Knee Brace Instructions
Doctors often instruct patients who have injured a knee, or those who have had surgery on their knee, to use a knee brace while the knee heals. After an knee has healed, doctors sometimes instruct patients to wear a knee brace while playing sports or while engaging in other activities likely to cause reinjury.
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Put Your Brace On at the Right Time
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If your doctor has instructed you to wear a brace in order to help an injury heal, he will generally instruct you to put the brace on in the morning after your shower. It is important that you wear the brace all day, every day, until the doctor instructs you to remove it.
If your doctor has instructed you to wear a brace when you participate in sports or activities likely to cause injury, put the brace on right before you begin your warm-up routine for the exercise. Do not wear your brace continuously when engaging in normal activities. Wearing the brace constantly will weaken your knee's muscles, making injury more likely.
Do Not Sleep in Your Brace Unless Instructed by a Doctor
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Ask your doctor if you should sleep in your knee brace. In some cases, immediately after an injury, doctors may provide a brace designed to reduce swelling or to provide massage. He may instruct you to sleep in this brace for a short period of time.
Sleeping in a standard knee brace can reduce the flow of blood to knee, leg and foot. This can increase the time the joint takes to heal. It can also cause blood clots. -
Wash Fabric Braces in Cold Water on the Delicate Cycle
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Braces should be cleaned from time to time. You can usually put them in the washing machine in cold water. Use WD-40 to treat metal joints so they don't rust. Allow braces to air dry. Using the dryer may damage the elastic and metal joints that make braces effective.
How to Put On a Knee Brace
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Line up metal joints on the brace with the joints on the leg. If you find this difficult, your brace may be too large or too small. For braces without metal joints, make sure the hole in the brace is positioned directly over the knee cap.
Connect the fabric fastener tabs of the brace firmly enough that the brace does not slip or turn as you move your leg. You should be able to slip a finger or two between the brace and your leg.
If you feel any numbness in your foot or leg while you are wearing the brace, loosen or remove it immediately.
You may find, if you wear your brace all day, that you have to loosen it in the afternoon.
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