Got an ACL graft reconstruction and minor stitches in the meniscus in Jan and now its time to get back on the trails, but first wanted to know suggestions for a knee brace to race DH and Enduro?
We got this one from Brace Direct. Daughter just did three DH races in it. Another racer recommended it to her after they were cleared to race after ACL reconstruction.
We got this one from Brace Direct. Daughter just did three DH races in it. Another racer recommended it to her after they were cleared to...
We got this one from Brace Direct. Daughter just did three DH races in it. Another racer recommended it to her after they were cleared to race after ACL reconstruction.
May be controversial but... If even Jackson and Jordan decided to wait one whole season after their surgeries to race, maybe you guys should too. I had surgery one year ago, but since 5-6 months in, I did not really have any problem riding. A brace wont save you if you crash enough to fuck it up anyways.
Thanks for the replies guys, is it worth getting the custom one or the CTI 3 would work just as fine?
Custom CTI. For sure. I have one.
The brace does wonders for aiding in stability which allows you to keep your form/technique, strength and mobility and maybe still on your bike and having fun. Some fun is better than no fun.
This was a while ago. I raced DH back then and skied a lot in winter. Was great. Actually it does kinda suck (wearing a brace that is, in general, if you've never done it), but I could still do all the things I wanted, to a limit. I had partially torn PCL. You don't want that. No surgery, but things have tightened up and pain is gone.
I think the brace is good for when you start riding more than flat terrain, but racing I think you dont need a brace if you properly healed.. mtb is not an impact shear twisting sport generally.. so the brace can help you when your acl is not there.. if you have a high impact dab while not fully recovered, the brace may not help at all in that situation.. in any case I used a POD ,not custom, could even use a lightish kneepad underneath, it was nice.
POD mx knee brace for me a while back. Prevents hyper-extension & seems to provide lateral support. Perhaps more physiological? Im sure in a tumbling accident it wouldn't do that much. But anything that helps is a good thing.
May be controversial but... If even Jackson and Jordan decided to wait one whole season after their surgeries to race, maybe you guys should too. I...
May be controversial but... If even Jackson and Jordan decided to wait one whole season after their surgeries to race, maybe you guys should too. I had surgery one year ago, but since 5-6 months in, I did not really have any problem riding. A brace wont save you if you crash enough to fuck it up anyways.
You're right, but I'm crazy to start riding even if it's flowy trails, but don't want to take a risk. Cheers!
having had multiple knee surgeries... reach out to your doctor to confirm your insurance has durable medical goods covered. they should be able to write a prescription for the CTI Custom brace. Takes a bit of time, but if you have any irregularities in the structure of your knee it will be key. I am a little knock-kneed so an off the shelf rigid brace does not work for me.
Then, ride it for a while until the muscles strengthen but get off it when you can. You will find it drastically limits your riding ability because you can't quite flex the way you want to. But... to start it is a great thing to have. The CTI custom (and donjoy) both have kneecups/shin guards that can work with them. which is much better than figuring out a kneepad on top of it.
well worth it to start... but would recommend getting off them as soon as you can. If you want, watch some videos from Ryan Hughes (Ryno) about wearing braces in SX/MX. I think gypsy tales has a great podcast with him.
I run PODs on the moto. The Mobius are much bigger and bulkier. I have not run them on the MTB but could see them being ok for DH and maybe enduro. Not sure I would want to pedal too much in them.
I have a custom fit Donjoy Defiance Pro I got after tearing my ACL last year. A little lower profile than the CTI though seems like everyone with a Donjoy never goes on to try a CTI and everyone with CTI never tries the Donjoy so they’re probably as good as one another. Full disclosure, I didn’t get surgery and just rehabbed the shit out of my knee. Do your rehab!
Adding some more details: the Donjoy stays in place really well and doesn’t interfere much with my riding. In exceedingly rare instances it will catch on my saddle, and it will leave some scratches on my top tube. It doesn’t have built in patellar protection so you are a little vulnerable in that regard, but in the 2 or 3 times I’ve gone down since riding in it’s it’s always stopped my knee from contacting the ground. I never ride without it
I tore my ACL about 15 years ago and wore an Asterisk brace for a while, but honestly, I never got along with it on the bike. It was uncomfortable, constantly slipped out of position, and felt way too bulky. I pretty much had to wear shorts to use it.
Eventually, I stopped wearing a brace altogether and continued riding without one. I went 15 years without another injury, but earlier this year I tore my ACL again in a completely different accident.
I'm now seriously considering getting a CTi, especially for when I return to riding after surgery. Has anyone here ridden with one? I'd love to hear your experiences, especially when it comes to comfort, fit, and how well it stays in place while riding DH.
Pedaling in a CTI isn't too bad but I don't love their straps or knee cap impact protection - knee cap protection seems to be an afterthought. I've had the CTI 2.0 and 3.0 for moto over the years and they tend to migrate more than other braces. CTI/Ossur is also lacking in the customer service department.
On the flip side, I'm a big fan of the Mobius braces. I haven't tried pedaling in them but for moto they seem to disappear when riding and their customer support is next level.
