Anyone tried knee supports for oa

anne49

Hi all

Im just feeling fed up at the moment, Im having physio on my left knee as my ligament got stretched and now my knee is doing its own thing when it wants too. Since having physio I have now got a pulled hamstring in my other leg. I keep asking them if I would be better using a knee support on my left leg to ease the pain, but no one will give me a straight answer. They put elastoplast on my Knee to hold it in place last time I went to physio, but all this seems to have done is make my knee swell.

Sorry about the moan but it is getting me down as no one seems to listen when you tell them about the pain you are in.

hileena111

Sorry...dont really know but sounds a good idea. Can you buy a cheap one and if it doesnt work well.....so what
No doubt the knee people will be along soon
I'm a hippie

Love
Hileena

patriciamary

Hi Anne

I have had problems with my knees, on and off, for over a year. I did see the physio and like you I asked about support. Again like you, she would not confirm or deny that a support would help. After a lot of questioning she did say that supports help some people but they, the physios, dont issue them. I bought one in Boots and it cost just under £20, I only use it when knee is bad. If you dont mind paying £20 for a trial it could help you. I read something that said only wear it when you really need it because the muscles with get weaker if you wear it all the time. My other knee has really been playing up and I intend to buy another support for it. The supports are pretty ugly so I have to wear trousers when Im wearing them but who cares if they help the knee. Let me know how you get on.

Regards
Trisha

penfactor

I've had exactly the same response from physios on supports ever since my schlatters disease was first diagnosed at age 14. It must be in their training not too recommend. I was in such pain, though that did wear & strangely enough found it really helpful in bed at night to stop twisting the knee whilst asleep & keep from waking up screaming!
I would also wear ( before the osteo set in) whilst doing any kind of exercise
love pennie x

tjt6768

You have to be careful not to become too dependant on the supports though, I strapped my knee up for years as it used to give way a lot but my leg muscles pretty much dissapeared, I have not worn any support on it for about a year now, I do use a walking stick if I am going to be walking any distance (that is if the arthritis in my wrists doesn't stop me from being able too use the stick).. :roll:

Also one thing that looks quite silly on me now is my right knee has a much better tan than the left!!!

Tony

hileena111

Hi
Mine is hips and back not knees but the same thing applies I think,
The Osteopath was not at all keen on me using any kind of support...not even a stick for prolonged period because the muscles had to be exercised.

Love
Hileena

speedalong

Hi Anne, splints must be an OT thing I think. My physio was even worried if I wore the dreaded TEDS (post op stockings) for too long that my calf muscles would weaken.

However since they did not say a definitive no, I would think buying some support for the worse days might be a solution.

Hileena - now my physio differs to yours - surprise, surprise!! Both the last one and current one, prefer me to use a crutch when walking as I walk better with it and say that using it will train the brain and muscles to walk correctly ....

Speedy

hileena111

Hi Speedy...like you say surprise surprise.....I think our orthos etc differed on almsot everything
Will be interesting when I eventually see a back specialist and see what he says about things LOL

Love
Hileena

frogmorton

Watching this Speedy and Hileena

Hileena my GP told me to use a stick when my back was bad but post op made me get straight up 12 hours later with NOTHING :shock:

As for the knee support - I would try one and use it when it really helps like maybe driving? or as pennie said in bed if you twist it....ouch!!!!

Love

Toni xx

tjt6768

frogmorton wrote:

Watching this Speedy and Hileena

Hileena my GP told me to use a stick when my back was bad but post op made me get straight up 12 hours later with NOTHING :shock:

As for the knee support - I would try one and use it when it really helps like maybe driving? or as pennie said in bed if you twist it....ouch!!!!

Love

Toni xx

Hi Toni, if you are going to try ome can I suggest one of the neoprene ones, Bo*ts sell them for around £18 I think. Now it says that you can wash them but I found it ruined the ones I had, the velcro stopped sticking. You want the ones with two straps and the hole in the centre for the kneecap. Another quick tip if you do go for this kind is that they can go a bit 'bobbly' so I use a de-fuzzing comb on them, helps with the velcro.


Hope you go on ok, remember, don't get too dependant on them..

Tony

dreamdaisy

I buy neoprene supports from my local chemist - they are just like a sleeve that slides over your knee. I hated the ones with the open patella as that placed pressure on sore points! They were very useful for the times when I knew I was going to be on my feet a great deal, like trips out etc. Mine cost £6.99 per sleeve.

What I completely forgot to say is that I have PA, not OA, and I only used them after extensive surgery to my left knee. DD

tjt6768

dreamdaisy wrote:

I buy neoprene supports from my local chemist - they are just like a sleeve that slides over your knee. I hated the ones with the open patella as that placed pressure on sore points! They were very useful for the times when I knew I was going to be on my feet a great deal, like trips out etc. Mine cost £6.99 per sleeve. DD

I think I found the ones I use better more because of the two straps that you can put as tight or as loose as you want, but glad that the cheaper ones worked well for you, they're not cheap are they?
I used to use crepe bandages too, even better for more control etc, but a real pain every time you want/nedd to take them off etc.

Tony

anne49

dreamdaisy wrote:

I buy neoprene supports from my local chemist - they are just like a sleeve that slides over your knee. I hated the ones with the open patella as that placed pressure on sore points! They were very useful for the times when I knew I was going to be on my feet a great deal, like trips out etc. Mine cost £6.99 per sleeve. DD

Thank you all for your advice, it was much appreciated. I have decided to give the above a try before shelling out on expensive knee supports. I will let you all know how I get on with it. If it is like my lymphoedema sleeve I wear on my arm, then it should not role up under my knee, and give me that bit of a support I feel I need, especially when exercising and doing Tai Chi.

tjt6768

anne49 wrote:

dreamdaisy wrote:

I buy neoprene supports from my local chemist - they are just like a sleeve that slides over your knee. I hated the ones with the open patella as that placed pressure on sore points! They were very useful for the times when I knew I was going to be on my feet a great deal, like trips out etc. Mine cost £6.99 per sleeve. DD

Thank you all for your advice, it was much appreciated. I have decided to give the above a try before shelling out on expensive knee supports. I will let you all know how I get on with it. If it is like my lymphoedema sleeve I wear on my arm, then it should not role up under my knee, and give me that bit of a support I feel I need, especially when exercising and doing Tai Chi.

I really hope it helps anne. Let us know how you go on.

Tony

dreamdaisy

They don't roll up, unlike the tubigrip the hospital gave me - that used to roll into a very tight sausage and was agony! I hope they provide some relief - docs tend not to like people using them - they reckon they lead to lazy muscles, but I have yet to meet a doc that has any from of arthritis. The theory is always so much better than the reality. You are the one living with the pain and discomfort - you do what suits you. I wish you well. DD