ACL knee brace for road riding...any suggestions?

Quoted message said:

My doctor recently told me that I have a streched/strained
ACL...rollerblading accident 10 years ago. Ever since then, I haven't
been able to pull up on my cranks when I ride and can only push, so I
only have about half power on a full stroke. Anyway, I was looking into
buying an ACL knee brace and noticed the Donjoy and Innovation Sports
brands. Found some interesting reviews based on skiers and MTB'rs but
nothing from road riders.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm not too keen on the $800 custom ones,
so I'm looking at the off-the-shelf types...which still go for
$350-550.

Thanks,
Tom

imho:

Having a chop-meat knee (joint manged in a tumor removal during youth)
I too have some problems. I did notice when I was using pedal straps
a while back, I road smoother. Since I don't like "straps" I've been
fence riding about getting clipless shoes and pedals.

Now back to yoru question, I usually do well with a neoprene brace to
keep the peaces all together when riding. A little vitamin I and I'm
ok. I might need to look into better braces as I get old, so I'll be
watching this thread.

Good luck,

tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

Quoted message said:

My doctor recently told me that I have a streched/strained
ACL...rollerblading accident 10 years ago. Ever since then, I haven't
been able to pull up on my cranks when I ride and can only push, so I
only have about half power on a full stroke. Anyway, I was looking into
buying an ACL knee brace and noticed the Donjoy and Innovation Sports
brands. Found some interesting reviews based on skiers and MTB'rs but
nothing from road riders.

Thanks,
Tom

I don't know what you think the brace would do for you. I tore half my ACL
playing soccer and was fitted with a Donjoy brace. Its purpose is to keep
your knee from flexing sideways. Cycling moves your knee up and down with no
sideways forces being applied. Although I did use it while playing soccer, I
haven't used it one day for cycling. I am not even sure the ACL is part of
the pulling up effort. Did your doctor actually tell you that?

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Pat in TX said:

Quoted message said:

My doctor recently told me that I have a streched/strained
ACL...rollerblading accident 10 years ago. Ever since then, I haven't
been able to pull up on my cranks when I ride and can only push, so I
only have about half power on a full stroke. Anyway, I was looking into
buying an ACL knee brace and noticed the Donjoy and Innovation Sports
brands. Found some interesting reviews based on skiers and MTB'rs but
nothing from road riders.

Thanks,
Tom

I don't know what you think the brace would do for you. I tore half my ACL
playing soccer and was fitted with a Donjoy brace. Its purpose is to keep
your knee from flexing sideways. Cycling moves your knee up and down with no
sideways forces being applied.

Maybe it can be more complicated than that, if pronation or
supination effects are involved.

And perhaps just getting a leg over a bike while mounting
or dismounting might entail some contorsions at the
knee joint?

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom The Great said:

Having a chop-meat knee (joint manged in a tumor removal during youth)
I too have some problems. I did notice when I was using pedal straps
a while back, I road smoother. Since I don't like "straps" I've been
fence riding about getting clipless shoes and pedals.

One difference is that you have to twist your foot outward with reasonable
force to get it out of a clipless pedal. Would that hurt your knee?

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

Actually, the Doc told me, based on pushing, pulling, twisting and
proding, that he thought it was my ACL. The Doc, in my opinion, did a
pretty good job of looking at everything. I think I can trust him.
I twisted my knee badly while rollerblading. My only problem in cycling
is pulling up on my cranks. I try not to, but every now and then, when
going up a hill I find myself doing it.

The brace would also be for other sports also. I can push off with my
left leg, but not my right. I can jump with my left, but not my right.
I'm running Speedplay pedals and they seem to do a good job.

If anyone can recommend a good brace, for stuff like basketball,
baseball, etc, I would appreciate it. I thought the same brace might
help in cycling too. My Doc said to get a good one....meaning +$400
type, otherwise, he said, they won't help. I have a little less than 1
centimeter of play in my right knee...if I remember it right.

I'm looking at Donjoy, Innovation Sports, etc...

Thanks,
Tom

Have you talked to a physical therapist? IIRC, most are not big fans of knee
braces if they think support can be achieved by building the surrounding
muscles.

I know it would be a big jump, but you might try a recumbernt. That sure
cured my knee pane, I think only because you can't stand on the pedels.
Also recumbent incourage and reward stinning instead of pushing to hard.
[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My doctor recently told me that I have a streched/strained
ACL...rollerblading accident 10 years ago. Ever since then, I haven't
been able to pull up on my cranks when I ride and can only push, so I
only have about half power on a full stroke. Anyway, I was looking into
buying an ACL knee brace and noticed the Donjoy and Innovation Sports
brands. Found some interesting reviews based on skiers and MTB'rs but
nothing from road riders.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm not too keen on the $800 custom ones,
so I'm looking at the off-the-shelf types...which still go for
$350-550.

