A Knee Brace That Can Provide Meaningful Support!

The CTi OTS Pro Sport is a premier off-the-shelf knee ligament protection brace made by Ossur, formerly known as Innovation Sports. The reason why Dr. Brace Company is promoting this particular brace is that you can save money, while still being provided with Meaningful Support. (This is not an underhanded sales pitch, we truly believe in what was just said!) - Ossur is the manufacturer who set the standard for knee ligament protection in high impact sports such as motocross, football and skiing.

The CTi OTS Pro Sport provides your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), your posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL), rotary and combined instabilities the support they need for high impact sports. The best part is Ossur does this in an adjustable, off-the-shelf product. - This is important because you will have some control of its fit to your knee ! (For example, if you are like most people you may gain or lose weight or volume at your knee joint if you are injured.)

Features of the Ossur CTi OTS Pro Sport Knee Brace include Anatomically-correct AccutracTM hinges with extension stops. - This is important because you want the knee brace hinge to be in line with your natural hinge (ie. your knee joint). In addition, the flexible subshell and Adjustable Tibial Strap (ATS) capture the tibia and allow adjustments in hinge depth for a more customized fit. Proprietary Sensil® padding eliminates migration of the knee brace on the leg.
Skin-friendly SensEdge overmolding on all injection-molded parts improves comfort and elimiates pressure points. Total Support SystemTM for ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL, rotary and combined knee ligament instabilities. Interior buckles provide a lower profile so the brace is less likely to rub your other leg, or get caught on clothing. Hand-laminated, carbon composite, rigid frame construction. Ossur uses non-corrosive materials, making this knee brace ideal for water sports. - This is a rare quality among braces! - Trust us, we know!

Visit us online for further information including up to date warranty information.

Thanks for visiting our page = http://www.drbraceco.com/

What Is A Knee Orthosis? - With Mention of the Knee's Complexity.

A Knee Orthosis is another way of saying, Knee Brace.

In the past, knee orthoses (knee braces) have been typically used to correct congenital deformities around the knee. (Congenital meaning : a condition that is present from birth). One such example of a congenital deformity is that of genu varum. A knee brace can be applied to help straighten out the joint as a child grows. (Technically, the brace would affect the epiphyseal growth at the distal femoral and proximal tibial growth plates.)

More recently, knee braces have become more popular in the athletic population. This change of knee support for athletes Dates back as early as the 1970s, with the introduction of the Lenox Hill derotational brace. Primarily, these knee braces were designed to protect individuals with functional deficits that were secondary to injuring their ACL. The successful use of these braces led to the creation of both the prophylactic and rehabilitative knee orthosis.

The Sports Medicine Committee of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has classified knee braces into the following three categories : functional, rehabilitative, and prophylactic.

The knee has been classified as a diarthrodial (hinged joint). Although a hinge, to most people is a simple back and forth motion, the knee is more complex. It movements involve a variable of axes, and can move in three separate planes of motion. These planes of motion are 1.) Flexion and extension, rotational and the coronal plane. Therefore, if a knee brace is to be well designed, the orthosis must accommodate the normal roll-back and glide mechanism of the knee with obligatory axial rotation of the joint as well.

To obtain a well designed knee brace that accommodtes the normal range of motion at your knee joint, it is important to get a brace from a professional, and not just a bogus online salesmen that knows nothing about braces. For more information, visit us online at http://www.drbraceco.com/

Want to Know More About Collateral Ligaments? - Read On...

What are Collateral Ligaments?

Collateral ligaments are located both on the inside and on the outside of the knee joint. The two collateral ligaments are known as the medial collateral ligament (MCL- located on the inside of your knee), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL- found on the outside of the knee.) Ligaments, primarily, are tough bands of tissue that serve to connect ends of bones together. You can see a clear illustration of this from the photo.

The collateral ligaments aid the stability of your knee in limiting side to side motion. A collateral ligament is not a single stranded, thin ligament, but is made of many minor ligaments which come together to form a single ligament that is strong. The reason why this is important for you to know is that if you have a partial tear of your collateral ligament, the knee may still remain fairly stable.

How do collateral ligament injuries occur?

A collateral ligament injury will be caused usually by a force from the inside or outside of your knee. To help you understand, we will first discuss the MCL's function. The MCL is made to help stop your knee from "widening". If someone's knee receives a blow from the outside, the MCL will be strained or even torn because the ligament is over powered. (Just imagine a force that makes the knee excessively move toward your other knee, to the point of injury.)

On the other hand, an LCL injury occurs when there is a blow to the inside of the knee. This could happen when there is a quick change of direction. The LCL may also be injured when someone falls to the side, while there foot is planted firmly, causing your knee to bow outward.

Tears of the collateral ligaments are graded on a scale of 1-3:

Grade 1: A minor stretch, this is otherwise known as a "sprain" of the ligament.
Grade 2: Involves a partial tear of the ligament.
Grade 3: Is more severe, and results in a complete tear of the ligament.

A ligament injury can also be accompanied by major or minor swelling of the knee joint

If you have suffered any of the aforementioned symptoms, it may be in your best interest to consider ways to support your knee. One such way is the use of knee braces. Side to side stability can be improved, as well as forward and backward stability. Check us out online for more options at http://www.drbraceco.com/

What is a meniscus? & What Does It Do?

