Mild knee sprains usually don’t need a brace, but some types of brace can be very useful in certain circumstances. We discuss two types of knee sprain brace and when they might aid your recovery from a knee sprain. Remember, if you need more help with an injury, you're welcome to consult one of our physios online via video call.
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In this article:
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Let’s quickly define what I mean by a sprained knee
When you sprain your knee, you injure the joint surfaces and the ligaments, but you may also injure the menisci (cartilage discs inside the knee). The severity of a sprain can vary from mild (just bruising the knee inside or sustaining minor injuries to the ligaments) to severe (complete ligament ruptures or meniscus tears).
What treatment will work best for your specific knee sprain will depend on which parts you’ve injured and also how badly they are injured. So, I would always advise that you get your knee assessed by a physiotherapist who can help guide your treatment.
Whether you need to wear a brace and the type of brace that you need, will depend on what you’ve injured when you sprained your knee.
The advice in this article is for people who have mild to moderate sprains without any serious injuries to any of the structures around the knee. So, your knee might be swollen and painful to move into certain positions, but it’s not severe.
If, however, you’ve been diagnosed with a significant ligament or meniscus injury, you can find detailed advice here:
When to wear a brace for a sprained knee
Braces aren’t essential for recovery from a mild knee sprain, but they can be useful for the following reasons:
If your knee feels a bit insecure or unstable, they can make it feel more secure and give you confidence to move.
They can make it easier to walk on uneven terrain.
Braces make other people aware of your injury – useful in crowded areas where people can bump into you.
They can also act as a reminder to you that you need to take things easy and prevent you from moving your knee into positions that hurt.
👉 My advice is: Only wear a brace when you feel you need it – for example, if you’re going to walk on uneven terrain or do activities where you may not be concentrating on your knee.
I’ll provide more general treatment advice for sprained knees in a future article.
What types of brace work best for knee sprains?
There are two types of brace that can be helpful for mild to moderate knee sprains, depending on the injury situation.
Braces that support your knee
These braces are a good option if you have to walk on uneven terrain, do an activity that might place extra strain on your injured knee, or your knee feels quite unstable when you move.
Such a knee brace should have:
Plastic or metal rods or spring stabilisers on the sides of the knee, which improve stability.
A hinge if the rods don't bend, so you can easily bend and straighten your knee.
A gap for the kneecap.
Examples of these braces:
Braces that also prevent your knee from straightening too far
Sometimes, the pain and swelling in the joint can cause your hamstring muscles (at the back of your thigh) to not function as well as usual. The hamstrings are meant to control how far your knee straightens (extends) as you walk. If they aren’t working 100%, your knee might feel unstable and keep on hyperextending.
If that is the case, it might be useful to wear a brace with:
Support rods on the inside and outside
and a hinge that you can adjust to stop your knee from straightening past a certain point.
Examples of braces that can prevent knee hyperextension:
It’s important that your physio rules out any serious ligament injuries if you do experience hyperextension when you walk.
👍 The good news is, if the instability is due to the hamstrings not being fully awake, this is easy to fix by getting the swelling to reduce and doing some simple rehab exercises. I’ll discuss this in more detail in a future article.
How we can help
Need more help with your injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at SIP online via video call for an assessment of your injury and a tailored treatment plan.
We're all UK Chartered Physiotherapists with Master’s Degrees related to Sports & Exercise Medicine or at least 10 years' experience in the field. But at Sports Injury Physio we don't just value qualifications; all of us also have a wealth of experience working with athletes across a broad variety of sports, ranging from recreationally active people to professional athletes. You can meet the team here.
About the Author
Maryke Louw is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 20 years' experience and a Master’s Degree in Sports Injury Management. Follow her on LinkedIn and ResearchGate.