Squash and basketball players, runners and other athletes often wear sports knee braces during workouts and competitions. Sometimes the sports knee braces are worn after injury or surgery to limit and control movement at the knee and protect the knee from further damage; on other occasions, the sports knee braces may simply assist or provide stability for unsteady knees. Lots of athletes with knee troubles report that running feels easier and more sustainable when they are wearing a brace

However, it's not clear to what extent sports knee braces actually affect performance. Because they tend to limit and control movement at the knee, can they slow athletes down significantly?

Unfortunately, scientific research concerning the effects of sports knee braces has been rather slim. One study determined that when the quadriceps muscles of one leg were considerably weaker than the quads of the other leg, wearing a brace on the knee of the weaker leg improved running velocity considerably. Another investigation carried out with injured athletes showed that as long as the quads in each leg were about equally strong, wearing a sports knee brace had no impact on performance

However, some studies have found that athletes wearing sports knee braces perform more poorly during demanding exertions. Additional research has linked knee braces with higher lactate levels during exercise, suggesting that braces may interfere with blood flow to the leg muscles. Another study determined that heart rate and oxygen consumption were higher when athletes wore braces while running on a treadmill, indicating that sports knee braces actually increased the energy 'cost' of exercise

Owen Anderson

Sports Knee Braces


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