Ive been having some knee issues of late and wondering what others are doing around braces or similar.
Mark Shinn has had a knee problem from long ago when he was doing gymnastics. He usually figures things out pretty good and in detail.
Got myself one of those donjoy knee braces with the hinge thingies. Called the playmaker. Or something like that, brilliant.
Can get it from the US for 120 to 150 after postage pay 400 plus here. Go figure!!
My understanding was the braces are for preventing ACL injuries-and helping with rehab, they can't make the pain go away from a dodgy joint.
I started riding strapless S.B for about a month exclusively because of the pain and now when I go back to the tt the pain is gone (I suspect a combination of healing, rest from big impacts, and strengthening of the joint in its desired orientation all played their parts) now I have an ankle issue :/ lol
I heard they were a Placebo, that in fact they do nothing at all to prevent injury
My right knee is buggered. I've torn every ligament in it at one time or another. Luckily little no pain.
My CTI Knee brace was ok initally when I got back into things but now i find it restricts me too much (cant bend the knee past 90deg) and it slips down all the time.
I cant find a good soruce of Braces in Perth. I'd like a donjoy which some mates have in europe as long as they let me flex more.
Its really hard to shop for a brace online and i'm prepared to spend the money if a brace fits and doesnt eat holes in me every time I use it.
Anyone got any good leads?
Got mine off eBay international. Some ship to Australia some don't. Trust me you don't want to pay local prices looking at 3.5 to 4 times as much.
The playmaker is designed for those that need to be active when using it. Infact I don't us mine at the moment helped me get my knee right again and still kite!
Select to expand quoteSeabreezeb said..
I heard they were a Placebo, that in fact they do nothing at all to prevent injury
I think knee braces have not been scientifically proven to reduce risk/prevent injuries.
Doctors don't agree on this though... What they agree on is that braces don't have significant disadvantages.
So if you BELIEVE it helps...why not 
Well it helped me stabilise my knee during recovery and I felt on numerous occasions stopping my leg/knee from over extending. Also kind of reminded you there was an issue there and to slow down. Maybe it does a bit of both. Strapping is always the superior method though but who can be fagged strapping up every time you want to go out!
I have also found that if I wear one during the day it speeds up the recovery then if I don't. Anecdotal and non scientific but that's what I have found. Some support surely is better than none.
i come from racing motocross and the knee braces they bring out for that can be used for other things, they are light weight and can stand a fair bit of abuse and aren't to bulky, I know of people that have used them just as a brace for on a building site so I don't see why they couldn't be used for kiting long as they were rinsed off after salt water
cheap option for some support, chop 300mm off your old wetsuit arm or leg depending on knee thigh size, personally i find getting on the mountain bike and ski squats are the go, also www.kiteboardingexercises.com is great for pre injury prevention, and post injury exercises, designed by dr sarah ellis whos a ripper kiter with videos great little site
Ordered this one and have used it for kite, surf and snowboarding, may not be as good as the cti etc, but works great, made of neoprene so its like a extra wetty layer
whiteleyallcare.com.au/sportstek_home.php
Has metal hinges to stop lateral motion and damage to cartlidge. Plus helps with hyper extension.
Has lastest for 3 years and still going strong.
Cheers.
Select to expand quoteSeabreezeb said..
I heard they were a Placebo, that in fact they do nothing at all to prevent injury
Ask the motocross boys... pretty sure they work by taking the load off the joint and spreading it along the legs. Those are big, metal framed jobbies though - the little velcro things look like a waste of time to me too 
Steve - Kitepower Sydney advocated Donjoy a few years back - I bought one (should have done an Eppo - re-internet but time was short) used it until knee strengthened up and meniscus fixed / stabilised - excellent - certainly not a placebo - you are provided with a number of keys which are designed to limit movement - so you customise it for your needs - which can change as you heal. Used this to my advantage on a ski trip - not fit enough (knee trouble!!) so locked the movement to take some of the load off my muscles - worked a charm..
Basic lesson is get a good one which is flexible enough to go over / under what you are wearing - i.e. over a wettie if required.
One exception I found I did not like running jogging in Donjoy - irritating - but doable - I don't play team sport so can't comment on that.
Health fund rebate too.
Cheers
AP
Agreed the velcro small ones arent worth nothing.
But the donjoy I'm talking about starts well above the knee into the quad region and goes down well below the knee, with articulated strips that run alongside each knee. Very supportive. You heard wrong from where I'm standing. And at least I am!
Select to expand quoteBertie said..
My right knee is buggered. I've torn every ligament in it at one time or another. Luckily little no pain.
My CTI Knee brace was ok initally when I got back into things but now i find it restricts me too much (cant bend the knee past 90deg) and it slips down all the time.
I cant find a good soruce of Braces in Perth. I'd like a donjoy which some mates have in europe as long as they let me flex more.
Its really hard to shop for a brace online and i'm prepared to spend the money if a brace fits and doesnt eat holes in me every time I use it.
Anyone got any good leads?
I have done the same but to my left knee with still more to go. Just starting to look into braces, and CTI was what am looking at ,for the slippage they have a neoprene sleave that goes under it. But wanting to know if anyone has tried out both CTI and Donjoy as Mark Shinn uses
Yeh the one mark uses would provide even more support than mine, that's serious stuff.
Damn he's a good rider!!
There must be several post from me on these things??
