johnlt Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 This is an interesting article on the use of knee braces in off-road riding. Seems to be a credible study by well credentialed investigators. It was posted on ”ThumperTalk”. FYI, link Link to comment
outpost22 Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 A lot of guys I know have worn knee braces off road racing dating back to the '80's. Part of it is the fact that off road racing boots are usually quite heavy and your feet have a habit of catching on some nasty things. (Side note on boot toughness: Once the tip of my left foot caught a rock and pulled my toes straight down under the foot peg while the rest of my foot remained on the peg. Can you say "broken foot?" The next 50 miles were quite painful, but I only lost 2 minutes in that qualifier. The boot was undamaged.) Consequently a lot of the deflections from your boots are caught with your knee ligaments, resulting in, well, knee damage. The knee braces help, but when it all goes to H*ll in a hand basket, the next thing that will break is your shin, femur or hip. I personally never wore one and manged to survive without it. I think there are too many variables (like the study said) to draw a conclusion. Link to comment
doc47 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Yo, John! Thanks for posting this article. Knee braces have been used in football for many years. Seems logical that they would be useful in any impact sport but, as with any good research they append, "more research is needed...." Then again, who wants to recommend him/herself out of a job? Link to comment
Richard_D Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I have two CTI knee braces . I think they're the most popular for professional motocross racers. They work great. Insurance paid for both of mine. Link to comment
CoarsegoldKid Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 It makes riders faster. Really! The more stuff you wear the more invincable you feel. Confidence adds speed. I should read the research before engaging my hand on keyboard. I'm not an orthopedic surgeon. I'm a Board Certified Orthotist. In other words I have made and fit many braces for all manner of orthopedic deficit. What does a knee brace do? It can add support and alignment to the knee joint in the medial/lateral as well as anterior/posterior plane. Mechanical joints can approximate the anatomical in the AP plane. They can be locked in or accommodate degrees of motion in the AP plane. If the knee is unstable in the M/L plane it can re-align it with a force to reduce unwanted progression. Why would a motorcyclists need one? Mostly for the same reason he needs one to walk. If he or she walks without pain or weakness at the knee I see no benefit in wearing it other than to maintain proper alignment in the case of a fall. Falling can induce forces above and below the brace as Outpost22 mentioned. So the ankle and hip joints as well as the femur and tib/fib bones are now doing more structural duty than for which they are designed. Don't fall. Link to comment
MAT2CHI Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I've been using Asterisk knee braces for five years and would feel unprotected on my dirt bike without them. After my knee operation my doctor told me my dirt bike days were over so instead of quitting, I bought a pair of these. I have crash tested them a few times and I really feel they have saved my knees from injury. Below is a photo of how the look. Link to comment
cris nitro Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I've been using Asterisk knee braces for five years and would feel unprotected on my dirt bike without them. After my knee operation my doctor told me my dirt bike days were over so instead of quitting, I bought a pair of these. I have crash tested them a few times and I really feel they have saved my knees from injury. Below is a photo of how the look. +1 Link to comment
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