Will a Load Reduction Knee Brace cause muscle wastage that makes you dependent on the device?
Posted , 4 users are following.
My wife suffered serious knee damage in her 20s when she was hit by a car. She lost a cruciate ligament and had pins inserted which due to complications are now there forever. In order to compensate for the damage, her doctors/ physios at the time told her to build up muscle mass around the knee to provide the strength and stability that she needed. This has served her well for 30 years but now her knees give her more trouble - partly due to osteoarthritis setting in. Her last consultant provided her with a Load Reduction Knee Brace which will apparently reduce pain, improve function and decrease the use of pain medication. However, she is concerned that the brace will cause the muscle mass around her knee to waste away (like muscle in a plaster cast) and is nervous about using the device and then becoming dependant on it. Anybody had experience of these devices that they can share?
0 likes, 5 replies
karen14697 Kneebrace
Posted
i gave osteoarthritis in my left knee (rt tkr done 2/17). Surgeon recommended this type of brace for me (thank you, Medicare), and I've tried wearing it it is bulky and a pain to wear. I saw him last week and got a cortisone shot and a surgical date fir tlkr. For my arthritis, it did not help and i was uncomfortable wearing it. I tend to agree with your wife. Best of luck .
Kneebrace karen14697
Posted
Thanks Karen, that's helpful to know. Sadly, a kr is not an option for my wife due to the complications from the original op but good luck with yours. Will carry on trying to find out as much info as possible...
TitaniumKnee Kneebrace
Posted
I wore an offloader brace for five years in the lead up to my recent TKR (Nov 2018) to try to delay the replacement as long as possible. I am 39 with two decades worth of spondyloarthropathy inflammation that warranted a hip replacement in 2005 and now the knee. The custom brace, made by Össur, helped tremendously in reducing pain and maintaining my activity to an extent; however, a destroyed knee is just that, so while it alleviated certain symptoms, it was merely prolonging the inevitable. This was noticable in that the last year leading up to my TKR, i couldn't walk around comfortably at all without it. Prior to surgery, I had a 28 degree flexion for many years too. From strapping that sucker on first thing in the morning, to chasing my two year to sleep at night. It indented my shin (permanently) as well. As a matter of atrophy, yes it contributes to compartmentalizing atrophy and increasing possible contractures because it shifts your leg to the 'less worn out' position. This wasn't noticeable until the TKR. Now my knee is straight and aligned properly and the resulting stretch in the contracture is unholy, as is the tremendous level of electricity required to finally revive the middle part of my quad and surrounding tendons...but it has improved dramatically. I recommend the brace and a bike! Stationary or otherwise 😃
TitaniumKnee
Posted
Fear not the brace because you can remove it to keep up with strengthening and stretching. I recommend a custom brace, too, from an orthotist who will cast your leg and have the brace made to measure. It's important to ensure the best possible fit for all of the nuances in your leg to reduce discomfort.
Kneebrace
Posted
TitaniumKnee, you're a star. That's really useful feedback and gives me hope that there's mileage in this treatment providing that my wife seeks bespoke fitting advice (her brace is the same make as yours - the Unloader One model - but has not been custom fitted). Also she should get physio (and a bike!) to manage the use of the device to make sure she avoids muscle atrophy and contracture problems. I suspect that she will resist engaging with this at all until pain / mobility problems make her desperate enough to try it as a last roll of the dice but I will keep working on her on the assumption that prevention is better than cure! Good luck with your new TKR and many thanks again.