Orthomen Unloader Knee Brace for Medial Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis, Premium OA Knee Brace Support for Cartilage Defect Repair, Avascular Necrosis, Tibial Plateau Fracture Inside Left

So I have damaged (again) my knee and the surgeon who reviewed me said an unloading knee brace might help. He warned that they are not cheap. I found a range of them on here and also other sites. It seems like a bit of a minefield of what to get and plenty of them looked exactly like this one but were much cheaper, but also had some poor reviews. This seemed to have better reviews, but is really quite expensive. Desperate to get something to help, I ordered it, hoping it would be next day delivery. Quite a shock to realise that it was a direct from China thing and took 3 weeks to arrive. When it came, it was in a very generic plastic bag with basic instructions and does not really feel like over £200 worth of product. I tried it and was not sure it helped, so took it down to the surgeon, who seemed to think that it should work with the hinge on the other side of the knee (it cannot work like that since it would be backwards). Anyway, the surgeon therefore basically said "use it if you want", which was not exactly inspiring. I have since given it one go and it may have helped, but I am still not sure. I seemed to have to tighten the straps very tight and was worried about affecting circulation. Hence, used twice so far and now back in the bag and may or may not be used again. I will talk to the physio when I get to see them and see what they say. Might have been rather a waste of money (and quite a lot of money at that). Time will tell.

I'm a left arm amputee. With this knee brace, I could walk much more safely and farther without pain. Unfortunately it's not practical to use one handed so I returned it. I'm thinking about ordering it again and having a specialist modify it so I can get it on and off one handed. Also I didn't understand what side support setting i needed. And orthotics specialist will know.

Immediately stopped the bone-on-bone pain while I await knee surgery. It is all extremely comfortable to sleep in. This is very important for me as I have to wake up often and sometimes early for work. This makes this invaluable for supporting my knee.

I have osteoarthritis in both knees, with the worst being the medial side of my left knee. I am on my feet a lot for work, carrying heavy gear, and I love hiking and backpacking -- so it's nice when one's knees work without screaming pain. My ortho suggested trying an unloader brace on my left knee when working or hiking. I asked about this one and he thought it was a good start. (As noted in some other reviews, getting a brace through the ortho clinic can be pricey.) So here are some thoughts and some things I wish I had known beforehand. 1. The overall construction of this brace is fine. I don't know that it would last more than a year of moderate to heavy use, but for the price that's probably fine. 2. Do yourself a favor and buy the Klein Tools 3mm T-handle Allen tool when you buy this brace. The small Allen tool that came with my brace is junk and rounded itself out in two days. 3. Make sure the brace is straightened out before putting it on (that is, make sure it's not pressing inward on your knee.) It took a couple of tries to get all the straps to the correct length, then I could just use the quick release connectors. I put on the brace, then use the Allen tool to move the pad against my knee about halfway, walk around for a bit, then tighten it all the way. (This will vary for each individual - you might not need the full push.) Start wearing the brace two hours a day for a few days, then four hours, then all day. 4. Don't expect instant magical pain relief. I found it took a week or so for the brace to make a difference when working/walking, and about the same amount of time for it to reduce pain at night. Overall I am happy with it, though I know it's a temporary measure on the path to knee replacement.

I will start by saying that I do think I have an extreme knee situation which may or may not be fair for this brace. I have been going through a series of knee revision surgeries and was looking for this brace to help take off some of the load as I heal. I am required to use compression which does impact the brace since it was designed for skin contact. For the most part I feel like the brace does help regardless of that constraint. At this point I would take any help with pain. The brace does provide a margin of help. To keep the brace in place the straps have to be kept very tight. This creates its own issues over time. I find myself removing the brace periodically to help circulation. As with all my reviews I usually end with a "buy again, wouldn't buy again. In this case I am still leaning towards "buy again".