Anyway, I'm not busy and I have used both and still use them. I've got a custom CTi2 and after lots of back to back testing I've gone back to using this brace, for now.
I think they are both very similar, but the Donjoy I have is the Armor model www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/armor and its proven to be not quite as well suited to use in salt water as the CTi.
My Donjoy has a fair amount of rust on the buckles that hold the velcro straps. Otherwise is is in good order after more than a years use.
My first CTi lasted 3+ years, a long time IMO as I used it quite a lot, I called the distributor about a third set of replacement straps and in the conversation I mentioned that parts of the surface finish original brace had cracked. The importer asked me to send it back as it sounded like "delamination" and this was covered by warranty. In the meantime I purchased a Donjoy. Around 5 weeks later I was sent a brand new CTi brace, which I was very stoked about!!
I travel with the Ci because it is carbon, lighter and nicer to wear for longer periods of time. I think the Donjoy design is stronger and provides more support and if I spent more time customising its shape it would be equally comfortable. I've noticed now that Donjoy have a more advanced model and they offer it in a custom option.
I needed a custom due to the original injury and the way that it has changed the shape of my leg beyond what an off the shelf brace will adjust for.
Gall Bros medical is the importer and distributor of CTi in Australia gallbrosmedical.com.au/
Donjoy seem to work through independent distributors in Australia, who I imagine make a healthy commission or markup on each brace they sell. The person that sold me mine was a qualified physiotherapist, that visited me, and later delivered the brace and made sure I knew how to fit it properly, I was very happy with their service.
I've been warned about wearing the braces for long periods of time due to tightness of the straps and the risk of thrombosis/clots, but have never had an issue with this.
My CTI makes me bleed evertime i use it without wearing a wetsit under it.
It slips around a pisses me off because as it slides down it messes with your knees bend geometry and makes my knee hurt.
Steve what bend angles can you get? with mine I cant bend my knee past 90deg.
I do like both of the braces and I wish I could combine the best of both, the carbon fibre construction and hinge of the CTi with the structure and more secure fastening of the Donjoy.
I was measured for the CTi by by a physiotherapist thatwas working at a wakeboard show here in Sydney back in 2006. The Donjoy rep that measured and delivered my brace was Jenny Hopper 0408 672 292
@ Bertie
My Cti does not move around much, and has never slipped down like yours seems to do, I can bend my knee a bit more than 90 degrees but it does restrict mobility a bit, I'm happy to be able to keep riding. Without a brace my knee swells and gets very sore and angry after even 90mins on the water on a TT in botany bay chop.
I can ride strapless no worries without a brace though for much longer without the inflammation afterwards and also on directional low wind boards like my sector one design.
Steve,
I only kite strappless on the surfboard these days but will need to ride the old TT a little soon while teaching the GF kiting.
Maybe I should go back to the physio/prosthetics dude who measured me up in the first place for a refurb. he didnt seem to have much of a range unfortunately and nobody in Perth stocks Donjoy.
I really want it for my windsurfing tbh, but I find it too restrictive while wave riding.
My last knee issue was going over the falls of a 3m+ wave with only my front foot stuck in the strap. Was on crutches for 3 weeks and in a knee brace for a futher 8 weeks (did ankle and MCL).
I guess i want a knee brace that doesnt feel like i'm wearing a knee brace.
Doubt thats possible mate, if its going to be any good I think it needs to feel fairly restrictive. If yours is slipping around sounds like it is not fitting you well, or maybe you are not fitting it well? There is a particular order to doing up the straps, makes a big difference?
The straps slip during the session. New straps dont seem to help. they turn to rubbish after a few sessions!
I emailed gall bros. maybe they have some ideas.
My donjoy is as tight as a nuns nasty when I put it on. Sounds like it is not the right fit, as Steve said. Doesn't even need straps but it has 4!
Select to expand quoteeppo said..
My donjoy is as tight as a nuns nasty when I put it on. Sounds like it is not the right fit, as Steve said. Doesn't even need straps but it has 4!
hey there, is your brace the donjoy defiance 111 custom, it seems they have combined the two like kitepower was hoping for , both are carbon . but expensive at 1300 but will put up 1000 to an op if you damage your acl further while wearing it. Gives me a bit more of a pull over the cti. Just having a bit of trouble deciding between the two. if anyone can push towards one or the other, would be interested in the info thanks
Select to expand quoteSurfing Dolphins said..eppo said..
My donjoy is as tight as a nuns nasty when I put it on. Sounds like it is not the right fit, as Steve said. Doesn't even need straps but it has 4!
hey there, is your brace the donjoy defiance 111 custom, it seems they have combined the two like kitepower was hoping for , both are carbon . but expensive at 1300 but will put up 1000 to an op if you damage your acl further while wearing it. Gives me a bit more of a pull over the cti. Just having a bit of trouble deciding between the two. if anyone can push towards one or the other, would be interested in the info thanks
Just had a good read through the Donjoy DefianceIII brace pages, I would actually order this brace as my next one for sure. I'll probably sell the Armor I have as its a stock model and will fit anyone similar to my size and weight. What I really like about the Donjoy design is the shape of the frame and the extra support and security it gives over the Cti which really sits on one side of your leg and is only held in place with velcro straps. When I wear the Donjoy Armor, its not as comfortable, due to it not being custom fitted to my old misshapen leg, and the Cti was custom made.
If you only ride strapless I don't think they are always necessary.