Thanks,
Tom

Quoted message said:

My doctor recently told me that I have a streched/strained
ACL...rollerblading accident 10 years ago. Ever since then, I haven't
been able to pull up on my cranks when I ride and can only push, so I
only have about half power on a full stroke. Anyway, I was looking
into buying an ACL knee brace and noticed the Donjoy and Innovation
Sports brands. Found some interesting reviews based on skiers and
MTB'rs but nothing from road riders.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm not too keen on the $800 custom ones,
so I'm looking at the off-the-shelf types...which still go for
$350-550.

Most of the replies expired, so sorry if this was already suggested.

Have you tried one of those "Cho-Pat" straps? I'd sure experiment with that
and/or some "pedestrian" knee braces before shelling out hundreds of
dollars.

Also, of course, if you have health insurance, why not get it repaired once
and for all? Depending where you live, it's going to be wintertime anyway
soon; spend it rehabbing?

Bill "right knee on ice as we type; just started bugging me this week" S.

Hi,
I know this is an old thread, but I have exactly the same problem. I twisted my knee at home this year a few months back ever since then, cycling has been a nightmare for me. Initially we didn't know what the problem was, all I know was that my knee swelled up after cycling. It was later pointed out that I had a positive anterior draw, i.e loose tibia, which was indicating that the ACL was torn or partially torn. After waiting for months to see what it was, kept up with cycling, strapped my knee every time I went out, I noticed I was managing longer and longer rides, however knee was constantly swollen, not as much as initially but it still was. So even though I was able to do longer distances with little pain it was still affecting the muscles around the joint. I was also doing intense physio to strengthen my knee. Ended up seeing an Orthopedic surgeon, got an MRI and it was inconclusive, so a knee arthroscopy was done.

I'm am now nearly 3 weeks post op and hoping to get back to cycling soon. However the arthroscopy identified that my acl is fine, intact but lax. So it's not doing it's freaking job and my tibia is going to start wobbling back and forth on the bike again. I did have an osteochondral injury grade I and II that was fixed during the arthroscopy so at least something was done other than look at my acl.

I can either put up with it and work really hard at getting the knee strong and live with whatever consequences it may bring or get a full acl reconstruction. I'm terrified of possible results from either. More damage and arthritis due to the instability of the knee and what if the acl reconstruction doesn't work? after going through 6 months to a year of recovery?

So in the mean time I have been looking for an acl brace or any brace that would stop my tibia from moving back and forth on the bike. It is definitely the pulling up on the pedal that causes the knee to become more unstable. It's also not possible to change pedalling technique and end up with huge quads and not being able to do long distance as using your quads all the time limits the distance you can do. So I am wondering has anyone else have something similar or came across a brace that would suit this type of knee problem and most importantly is suitable for cycling as most braces out there are not.

I don't do any other sport apart from cycling, so this is killing me.

I would love to hear from others in similar situation or have used an effective cycling brace.

Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by glitzygirl [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

So in the mean time I have been looking for an acl brace or any brace that would stop my tibia from moving back and forth on the bike. It is definitely the pulling up on the pedal that causes the knee to become more unstable. It's also not possible to change pedalling technique and end up with huge quads and not being able to do long distance as using your quads all the time limits the distance you can do. So I am wondering has anyone else have something similar or came across a brace that would suit this type of knee problem and most importantly is suitable for cycling as most braces out there are not.

Not sure why you think you have to pull up on the pedals to ride long distances. No rider I know consciously pulls up on the pedals, and many seem to ride mountain centuries just fine. The best climbers don't have huge quads, in fact, just the opposite. Cycling is an aerobic sport after all, like long distance running.

If you think of cycling as a quad-building exercise, perhaps your cadence is way too low, which can be a killer on the knees. Spinning in smaller gears, at a cadence of say 90-110 rpm puts less force on the knees than mashing the big ring gears at 65-75 rpm.

Suggest you find a sports med doctor or trainer who knows cycling and work with him. Perhaps with proper cycling technique and coaching your knee could recover without need for surgery.

I actually do have an average of 100rpm, I don't do lower gears unless I can keep up the rpm, and don't mash the pedals. I do have a trainer and worked really hard on the pedaling technique. I live and cycle in a really hilly area, so I think that doesn't help matters either.
Thanks for the advice.

