A question I commonly get asked about is to wear a brace, or not?  So here's my thinking behind it all and when to wear it and when not to wear it.

A brace is intended to lend support to structures that are weak, or be used to aid in recovery to maintain alignment.  

In my opinion, there are two situations in which you want to wear a brace. 1)  When someone has a recent injury, i.e. throws out their back, sprains their ankle, sprains their knee, has a car accident, a brace can help keep structures more stable and help prevent the injured area from getting worse at that time. In this scenario, the brace is there to help increase stability to the injured area, and limiting the extra movement. This can indirectly diminish inflammation (because motion is limited) and modify the pain perception.

The second situation is when there is no stability any more because the ligaments are too loose to support it, or when the ligaments have actually completely torn, causing excessive degrees of motion to the joint.  In this case, the motion in the joint cannot be restrained by the ligaments any more and in normal activity, may result in a new acute injury, if not braced.  The brace is used to replace the ligaments, or passive structures of a joint.

Now the do's and don'ts according to my logic.......

As I mentioned in the first situation, after severe pain  or recent injury, braces can modify pain and aid in returning to daily activities in a shorter time frame.  BUT, if a brace is worn too long, it can begin inhibiting involuntary muscle contraction from deeper stabilizing muscles which are meant to help support the area, resulting in greater weakness.

So for example, after having back surgery, a brace may be recommended so that there is greater support to allow for normal activities of daily living.  However, as pain and inflammation diminish and modify, there should be intentional effort made to reconnect to the stabilizing deeper muscles to engage them in bracing your back.  This process is called neuromuscular re-education and leans on interoception of the body.

The second situation, where a ligament (let's say an ankle sprain), has repeatedly been sprained for a soccer player over several years and years later there are traces of the main ligament remaining.  The soccer player does not want to have surgery. An ankle brace may be appropriate to help the soccer player feel more stable during running and to prevent any additional injuries to their ankle.  In this case, exercise is still important to make the musculature as dynamic and reactive as possible, but it will probably not be enough, so a brace would be important to add an additional layer of support/stability.

I hope this offers a fuller perspective when considering the choice of a brace.

This is my opinion and perspective, and the best thing would be to ask your local physical therapist for specific instructions on your specific case.  

I appreciate you for taking time to read this blog and browsing through the website.  

Share your thoughts below. Tag and share with a friend. Take care and "brace" care-fully!! =)