Asterisk - have heard great things, known to be slim
POD braces - have a number of buddies that like them, but keep an eye on the little bolts/hardware especially when new, they like to back out. Customer support is great
We got this one from Brace Direct. Daughter just did three DH races in it. Another racer recommended it to her after they were cleared to race after ACL reconstruction.
Ossur CTi3 Knee Brace - Lightweight Carbon Fiber Ligament Support - L1845 L1852
https://bracedirect.com/collections/acl-mcl-injury-knee-braces/products/ossur-cti3-knee-brace-lightweight-carbon-fiber-ligament-support-l1845-l1852
Möbius hand down for downhill
My insurance bought me one of these after my surgery very nice. I do use mobius for moto but the cti braces seem much nicer and more slim.
Thanks for the replies guys, is it worth getting the custom one or the CTI 3 would work just as fine?
I used an Asterisk brace and it served me well. That was a decade ago now though, so I'm not sure how things have progressed since then.
May be controversial but... If even Jackson and Jordan decided to wait one whole season after their surgeries to race, maybe you guys should too. I had surgery one year ago, but since 5-6 months in, I did not really have any problem riding. A brace wont save you if you crash enough to fuck it up anyways.
If however you dont get the surgery and have a busted ACL, then sure!
Custom CTI. For sure. I have one.
The brace does wonders for aiding in stability which allows you to keep your form/technique, strength and mobility and maybe still on your bike and having fun. Some fun is better than no fun.
This was a while ago. I raced DH back then and skied a lot in winter. Was great. Actually it does kinda suck (wearing a brace that is, in general, if you've never done it), but I could still do all the things I wanted, to a limit. I had partially torn PCL. You don't want that. No surgery, but things have tightened up and pain is gone.
My POD brace is way better than my custom CTI. Slimmer and lighter. I don’t use either for MTB, only moto.
I think the brace is good for when you start riding more than flat terrain, but racing I think you dont need a brace if you properly healed.. mtb is not an impact shear twisting sport generally.. so the brace can help you when your acl is not there.. if you have a high impact dab while not fully recovered, the brace may not help at all in that situation.. in any case I used a POD ,not custom, could even use a lightish kneepad underneath, it was nice.
POD mx knee brace for me a while back. Prevents hyper-extension & seems to provide lateral support. Perhaps more physiological? Im sure in a tumbling accident it wouldn't do that much. But anything that helps is a good thing.
You're right, but I'm crazy to start riding even if it's flowy trails, but don't want to take a risk. Cheers!
having had multiple knee surgeries... reach out to your doctor to confirm your insurance has durable medical goods covered. they should be able to write a prescription for the CTI Custom brace. Takes a bit of time, but if you have any irregularities in the structure of your knee it will be key. I am a little knock-kneed so an off the shelf rigid brace does not work for me.
Then, ride it for a while until the muscles strengthen but get off it when you can. You will find it drastically limits your riding ability because you can't quite flex the way you want to. But... to start it is a great thing to have. The CTI custom (and donjoy) both have kneecups/shin guards that can work with them. which is much better than figuring out a kneepad on top of it.
well worth it to start... but would recommend getting off them as soon as you can. If you want, watch some videos from Ryan Hughes (Ryno) about wearing braces in SX/MX. I think gypsy tales has a great podcast with him.
I run PODs on the moto. The Mobius are much bigger and bulkier. I have not run them on the MTB but could see them being ok for DH and maybe enduro. Not sure I would want to pedal too much in them.
I have a custom fit Donjoy Defiance Pro I got after tearing my ACL last year. A little lower profile than the CTI though seems like everyone with a Donjoy never goes on to try a CTI and everyone with CTI never tries the Donjoy so they’re probably as good as one another. Full disclosure, I didn’t get surgery and just rehabbed the shit out of my knee. Do your rehab!
Adding some more details: the Donjoy stays in place really well and doesn’t interfere much with my riding. In exceedingly rare instances it will catch on my saddle, and it will leave some scratches on my top tube. It doesn’t have built in patellar protection so you are a little vulnerable in that regard, but in the 2 or 3 times I’ve gone down since riding in it’s it’s always stopped my knee from contacting the ground. I never ride without it
I tore my ACL about 15 years ago and wore an Asterisk brace for a while, but honestly, I never got along with it on the bike. It was uncomfortable, constantly slipped out of position, and felt way too bulky. I pretty much had to wear shorts to use it.
Eventually, I stopped wearing a brace altogether and continued riding without one. I went 15 years without another injury, but earlier this year I tore my ACL again in a completely different accident.
I'm now seriously considering getting a CTi, especially for when I return to riding after surgery. Has anyone here ridden with one? I'd love to hear your experiences, especially when it comes to comfort, fit, and how well it stays in place while riding DH.
Pedaling in a CTI isn't too bad but I don't love their straps or knee cap impact protection - knee cap protection seems to be an afterthought. I've had the CTI 2.0 and 3.0 for moto over the years and they tend to migrate more than other braces. CTI/Ossur is also lacking in the customer service department.
On the flip side, I'm a big fan of the Mobius braces. I haven't tried pedaling in them but for moto they seem to disappear when riding and their customer support is next level.
Asterisk - have heard great things, known to be slim
POD braces - have a number of buddies that like them, but keep an eye on the little bolts/hardware especially when new, they like to back out. Customer support is great
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