Anonymous Question: My knee has always been my problem, I spent 5 years of my teens having to use crutches or a walking stick but have been mostly stick-free for over two years now. My knee has always had subluxations but in recent months they have increased alongside full dislocations. I have always been told by physios and doctors that knee braces would not be useful and that the likely outcome would be that my walking would become dependant on the braces and that stopping using them would cause more problems than using them would have solved. So I have never tried braces for my knee, however I was given some for my wrists/thumbs and find them very useful to use when pain is higher. So I am unsure whether to try a knee brace/support. Any advice? HMSA response: This is a very good question. It is true that over-using braces and splints will lead to muscle loss and worsening of symptoms over time, but they can also be very helpful when used sensibly. There is a leaflet on splinting in HMS/EDS by Stickman Communications, produced in association with us, which gives good guidance on splinting. It is covered by our Information Standard so medical professionals should take it seriously. It may provide a good starting point to discussing braces with your physio or Doctor. As a rule of thumb, using braces to do things you couldnt do otherwise may a good idea when used alongside appropriate exercise, but using them because they are comfortable or easier, or without doing exercise is very risky.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 11:04:24 +0000