The menisci (plural for meniscus) are two C-shaped pads of cartilaginous tissue which serve to disperse friction in the knee joint. When the meniscus is damaged, treatment can involve the use of surgery, the use of a well designed knee brace, and the use of physical therapy.

The function of the meniscus : The menisci functions to help distribute your body weight across the knee joint by helping with shock absorption. This is very important because without the meniscus present, the weight of your body would be unevenly applied to the bones in your legs (the femur and tibia). This unevendistribution of weight would cause excessive and unequal forces leading to early arthritis of knee joint. The meniscus also helps to provide stability, lubrication and nutrition for the knee joint.

One interesting point is that the majority of the meniscus has no blood supply. This is important to note because unlike the rest of the body, the meniscus is unable to undergo the normal healing process of a tissue, with a normal blood supply. In addition to compromised healing, with age the meniscuscan deteriorate, leading to degenerative tears.

What happens when the meniscus tears?

When the meniscus is damaged, the torn piece can begin to move in an abnormal fashion inside the joint. When part of your meniscus begins to move abnormally, the knee can become painful, swollen, and difficultfor an individual to move the joint.

What can I expect if surgery is needed?

The exact surgical routine may differ among surgeons, but surgery is usually done on an outpatient(meaning you are not going to be staying overnight in the hospital). On the average, most patients are able to walk (ambulate) without crutches within 48 hours. An active rehabilitation program begins after surgery in an effort to rebuild the muscle strength in the muscles around the knee. In most patient cases, an exercise program is startedby the seventh day after surgery, while restrictions on activity levels can last for 6 weeks.

Knee stability is usually a concern after a meniscus injury. The use of a well made knee brace can provide meaningful support to help you get moving again! A knee brace can help prevent you reinjuring your knee by helping you to avoid harmful movements during and after the recovery period. Check us out online at http://www.drbraceco.com/

ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES OF THE KNEE & HOW THEY ARE INJURED

ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES OF THE KNEE & HOW THEY ARE INJURED

What Anatomical Structures Are Located In A Person's Knee?

In your knee, there are several anatomical structures: the cruciate ligaments, the collateral ligaments, menisci, and the articular (joint) cartilages. When someone injures their knee, there can be simultaneous insult to more than one of these structures.

What Are The Cruciate Ligaments?

There are two separate cruciate ligaments in a person's knee: the anterior cruciate ligament (located in the front) and the posterior cruciate ligament (located at the back). These two ligaments can be referred to as the ACL & PCL respectively. It is important to note that the cruciate ligaments help to secure the stability in the knee, which is assisted also by other ligaments, the menisci and the muscles.

How do injuries to the cruciate ligaments occur?

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are more common than injuries to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is more commonly damaged in an accident on the road. When the person is sitting down and their knees hit the dashboard, driving the lower leg backward in an unnatural manner. When the posterior cruciate ligament is torn across, your shin bone will move be able to move backwards on the thigh bone.

Kind of a gruesome thought to imagine that happening, right?

On the other hand, a lesion of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) happens more commonly in sporting activities when a person's foot is planted on the ground. As a result, if a person's ACL is torn across, the knee can become unstable and the shin bone will move forwards on the thigh bone.

Some examples of a lesion to the ACL might occur when :


1.) The body is pushed forward, and the leg is locked.
2.) When the knee is forced into the opposite direction to its natural motion, when it is bent.
3.) An aggravating twist to the knee when you are skiing or playing in sports.

What are the symptoms of an anterior cruciate ligament lesion?

Often times a "click" can be felt, and possibly a loud "Popping" sound will occur - followed by pain.


The knee can swell due to blood from the bleeding anterior or posterior cruciate ligament.
There is a good chance that their will be pain in the knee in the following days or weeks.


How Does The Physician Make A Diagnosis?

The physician will look for all possible injuries that could have happened to the knee. It is possible that in the phase shortly after the injury (the acute phase), the knee may be so swollen that it is impossible to examine properly. If this injury has happened to you, your physician may decide to put a splint on the leg and examine the leg again after several days.

In order for a physician to diagnose a cruciate ligament lesion, the he/she will look for instability of the knee joint. One test the doctor may do is to determine if the shin bone can move slightly forward, in relationship to your femur (thigh bone). This is called the anterior drawer test.

Is surgery always necessary?

No, this is not always the case. Having surgery will depend on the patient's activities of daily living, as well as their job, age and especially how much of an issue the patient is having with their injury (ie. how much pain exists & how much function is lost.) Many times, a person's cruciate ligament injury can be treated with that of training and strengthening exercises, and the use of a well designed knee brace to help prevent the need for complex surgery.

If surgery is needed, what can a person expect?

Surgery is usually carried out under a general anesthetic. The physician will perform an arthroscope of the knee and will look for any other damage that can be repaired. The physician will construct a new cruciate ligament, possibly using either the patella tendon or two of the hamstring tendons. This new ligament will be placed in the knee joint in a manner that attempts to give it the same shape and function as the original ligament.

What kind of recovery can be expected after surgery for a cruciate ligament injury?

The patient will usually be able to walk again shortly after surgery, unless they have other injuries that complicate their condition. Often times a person may be provided with post operative knee brace to wear. This brace has hinges at the knee and can be adjusted for increased or decreased range of motion (ROM), per the physician's orders. These braces are usually longer than your average knee brace in order that they really control the way the leg is functioning while you recover.

For more knee brace options, or more information on this subject you may visit us online at http://www.drbraceco.com/