Ace Hinged Knee Brace, One Size Adjustable

Strained/stretched/twisted my left ACL in volleyball leagues, so I bought this brace locally to help constrain motion and stabilize the joint. It offers good support. Four velcro straps total to secure. Two around the calf and two around the lower quads provide solid and fixed positioning, over the compression sleeve. You can tighten them enough to fully stabilize. Unfortunately theres some Z pattern stitching on the back of the knee joint thats pretty uncomfortable. I couldn't wear it actively for longer than ~1.5-2 hours, on a day hike around the Mt. lassen lakes it rubbed the back of my knee red.. very uncomfortable to say the least.

Good for around the house. Worm inactively I can wear it for several hours straight. Wearing it to sleep at night is also no problem.

After 3 weeks though its starting to show signs of wear. The stitching is starting to fray and fall apart, and I am noticing threads fraying and pulling themselves loose. 3-4 more weeks and it will probably be ready for the trash.

The other concern I have is the pivot-hinge point of the brace. It places the hinge point "UP", right next to, or slightly elevated with the knee-cap. As opposed to "down lower" at the actual joint pivot location. I don't know what affect this has on joint heeling or stabilization. I just bought a shock doctor 875 and its pivot point is lower than the knee-cap, down where the actual joint pivot is located. The shock doctor is CONSIDERABLY more comfortable too. my knee is feeling better and stronger over the last 3.5 weeks though, so I can't say I'm completely unhappy with the ACE. its an OK brace with some flaws... Give it 3 stars.

I have three other (non hinged) ACE knee braces that have grown old with me, 10 plus years for the first one I bought. I use them regularly for softball. I wash them when they start to smell mildewy. Those three still fit me fine. I was looking for some additional support when I started the sport of curling wich involves a lot more bending and remaining bent at the knee for a few seconds while sliding out to deliver the stone. This one size fits all brace does not have enough material to cover the velcro hooks which severly chafe the backs of my legs. The brace does offer more support, but wearing it for several hours 3 days a week while I play is out of the question, I may die of blood loss. Looks like I may need to drop several hundred for a fitted brace.

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