McDavid Knee Brace, Heavy Duty Hinged Knee Braces for Knee Pain, Instabilities, Ligament, ACL, MCL, PCL, Meniscus Injury, Pain Relief, Recovery, Preventive Hyperextension, Left or Right Side

I've had knee pain for most of my life and bought two of these knee braces (L and R) this year to try. They are a little tricky to get the fit right, but once you do, they are the best knee braces you will ever wear. They are super supportive and take away all pain while wearing them. We joke that these are my bionic knees, as they are bulky and look intimidating, but after wearing these a few hours, the stress on my knees is gone. Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for!

I am a 30 y/o male and I had my knees reconstructed twice in my freshman/sophomore years of high school. Needless to say, I have had quite a few knee braces over the years. I have a hereditary disorder where the knees are just getting worse each year. I still try to stay as active as I can while the knees hold out. This one is by far my favorite! I have been using them exclusively for almost a year and a half.Con: the only downside is I would not bring them hiking (mountain) personally. When I took them up quandary in Colorado (winter ascent) they slid down like all braces will and with all the other gear i had on I could not get to them to reposition them. End result was the hinge ended up below my knee adding extra resistance to each step and tiring me out a bit more. In the year and a half, this is the only time that this has happened.Pro: the sleeves keep thentypical smells at bay and make it easy to clean and wash. They can be worn with or without. I like the sleeve because it helps push out the low level of swelling I almost alway have.There is no material behind you knee. With most other braces, even the thickness of the neoprene forces your knee joint apart when fully flexed, thus straining the internal ligaments. For me, that is incredibly painful. This brace allows me to complete flex without pain.After with climbing issue, i was weary I would have similar issues skiing. I put one brace on and took the other off while skiing. Less then half way through the first day we returned so I could put the other brace on. The stability and control that this brace gave me was amazing. I would never go without it. 3 days and absolutely no pain. I am new and fell a lot! There was no slipping and sliding around and they dried out very quickly.After a long day of running or strenuous activity, I just put these on and it is like instant relief. Instead of days of pain, it feels like something has taken all the pressure off my joints. I typically will get a couple of pops (I just have that bad of knees) and they are better by the next day. These braces help proper alignment and tracking after the muscles and ligaments pull the joint out of wack.Walking up and down stairs is almost painless when they are on.Additional notes: I saw some complaints about the fit and comfort. You will have to spend some time to get it right. They come with little wedges that you place inside the brace to help it contour to you individual knee and leg. That is actually something I prefer. I wore them around the house for about 10-20 minutes playing with where the different pressures were. After about an hour I had both dialed in pretty well and have not touched the adjustments since. Now, I just put them on, sinch them down and go. 5 seconds and I can (and have) slept in them.

Sized and worn as directed I've wanted to like this brace for helping me recover from a sports injury to my left MCL. Out of the box I find the design and quality of materials exceptional, and the fit as if it were tailor made for my leg. I quickly discovered no need to over tighten the straps as when worn with the sleeve it stays put even when I'm active. However, use of the accompanying compression sleeve on me has a tourniquet effect constructing the flow of soft tissue fluids in my calf; creating an edema of banding and bulging flesh. This suggests to me that although the brace is sized correctly the accompanying sized compression sleeve is not, and so sadly I've temporarily discontinued use of this otherwise spectacular knee brace. The one other point I will say is that the double hinges on this brace are sturdy and reliable, and align perfectly with my knee joint. No concern of wearing a hole in my outer garment. A limiting screw, if there were one, would serve this product well to guard against any momentary hyper extension of the knee. Finally, I will add that the open back design and thoughtful placement of the straps insures minimal discomfort or digging into the tendons behind the knee, provided of course that you refrain from unnecessary over tightening of the straps. Seems the trouble I've encountered with use of the accompanying size sleeve has to do with its elastic cuff. Use of a compression sleeve without that feature will likely not have the adverse tourniquet effect on me. I like the brace enough to purchase a differently designed sleeve from another manufacturer--one without the banded elastic cuffs.

With an ASL tear, and all sports had to come to an end, I was determined to keep playing till I could get surgery. I did some research, and found this brace,n and with some good reviews. I will say, I can play sports now! But it's not a fix. I have played pickleball an volleyball, and it seems to keep my knee from slipping out. I have had t for a few months now, and use it 24/7 and it's still in very good shape. I would recommend this product over the more expensive ones.n

I recently suffered an MCL injury that required a brace and after a bunch of looking I settled on this one. It seemed to have all the bells and whistles that I needed. When I pulled it out of the box I was surprised by how lightweight it was. It looked good and seemed to be perfect for my needs.All those good vibes went away when, after fitting it, I took my first few steps. The inside corner of the hinge part was grinding into my knee cause quite a lot of discomfort and additional pain. I'm already in pain, so adding more isn't the best idea. I tried readjusting it, loosening, tightening straps etc. No avail. The first day I gritted my teeth and thought it may get better. Nope.So that night I sent an email to the manufacturer from their website. Describing my problem and asked for ideas. I was greeted with crickets... dead air. No reply 5 days later.I tried wearing it again for 2 more days. Trying to put a piece of fabric where it was causing pain. This resulted in even more pressure of my MCL so that was a no go.In the end it's a good looking knee brace, but for me, and my needs, it didn't help at all. May be because of the swelling, may be because I have "chicken legs" (though I did measure my knee per the instructions). For whatever reason it just didn't work for me. I wanted to like it though.