Knee caps or knee supports are padded contraptions that you wear around your knees if you are suffering from a knee injury or if you are fresh out of a surgery. But how long do you wear it for? Here is everything you need to know about knee supports from knee injury doctors.
Different Types Of Knee Supports
Here are the different kinds of knee supports that are available which cater to different needs of your knee. This is a good guide if you don’t know where to start or if you are new to the whole knee support bandwagon.
Functional Supports
These knee supports are the most standard ones. They are often worn by athletes and sports people who have been injured years ago and now their injuries have been healed. It is a good precautionary measure to take if you are actively using your injured but healed knee. It gives good support and the padded comfort provides a cushion against any slight impact.
Rehabilitative Supports
As the name suggests, rehabilitative supports are knee supports which you wear right after a surgery when you are in the post-surgical healing phase. These knee supports are more heavy duty and you need to wear them to keep your knee in place while it’s healing. It is mostly worn for a week or two, depending on the healing time of your knee.
Knee Sleeves
These are not knee braces but they can be slid on when you feel slight pain in your knee. It helps to keep the support and balance of your knee and the tightness helps to fight the pain.
Unloader Braces
Unloader braces are worn by people who have bone diseases and if they have a better knee. These braces are used to shift the weight from the bad knee to the good knee. These braces are normally worn by people who suffer from arthritis and osteoporosis. Their bones are already weak and they need some sort of support to help them walk properly.
How Long To Wear A Knee Support?
It Depends On Your Injury
There is no right or wrong time as to tell how long you need to wear knee supports. It usually depends on the person and the injury you are dealing with. Sometimes, people feel better when they wear knee supports for longer so they can do just that. If you are comfortable without knee support, then by all means you can ditch them. If you just got out of surgery, then you have to wear knee supports for about a week or 10 days until your knee fully heals and you can comfortably shift your weight on your knees without feeling pain. If you can’t, then you can still resume wearing knee supports.
Do You Have To Wear It To Sleep?
Again, this depends on the instructions you are given by the doctor. You would want to give your knee a rest during sleep and let it rest without any support for better healing as long as you sleep straight, but if you are just fresh out from a knee surgery or injury, your doctor will advise you to wear the knee support until your knee gets better. So, you have to listen to your body and see if you can deal with the pain or not. If you can’t, then you should keep wearing the supports even during sleep.
How To Take Care Of Your Knee Support?
The knee supports or braces can get dirty with everyday use. You need to clean them regularly with a mixture of soap and water. This will keep the braces clean as well as keep you away from any lingering infections. You also need to cover the metal part of the brace so that it does not injure you or anyone else. It also keeps you from scratching fragile things like wood, fabric, leather and other soft surfaces.
There you have it! Now you know everything there is to know about knee supports, the proper way to wear them and for how long you need to wear them. If you experience any problem in walking, go to a knee specialist McLean for a complete checkup.