So you are only a few weeks post op and haven't been on the bike yet? You don't know how your knee will respond. I suspect whatever swelling you were experiencing was due to the cartilage damage and not a lax ACL. Were you experiencing a "giving out" sensation while riding?

A properly set up bicycle should put very low stress on the ACL. In general, cycling is a low joint stress exercise which is why it is ideal for rehabilitation. A quick googling found this abstract:

ajs.sagepub.com109.shortOpen ↗

Other papers have suggested that the stress levels are low enough for the musculature to compensate. Cycling puts far less stress on the ACL than weight bearing activities.

There are conflicting studies about the effectiveness of functional braces. The largest benefit seems to be psychological, from the feeling of having the brace there.

This means that a lax or deficient ACL may not be an issue while bicycling. I suggest that you follow through with the current therapy and rehab before deciding that you need to use a brace or have additional surgeries.

I have a recently reconstructed ACL... when mine was tore, I could ride a bike with no issues going up or down leg stroke ( to a point) I also had a huge meniscus tear that would not let my knee go straight..

I was on the bike (exercise bike) from week 1 post up with no resistance .. which was the only time I could not make and upstroke due to still having scar tissue and all. I'm almost tempted to say you have a meniscus issue more then a ACL issue that is causing your problem.

I have Donjoy carbon fiber braces (just in case I snowboard this year) for both knees and their neoprene ones as well... I'd would not spend that kind of dough on braces without being sure. the ACL is typically a lateral movement issue.

Hi,
I actually had arthroscopy 3 weeks ago exactly, to find out what was going on with my knee. The ACL is intact but it's lax. My joint is lax in an anterior direction not lateral or medial. I wouldn't mind the laxity if it didn't cause pain or swelling.

They checked everything during surgery, Meniscus was intact. I did have cartilage damage - osteochondral injury grade I and II he called it. That was fixed.

I don't have the problem when my bike is on the turbo, it's when I'm actually on the road. Where I live is not flat, so it's not an easy going type of cycling that I'd do. It took me a long time to be able to tackle the terrain here and there are areas I wouldn't even go because the hills get into grade 4, 3 and 2, and I mean one after another. So I think that the hilly terrain is to blame as well.

I had my physio appointment (post op type) this morning and I went over with her everything that has been going on and asked for her professional opinion. She is going to look into braces for me and I might even need a custom made one to tackle just the anterior translation that I have. However she said to me, that I should consider getting the ACL reconstruction done, because a lax acl that affects me the way it has done is no use to me.

I'm going to wait and see what she suggests in terms of brace and I will report here just in case someone else finds themselves in the same situation. If that doesn't work, looks like a reconstruction will be in order. It's the ONE surgery I wanted to avoid due to it's long recovery. It was hard enough with the arthroscopy I got, I have a young child and a Husband that works mainly evenings and weekends, leaving me with little or no support. I'm self employed as well, so yep it's would be difficult to say the least.

All of this because I twisted my knee at home in the most stupid way possible....if I only had a time machine LOL.

Quote: Originally Posted by maydog [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]
So you are only a few weeks post op and haven't been on the bike yet? You don't know how your knee will respond. I suspect whatever swelling you were experiencing was due to the cartilage damage and not a lax ACL. Were you experiencing a "giving out" sensation while riding?

A properly set up bicycle should put very low stress on the ACL. In general, cycling is a low joint stress exercise which is why it is ideal for rehabilitation. A quick googling found this abstract:

ajs.sagepub.com109.shortOpen ↗

Other papers have suggested that the stress levels are low enough for the musculature to compensate. Cycling puts far less stress on the ACL than weight bearing activities.

There are conflicting studies about the effectiveness of functional braces. The largest benefit seems to be psychological, from the feeling of having the brace there.

This means that a lax or deficient ACL may not be an issue while bicycling. I suggest that you follow through with the current therapy and rehab before deciding that you need to use a brace or have additional surgeries.

Hi Maydog,
I agree with all you've said above. I am apparently a rare case but according to my surgeon, I was the third person with this type of problem this month. My anterior translation is severe. My physio said he had never seen anything like it, that he felt as if I had no ACL whatsoever. I can feel the bone slipping in and out when I walk and after my op this feeling returned as of yesterday. I did a lot of physio before my arthroscopy and I was still cycling, all taped up with kinesio tape and it was helping up to a point, but the knee was still swollen and because I cycled 3-4 times a week, it was constantly swollen as it didn't get a chance to go down. If I stopped cycling as I did a few times to give the knee a rest, the swelling would go down.

