When Should I Consider Using A Knee Brace When I Play Sports, And How Should I Use It?

Dr. Neal Chen answers the question: 'When Should I Use A Knee Brace?'

ByABC News
December 22, 2008, 3:55 PM

July 1, 2009— -- Question: When should I consider using a knee brace when I play sports, and how should I use it?

Answer: A lot of people ask the question, "When should I use the knee brace when playing sports?" When you have mild pain when you're playing basketball or tennis, when you're making motions that are slightly uncomfortable -- that's a time to consider getting one of those soft sleeves from the drugstore. They have a cut-out for your kneecap made out of neoprene and they're relatively useful for giving you some security in your knee.

Time to consider going away from using the knee brace is if your knee gives out on you, if you feel like you have a trick knee, you have pain in your knee that doesn't go away even if you stop activity, or you have swelling in your knee -- that's time to see your physician.