Do knee braces really help?

Tons of studies that say they do, tons that say they don’t. 

I’ve always just worn very light knee pads or no pads at all, but last month I picked up a set of Mobius braces off marketplace for a great price. Only took me 20 minutes riding in them to forget they were there. Thankfully I haven’t had to test there safety, but I will say they give me a lot more confidence when riding the bike.

This just one of those things that you got figure out yourself what works for you. I tried the braces for few years but they were not for me. Maybe i got weirdly shaped knees idk.

Todays pads that harden on impact are super comfy. Who ever came up with that stuff deservers a raise.

No conclusive studies either way.  

Yes, they 100% work. They inhabit lateral movement and hyperextending the knee. Will they stop all knee injuries, no. It also depends on what you bought. I’m are prescribed and custom to my knee. I’ve have both bad knees. But they are like helmets, you get what you paid for and even the most expensive helmet can’t always save your head. Any “good” knee brace will have stops and adjustments. That way you can limit movement as needed. The people who say they don’t work are the same people who don’t like to wear seatbelts. Will a seatbelt ALWAYS save you, no. Could there be a situation where someone is injured because of a seatbelt, yes. That doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t wear seatbelts. 

This ^

I’ve been wearing them for 15 years and haven’t had a major knee injury. I’ve found that they also help me keep standing at the end of a long  ride/race too.

They transfer stress from the knee to other parts of the body that should heal easier if injured.  They don’t eliminate stress.

I was told by a prominent doctor in our sport that for a knee brace to work properly it needs to be tethered to your boot.

I’m a TP199 guy myself.

My buddy destroyed his knee this year wearing evs knee braces after dabbing his foot in a corner.  I wore tld braces for 7 years before switching to tp199 pads - much better feel. 1 vote for your latter statement. 

It’s entirely up to you, your feel, and what works for your anatomy. 

Since 99 I’ve worn knee braces, last fall I tried the TP199’s just cus, and haven’t gone back to the brace. I struggle with keeping my inside cornering foot pointed in when my leg is against the shroud, and much of that went away when I switched to knee pads. 

The one downside to knee pads are lack of thigh protection. To help, I upgraded to the Fox titan pro race knee pad with D3O

According to asterisk, they really need tethered to your boots to get the full protection. 

https://youtu.be/cKvrA6Vp1nY?si=F3UHA4ptl4-73_kJ

I use  wraps on my knees with pads. I haven't found a brace that keeps my knee from twisting. Plus my thighs are large from strength training so I need custom braces for proper fit. Give wraps a try. really keeps the joint tight.  

Ive torn 3 ACLs, 2 of those wearing custom CTI braces. They do nothing to protect from the most common ACL tear, leg straight heel into the ground. I keep wearing them now that I have no ACLs though, but more for stepping off the bike in uneven ground etc. 

Scientific Case study on one subject 
They help me, they provide added support 
Ha Ha 
I like PODS 
 

There are WAY too many independent factors with Knee Braces that nobody talks about. Every single leg/body is built differently, different shapes, femur length, etc. 

I've seen so many people have their knee braces sized incorrectly, too big, too small, etc. Thats why its hard to get a broad opinion bc you dont even know if the 10 people telling you their opinion were wearing them correctly or had the best brand/model suited to their legs. I've had a shit ton of different braces over the last 15 years, pretty much all EVS line, PODs, and just ordered some mobius braces to test them. Alot of knee braces are vastly different and all fit differently. Cant lump them all together. 

As a tall person, knee braces were a no-go for me.
 

I can’t imagine riding without knee pads, however.

They are a preventative measure of protection to some degree...what percentage that....is questionable.

I was off and on for a few years, today I couldn't ride without them.

I do have some knee stability issues and the braces keep the knees tight and add more stability.

I have had knee a couple injurys while wearing braces during a wicked get-off but nothing requiring surgery, at home pt recovery.

It really comes down to a personal decision.

The most important factor of a knee brace for me is the impact protection. I wear Mobius X8 braces and there's much much more impact protection from these braces than any knee pad on the market.

35 plus years of moto. I've never worn a knee brace. I've torn an ACL and a MCL at two different times but never broke a femur. I'm happy with my decision. 

I have torn both Acl”s over the years riding/ racing…One happened without a brace, the other with the braces on. This winter I said screw it, I”m just going to wear pads, which I did for several months…definitely less bulky and better feeling with bike grip….but….I just didn’t feel as confident without my braces on….been wearing Pods for over 15 years…so I went back to my braces…I know they won’t prevent all knee injuries but the physiological effects on me were great enough to go back to them….I”m riding more confident with them on now….

For me yes . I've had a bad knee for 45 years and can't ride without them and I have tried to . I do ride more freely without them but pay for it dearly later. 

They do nothing for rotational injuries. If you look at the slo-mo of Jett wrecking his knee you can see it's a twist that did him in.

Those who don’t even opt for a knee pad are wild! I can’t imagine doing that in the slightest.

I have no ACL’s, so they help me with stability, not as much a preventative thing. That’s just my experience though. 

For anyone that hasn’t found a comfortable fit, try the Mobius I tried on almost every brand and they were by far most comfortable I’m tall too. I’ve put 300 hours on mine in the last couple years and broke a strap and mobius sent me two for free.

Also Jett wears them as well but obviously alpinestars makes braces so he can’t really advertise that.

Been wearing knee braces since 2009 and I wear the Mobius braces currently because I'm used to them and like the fit/feel and added protection. But like others in here have said they will do nothing for rotational twisting. It's crazy how Asterisk braces have had that tether for years and nobody knew what it was for until Dave Castillo talked about it on that Whiskey throttle podcast a few years ago. I want to switch to the Asterisk carbon cells, but they are $800. 

I just ordered a set of these based on your recommendation. I’ve had the same old set of braces forever and keep rebuilding them. I love the feeling of no braces when I cruise around without them and these look to have decent protection.

Can I send you my doc bill if I blow my knee out the first time I wear them?

I wear Leatt C Frames after a bad knee hyperextension (which really sucked and I don't recommend to anyone).  I've never had another hyperextension issue since.  Never had an ACL/MCL injury before or after wearing knee braces. i wear mine because I don't ever want to hyperextend my knee again, ef that.  Never had an issue with broken femur or tib/fibs wearing knee braces.  I also don't have sticks for legs, got some meat on the bones to help with the forces applied (What a concept). 

I've been racing for 50 years, got my first brace in '85 from Innovation Sports (CTI), after the horse had bolted, on both knees, would NEVER ride without them now. Both knees are on my second set of artificial ti knees. Kickstarting 500 twostrokes did more damage than anything else.

From what I have seen, they potentially can save your knee at the expense of breaking your leg. I use MTB knee pads.