I have been on the bike again but not on the road, turbo for physio purposes. My problem only arises on the road and in long distances which is the type of cycling I do with my local cycling club.
I have been told that maybe switching over to TT or shorter spins, but it's not my thing and I don't have TT clubs near by either. My long spins were sportives in the summer and Sunday's with the club - every Sunday throughout the year. I didn't manage hardly any sportives because of the knee this summer.

I am going to give physio a another good go and see if a brace is found for me to stop the anterior translation, because it will end up causing more damage. If that doesn't work, then I will probably get the surgery done.

I have had a proper fit on the bike, always had, the software type, where they measure all angles, etc. I even changed pedals at one stage (way before the problem) and got the fit done again to ensure everything was right. After I injured my knee and it started affecting me on the bike, I got the fitting checked yet again. It's the one thing I ruled out first.

I never had any problems prior to twisting my knee at all and everything started since then.

I imagine that riding with a brace would be unpleasant. After surgery in 95, I was instructed to wear a prescribed Lenox Hill deroration brace. The experience was not good - it was heavy and I would injure myself and others with it. I shelved it before a year was through. That brace was a dinosaur even at that time - I assume that newer braces are more comfortable and lighter. Still, I imagine that the brace will come into contact with the top tube, tend to irritate the skin, want to slip out of place and come undone while riding.

ACL surgery is a big deal, but the recovery is not that bad. I had a patellar autograft, most of the pain of recovery was due to the donor site and initial injury. I was back into bicycling after a month and full contact competitive sports after 3 months. I had a lot of lingering pain for several years but I think that was due to my bone bruise more than the ACL.

From a clinical standpoint, reconstruction has proven far more beneficial than bracing.

Quote: Originally Posted by maydog [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]
I imagine that riding with a brace would be unpleasant. After surgery in 95, I was instructed to wear a prescribed Lenox Hill deroration brace. The experience was not good - it was heavy and I would injure myself and others with it. I shelved it before a year was through. That brace was a dinosaur even at that time - I assume that newer braces are more comfortable and lighter. Still, I imagine that the brace will come into contact with the top tube, tend to irritate the skin, want to slip out of place and come undone while riding.

ACL surgery is a big deal, but the recovery is not that bad. I had a patellar autograft, most of the pain of recovery was due to the donor site and initial injury. I was back into bicycling after a month and full contact competitive sports after 3 months. I had a lot of lingering pain for several years but I think that was due to my bone bruise more than the ACL.

From a clinical standpoint, reconstruction has proven far more beneficial than bracing.

Hi,
thanks for that. I did have a try on the bike with a donjoy 4titude off the shelf type that belonged to a friend (before I had the surgery) and I measured myself and it was my size - wouldn't have tried it otherwise. I did go out and I did feel that it slipped, but like the physio said that type of brace is mainly for lateral and medial translation and wouldn't necessarily stop anterior translation. Hopefully between herself and the reps they can come up with something. If not I'm going to have to stick to physio (I would have done anyway), short spins and get myself on the waiting list for the surgery.

The brace I tried was really light and didn't really stop me or slow my rpm down at all. But it did slip a bit, that was the only downside to it and the fact that it doesn't do what I need it to do.

People I have spoken to that have had ACL surgeries most say that the recovery was hard, hence why it is putting me off big time from it. I found the arthroscopy easy enough to cope with, the first 5 days were the roughest but I was still mobile and able to get around on crutches. I was back at work the 5th day, it was exhausting but I did it. I don't think I would attempt it with a full ACL reconstruction though.

Thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by maydog [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]
I imagine that riding with a brace would be unpleasant. After surgery in 95, I was instructed to wear a prescribed Lenox Hill deroration brace. The experience was not good - it was heavy and I would injure myself and others with it. I shelved it before a year was through. That brace was a dinosaur even at that time - I assume that newer braces are more comfortable and lighter. Still, I imagine that the brace will come into contact with the top tube, tend to irritate the skin, want to slip out of place and come undone while riding.

ACL surgery is a big deal, but the recovery is not that bad. I had a patellar autograft, most of the pain of recovery was due to the donor site and initial injury. I was back into bicycling after a month and full contact competitive sports after 3 months. I had a lot of lingering pain for several years but I think that was due to my bone bruise more than the ACL.

From a clinical standpoint, reconstruction has proven far more beneficial than bracing.

who are you Adrian Peterson... full contact sports after 3months.. NFW would I even chance that. I'm 9 months postop and now just starting to feel stronger. Still no playing things like football or basketball and not running full out either.