Braces are generally used to treat and prevent injury by providing enhanced stability to joints. They are generally made of synthetic materials and utilise Velcro straps, elastic, or stronger/thicker materials to both customise the fit or enhance the amount or stability given.
Indications for Bracing:
- Fractures of the leg and foot
- Wrist sprains or overuse injuries
- Chronic ankle sprains
- ACL sprain or rupture of the knee – pre- and post-operatively
- MCL sprains of the knee
- SIJ instability
- Scoliosis
Advantages of Bracing:
- Alleviate pain by reducing the amount of stress on injured structures
- Limiting the movement available at a joint can allow healing to occur at a faster rate
- Cost effective
- Good availability
- Relatively easy to don/doff
- Provides reasonable stability during both rehabilitation and return to sport/work – this can make both these processes faster and more pain free
Disadvantages of Bracing:
- Braces do not replace a sound rehabilitation program set by your physiotherapist or exercise physiologist
- Aesthetically unappealing
- They do not replace muscle strength or synergy, nor the stability offered to joints by our own anatomical structures
- Wearing a brace too long can indeed make us over reliant on the synthetic structural support it gives us
- Wearing a brace too long can, in some cases, result in muscle atrophy, loss of proprioception and incorrect activation pattern of muscles both before and during movement
- By wearing a brace and decreasing the load on the injured area, you may indeed increase the load on another area of the body
To ensure that your injury, ache, or pain is managed in the best way possible, it is advised you seek an appointment with your physiotherapist. They will be able to assess whether you need a brace or not for you.