We believe that the most common causes of Patello-femoral pain are age, injury, and trauma, whereas nobody pays attention to faulty foot biomechanics. This surprisingly plays an important role in causing this pain as most health practitioners are of the opinion that our manner of walking, and the position of our feet and ankles affect our legs, knees, and hips and even lower back up to a large extent.
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Studies suggest that close to 70% of the population has a condition called over-pronation. This means that their ankles tend to roll inwards and that the arch is low when the foot lands on the ground while we are walking. Experts say that this over-pronation affects our feet and also causes our lower legs to rotate.
Our knees are not meant to rotate but to form a link between our upper and lower leg. They function as a hinge joint that is designed to flex and extend forward our lower leg. However, in many cases when our foot rolls inwards, it is called over-pronation and it forces our lower leg to rotate, which places abnormal stress on our knee joints. This results in deterioration of the knee function.
This inevitably leads to abnormal wear and tear of the knee cartilage resulting in long-term damage and sharp chronic pain. Most physiotherapists in the US have now started to include feet assessment in knee diagnosis as more and more cases of people suffering from over-pronation are coming up.
The staff here at Footlogics have a comprehensive understanding of the biomechanics of the foot, and the role it plays in causing knee pain. We use this information to develop and refine orthotics for knee pain that are proven and effective.
Osteoarthritis in your knees can bring your activity to a grinding halt. The cartilage tissue that lets your knee joints glide smoothly gets thinner and rougher over time with knee arthritis.
These changes to your joints cause pain and feelings of instability. You may find that a knee brace for osteoarthritis helps you keep moving, from playing the sports you love to going on a hike.
“The time to wear a knee brace is when you’re doing activities that typically would make your knee hurt,” says David C. Thut, MD, a Mass General Brigham orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist who cares for patients at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. You shouldn’t wear a knee brace when sitting still or sleeping.
He also notes that you don’t have to wear a brace just because you have knee arthritis. You should only wear one if it decreases pain with activity and helps you move better.
While braces don’t keep knee arthritis from worsening, they can help reduce osteoarthritis knee pain. “You may find that braces are very comfortable for you,” says Dr. Thut, “or you may find that they don’t help a whole lot.”
You have to take some time to figure out which knee brace for osteoarthritis, if any, works for you. Your health care provider can help you understand which type best fits your needs if you have a knee injury or other knee condition.
In general, braces provide knee support for osteoarthritis and can reduce knee pain. Each type of knee brace for osteoarthritis works in different ways. Braces may apply compression (pressure) to your soft tissues, stabilize your knee, or redistribute your weight.
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A compression sleeve is a stretchy brace that fits snugly over your knee. The brace hugs the area around your knee to help reduce swelling and increase comfort. It can also help you feel more stable by improving your awareness of your knee’s location in space (proprioception).
Some compression sleeves have a hole in the front. “Those can be helpful if you have more arthritis in the kneecap joint (the front of your knee),” explains Dr. Thut. “They help line up the kneecap in the groove it’s supposed to sit in.”
Some compression sleeves also have adjustable straps. This feature allows you to customize the tension and fit, and help the brace to stay up. The right fit provides compression without feeling too tight or causing swelling below your knee.
A hinged knee brace is similar to a compression sleeve, but also has a short hinge on one or both sides. The hinge, which may be rubber or metal, moves with the bending and straightening of your knee.
“Hinged braces give some compression and help with proprioception, but they also lend a little side-to-side stability,” says Dr. Thut. “They can help you feel steadier and help decrease osteoarthritis knee pain.”
An unloader knee brace is a longer and more rigid hinged brace. It’s a custom or semi-custom knee brace from a specialist called an orthotist. You might find standard unloader braces online. However, Dr. Thut says a customized fit, tension, and hinge settings ensure the brace works correctly for your knee.
“Unloader braces are mostly for people who have arthritis on the medial (inner) side of the knee,” says Dr. Thut. “When you have medial arthritis, the brace helps force more of your weight to be born through the lateral (outer) side of the knee and less through the worn-out, medial side.” An unloader brace may also help with osteoarthritis on the outer side of your knee.
Dr. Thut recommends this type of knee support for severe pain on the inner side of your knee (the medial knee). He highlights that unloader knee braces have the most research and rationale supporting their use.
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best knee brace for osteoarthritis depends on your individual diagnosis and body type.
You can easily (and somewhat affordably) find compression knee braces at drugstores, pharmacies, and online. If you’re considering a more expensive, complex brace, Dr. Thut recommends talking with your health care provider first.
The right brace will relieve osteoarthritis knee pain during activity and not slide down with movement. It also won’t irritate your skin or cause swelling below your knee.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of sach foot uses. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.