Knee Support for Walking, Cycling, and Running

Your knees bear the core responsibility of getting you around, especially if you’re a cyclist and/or a runner. They also bear a lot of weight as they’re consist of many moving elements such as ligaments, muscles, joints and cartilage. All these parts effectively enable maximum mobility and hence work under a lot of pressure daily. Without knee support. joints can be prone to premature damage from injury or wear and tear as you age.

Having knee problems can make it troublesome for you to remain active and go about doing your daily chores.

Protecting your Knees

Despite the fact your knees undergo a full-blown exhaustion, knee pain is avoidable. It all comes to down to taking proper precautions and care of your knees throughout the course of life. If you’re someone in your early 30’s, you can still begin strengthening your joints and keeping your knees and your overall health in good shape.

Cycling provides a decent work out without being too harsh on the bones. It is a fun activity that has health benefits. Cycling builds and strengthens muscles, increases cardio tolerance and intense endurance. It also keeps the joints in good shape. However, just like any activity, moderation is key.

Many athletic cyclists and over-active cyclists can put more stress than necessary on the joints. The challenging activities they’re engaged in can have long term adverse effects. This includes intense training as well. Knee support can help offset repetitive motions causing aching and worn-out knees.

It is reported that running on a regular basis offer a wide range of benefits for you and, no doubt, every runner would attest to feeling fresh and energetic after a good run around the neighborhood. However, it is advised that running should be observed in a proper form. Running can also result in wear and tear of the knees if overdone. Therefore, it is important to support your bone health consistently as you engage in a rigorous routine whether it is related to running, cycling or brisk walking.

Knee Support for the Joint

As a cyclist or a runner if you find your knees aching or feeling sore, you can apply a supportive brace around the knee. Depending on your condition, this may just be a temporary solution. However, many active athletes find relief with supportive braces for minor or less intensive pain. Some injuries aren’t long-term and can be managed with certain braces that offer the needed support for a short time.

Long term injuries that result from an extensive activity (usually consistent cycling or running) may require constant compression and support above and below the knee. For athletes, any kind of bone or muscular pain must be provided relief before it prevents them from being active. Therefore, there are many types of intensive medical and supportive appliances available. Some of them are listed below:

Functional Braces

Functional braces serve as a treatment for ligamentous injuries by providing knee support. These braces work as a useful adjunct to rehabilitation and joint stabilization. They are effective for controlling motion and maintaining stability. By keeping rotational movement in check, they help prevent the knees from worsening. Known for decreasing pain, they also enhance performance.

Rehabilitative Braces

Rehabilitative braces are used to provide relief to patients with a major or minor injury. They are post-surgery devices that keep the knee in shape. Patients with an injury or those who have undergone a surgical procedure tend to benefit from rehabilitative devices with regards to their functional abilities. Rehabilitative braces are also known for reducing knee pain post surgery or injury.

Unloader Braces

Unloader knee braces relieve knee pain from osteoarthritis by providing support and stability. They are especially effective when pain affects only one side of the knee, as the brace shifts the load from the affected side to the other side. Using an unloader brace can offer comfort and pain relief to the point where you can independently move around. It restores mobility without stressing the painful part of the joint.

Prophylactic Braces

Prophylactic braces are meant for actively engaged athletes to protect knees during contact sports. Generally, they’re proactive devices used to prevent knee injuries. They’re useful for athletes taking part in high-risk activities as they lower the risk for sustaining injuries.

Knee Sleeves

Knee sleeves are the most commonly used devices for stabilizing the knee. They’re designed to provide compression and support and to control and minimize pain. The compressions sleeves help direct blood flow to the area of the injury so that the healing process can be boosted.

If you’re experiencing the onset of knee pain due to whichever reason, it is best that you have it examined and then follow up with a knee brace implementation (as per your doctor’s advice). Using a brace to gain support can be a source of considerable relief.

Compression of the joint and the patellar tendon helps treat injuries faster by concentrating the blood to the injured areas. Knee braces also help in relieving pain significantly. Moreover, they inhibit movement in the kneecap region that can result in painful sensations.

However, it is important that you thoroughly understand your knee pain and have an expert identify the source of it. Using the right knee brace is best, as each type is designed for a specific injury and provides targeted pain relief.

Common Knee Problems Experienced by Runners and Cyclists

Fortunately, there are solutions for knee support for pain relief of all types of knee pain for as long as they are properly diagnosed and identified. Some common knee pain problems result from the following conditions:

Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition of swelling and tenderness occurring in one or more joints of the body. It causes progressive joint pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common types of arthritis.

Bursitis

Bursitis is a condition in which the fluid sacs are affected that are meant to cushion the bone structure around the joint area.

Kneecap dislocation

Kneecap dislocation as the name suggests, occurs with a sudden blow or change of direction. It is an injury that takes about six weeks to heal.

Gout

Gout is a progressive form of arthritis that mainly affects the joint of the toe bone. It has painful symptoms.

Cartilage Loss

Osteoarthritis is a common form of cartilage loss. Knee cartilage loss may occur due to several reasons, including ligament tear, weight gain, diabetes and overuse. This causes the joint to brush against the opposing bone, resulting in pain and discomfort.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Osgood-Schlatter disease is a condition in which painful swelling occurs below the joint in the knee around the shinbone area. It is an inflammation of the area that is usually painful.

Meniscus damage

Meniscus damage is a condition in which the meniscus is torn when suddenly twisting while bearing weight on the knee. The condition can be painful and debilitating.

Tendonitis

Tendinitis is a condition in which the tendon suffers from an injury. The tendon connects your kneecap to your shinbone. You’re likely to experience pain and discomfort while moving if you develop tendonitis.

Runner’s knee

Runner’s knee is a term that covers many conditions related to pain around the kneecap. These conditions can range from patellofemoral malalignment to chondromalacia patella to band syndrome. A professional doctor or physiotherapist best determines a runner’s knee.