the future.
A knee sleeve is a compressive wrap around the knee without hinges. It provides firm compression and gentle support to the soft tissue around the knee joint. The knee sleeve is also available with a knee hole.
Patella knee braces
A patellofemoral brace or patella knee brace is designed to treat kneecap instability or arthritis. This brace is typically smaller and is equipped with pads around the kneecap to deliver local compression to the patellar tendon, relieving pressure on the thigh muscle. This result in reducing pain and prevents lateral sliding out of the joint. A patella knee brace is comfortable to wear and does not restrict any knee movements.
Hinged knee braces
A hinged knee brace is a specialized brace for the treatment of the knee arthritis condition. This type of brace – also known as the unloader brace – is the most effective support for arthritis. A hinged knee brace tries to adjust the weight-bearing force on the knee, shifting it away from the part of the knee with arthritis. It helps in decreasing the pressure on the joints and stabilises weak or inflamed parts of the knee. Furthermore, it protects and allows your knee to move and helps in lowering the pain levels.
Our top picks for knee braces
Elastic Knee support – Vulkan, black for men/ pink for women
The Elastic Knee Support by Vulkan is a knee sleeve that provides relief from injured or inflamed knees. It is made from 4-way stretch Nano Flextra material, which promotes blood circulation. It provides compression to the soft tissues around the knee joint and increase oxygen flow, assisting the healing process.
It has various features, which can significantly contribute to relieving pain. Also, it is extremely suitable for knee instability, ligament strains, and offers a variety of benefits such as:
• Controls and limits swelling by providing warmth to the knee joint
• Easily worn under clothing
• Comfortable on the skin
• Does not cause itching
Patella Knee brace – Push Med
The Patella Knee Brace by Push Med targets the patella tendon, located below the kneecap and applies local pressure. With its anatomical shape, the Patella Knee Brace provides comfortable and adjustable support to the area around the knee.
By supplying pressure to the weakest part of your knee, the patella knee brace will help stabilising the area as much as possible to reduce the risk of injury aggravation. With the straps, you can adjust the compression to your desired pressure and improve your recovery process.
Our patella strap can be worn underneath your clothes allowing you to get the support you need while going about your day.
It is an ideal device for providing effective relief from the effects of patellar tendonitis, or treating adolescent growing pains in the knee.
Hinged Knee brace – Push Sport
The Hinged Knee Brace by Push Sport stabilises the knee by creating compression around the knee. It provides great support and pain relief to the knee joint, without restricting any movement.
The non-axial spring hinges guide the movement of the knee and can be adapted to each user. Not only do they support the ligaments, but they also prevent side movement of the joint thanks to the cleverly designed U-shape pad cushion that surrounds the kneecap. The pad will also help reduce inflammation and pain.
To hold the hinged knee brace in position, once you have pulled it over the knee, tighten the Velcro straps above and below the knee, to create compression around the knee.
There are certain indications that could be taken into consideration for its use such as:
• Joint instability
• Meniscus damage
• Ligament injury
• Osteoarthritis with mild instability
The hinged knee brace consists of many features that can come in handy such as:
• It supports the knee exactly where it is required
• Feels comfortable on the body, soft breathable fabric
• Full knee movement
• Adjustable straps
• Available in different sizes
• Lightweight
Hinged Knee Brace – Push Med
The Hinged Knee Brace by Push Med is a medical-grade support designed to gain back the functionality of your knee after you have been diagnosed with knee arthritis or following a trauma or injury.
It is an award-winning multifunctional brace that provides ultimate media-lateral support for the knee joint. It has non-axial leaf spring hinges which are spring-like structures on both side of the knee directing the knee into proper movement while stabilising it at the same time. The material of which it is made is very comfortable.
The main benefits of this hinged knee brace are:
• Provides firm support and care after ACL or arthritis of the knee
• Stabilises and can restrict movement after knee surgery
• Relieves knee pain
• Skin-friendly and comfortable
• Can be machine washed on a gentle cycle at low temperature
Furthermore, the anatomically contoured brace is easy to use. The medial and lateral stability assist with speedy recovery, reduction in pain, and better mobility! Our hinged knee brace is not only useful for arthritis patients, we would recommend it for many knee-related problems.
Perfect knee brace for ligaments
This quality knee brace is designed to help restore mobility of the knee after an injury or surgery. It is ideal for everyday life and helps you stay active.
The Conwell ROM hinges limit anterior, posterior, lateral and medial movement of the knee, providing great stability to weak and injured knees and improving recovery.
This hinged knee brace can be adjusted for an ultimate fit. The movement of the joint can be controlled through reduction of flexion and extension movements.
How to relief from arthritis?
Conwell's Extendable Knee Brace brings instant relief from chronic or debilitating arthritis pain. The lightweight splint entails better and easier movement without adding weight to your leg.
This makes it a perfect splint for elderly and athletes to help them remain active. The extendable knee brace uses telescoping hinge bars for a perfect custom fit.
Best Osteoarthritis knee brace for bone-on-bone arthritis pain
The Conwell Rom Knee Brace for Osteoarthritis is medically engineered to help unload pressure off the degenerative knee joint.
It is very durable to withstand daily activities, but also offers stability for when your arthritis is flaring up. The ROM prevents overextending and bending your knee, perfect to reduce strain on your knee. Just select the right setting for your needs, without any tools.
Conclusion
Arthritis in the knee is a broad and complex condition. You will not be able to completely get rid of knee pain, but choosing the right knee brace or knee sleeve can greatly help in preventing the damage and easing the pain.
As arthritis may affect everyone differently, everyone needs a tailored treatment. If you have knee arthritis, then say goodbye to pain with the innovative and user-friendly knee braces offered by Push. Try a hinged knee brace and your life will be more mobile.
We hope these options will work for you, but if you haven't found what you are looking for, have a browse for yourself in our knee support for arthritis category.
About Bettercaremarket
Bettercaremarket is your leading supplier of healthcare essentials and your #1 destination for quality incontinence supplies, mobility equipment, independent living aids for seniors, disability aids, rehab and therapy products and medical supplies.
We help NDIS-participants, aged care facilities, home care package providers, occupational therapists and allied health providers find the best solutions to solve their need.
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