My Bledsoe Brace

Above: this is a picture of what appears to be the same knee brace I use for hiking--the Bledsoe Axiom-OA Custom. Mine is black, but it comes in a variety of colors, depending on your wardrobe choices. :)

I love my brace. I use it for all my hikes (and for local neighborhood walks), and I find it essential to keep my femor and my tibia (shin bone?) in place. With loose ligaments, those two sometimes find it hard to play well together, and the brace returns them to alignment (and keeps them there) which makes things more comfortable for me.

One caveat: I think these things are expensive; mine was custom-made and covered, fortunately, by insurance. They're possibly around $400+ otherwise. Still, if the brace buys you enough independence as mine has bought me, it might be worth it?

These braces last a long time too. I've had mine now for four years of frequent use (most days for at least an hour or so each day--often six to seven hours many days), and it shows no sign of wearing at all. I call it my exo-skeleton; it's pretty comfortable once you get the straps well fitted, and it's fairly light as functional braces go. Football players and contact sports players wear this type of brace, so I'm very confident that it will support and protect my knee in all my activities.

The brace is also pretty adjustable; I've worn mine over shorts and pants, and with the adjustable velcro knee and thigh straps, I've still managed to achieve good comfortable support.

Anyway, without it, I couldn't do what I want to do, so cheers to Bledsoe for a great brace and thanks to the orthopod who ordered it for me. :)

Here's the info link if you'd like more info: http://bledsoebrace.com/products/axiom_oa.asp