Pro Riders and knee braces

akmx17
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akmx17
Are there any top pros out there not wearing braces or they pretty much a standard now?
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T-Fish
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T-Fish 2/7/2020 3:09am
2/7/2020 3:09am
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear braces, but wears pad like TP199.
RaceNorth726 2/7/2020 4:41am
2/7/2020 4:41am
Not sure about now but Justin Hill was wearing knee pads the past few years at least.
sandtrack315
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sandtrack315 2/7/2020 4:42am
2/7/2020 4:42am Edited Date/Time 2/7/2020 4:44am
akmx17 wrote:
Are there any top pros out there not wearing braces or they pretty much a standard now?
Not sure, but my guess is they go the way of the neck brace. There are solid studies in football players showing little benefit. Here is the meta analysis paper on them: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445064/

Conclusions:

Prophylactic bracing in American football has not consistently reduced MCL injuries. There remains a lack of evidence to support the routine use of prophylactic knee bracing in uninjured knees.
ML512
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ML512 2/7/2020 6:20am
2/7/2020 6:20am
T-Fish wrote:
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear...
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear braces, but wears pad like TP199.
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin doesn’t wear them. Neither did Windham or Pastrana, nor Webb.
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austin_bo
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austin_bo 2/7/2020 6:35am
2/7/2020 6:35am
I'd be surprised if there are pros not wearing them. I would guess that 95% of the A/B classes at my local track are wearing them, and pros can likely get them for free. Braces undoubtably prevent hyperextension, albeit at the cost of the femur, but there's nothing that says they'll prevent a twisting related injury. My feelings are that something is better than nothing. I asked my primary care physician to write a script so that insurance might chip in, but he simply said that there's not enough evidence that supports their effectiveness. Ironically, he could write a script if it was post-injury related.

Pastrana said he's tried them, but his knees are so mangled that he couldn't get any of them to fit right. Similarly, I'm so bowlegged I couldn't get anything to fit right either (hence why I went the dr. route for custom braces). I've since adopted the TLD/Shock doctor braces... definitely not a full blown brace, but they add some support.
WDSRCR
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WDSRCR 2/7/2020 6:54am
2/7/2020 6:54am
T-Fish wrote:
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear...
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear braces, but wears pad like TP199.
ML512 wrote:
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin...
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin doesn’t wear them. Neither did Windham or Pastrana, nor Webb.
Love him or hate him, Ryno really pushes against using them as well. I didn't wear them for nearly 20 years of racing but a couple years ago a windfall allowed me to get custom CTi's.

I don't think about them as much for internal knee protection but as a woods rider the knee cup has certainly saved me and the frame has taken hits that otherwise would have hurt like hell or possibly injured me.
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876moto
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876moto 2/7/2020 7:28am
2/7/2020 7:28am
austin_bo wrote:
I'd be surprised if there are pros not wearing them. I would guess that 95% of the A/B classes at my local track are wearing them...
I'd be surprised if there are pros not wearing them. I would guess that 95% of the A/B classes at my local track are wearing them, and pros can likely get them for free. Braces undoubtably prevent hyperextension, albeit at the cost of the femur, but there's nothing that says they'll prevent a twisting related injury. My feelings are that something is better than nothing. I asked my primary care physician to write a script so that insurance might chip in, but he simply said that there's not enough evidence that supports their effectiveness. Ironically, he could write a script if it was post-injury related.

Pastrana said he's tried them, but his knees are so mangled that he couldn't get any of them to fit right. Similarly, I'm so bowlegged I couldn't get anything to fit right either (hence why I went the dr. route for custom braces). I've since adopted the TLD/Shock doctor braces... definitely not a full blown brace, but they add some support.
Asterisks prevent twisting related injuries.
STLSharky
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STLSharky 2/7/2020 7:37am
2/7/2020 7:37am
akmx17 wrote:
Are there any top pros out there not wearing braces or they pretty much a standard now?
unproven and everyone still gets injuries with em so.....
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215
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215 2/7/2020 7:46am
2/7/2020 7:46am
I'm 6'2" and have never worn braces, only knee pads. Never had an issue either. I've always assumed that taller riders don't have as many knee issues as shorter riders. I'm not sure if it has to do with having their legs bent more often than all the way straight or what but it seems like a lot of the taller riders tend to opt for knee guards rather than braces.
TXDirt
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TXDirt 2/7/2020 8:03am
2/7/2020 8:03am
So many threads on the pros and cons of knee braces. And here we have another one....

A knee brace won’t prevent every type of knee injury. But it can help prevent some.

It’s like how wearing a helmet won’t prevent every concussion.

Now ask yourself. Would you race without a helmet?

Answer: No.

Did you know in some types of car crashes you can be injured or killed because of your seatbelt. Does that stop you from wearing a seatbelt? No.

So why would you ride/race without knee braces.

If you are not wearing knee braces now, you can bet you will after you trash your knee the first time.
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coastlinecascot 2/7/2020 8:05am
2/7/2020 8:05am
T-Fish wrote:
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear...
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear braces, but wears pad like TP199.
ML512 wrote:
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin...
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin doesn’t wear them. Neither did Windham or Pastrana, nor Webb.
WDSRCR wrote:
Love him or hate him, Ryno really pushes against using them as well. I didn't wear them for nearly 20 years of racing but a couple...
Love him or hate him, Ryno really pushes against using them as well. I didn't wear them for nearly 20 years of racing but a couple years ago a windfall allowed me to get custom CTi's.

I don't think about them as much for internal knee protection but as a woods rider the knee cup has certainly saved me and the frame has taken hits that otherwise would have hurt like hell or possibly injured me.
I took a rather large digger at the track. My knee brace frames took a major hit by my bike. Took a chunk out of the side of the frames. This would of been my leg.
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captmoto
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captmoto 2/7/2020 8:47am
2/7/2020 8:47am Edited Date/Time 2/7/2020 8:47am
I've been riding since 1972 so long before braces. I didn't wear them until 2018 just before I had a total knee replacement. I've never been blazing fast but have had some hellacious wrecks and never had a knee injury from riding. Lucky? Probably. I have Asterisk braces and they have a strap you attach to the top of your boot that clips to the brace. In theory if your foot gets twisted out it will pull your leg around with it to minimize twisting. I have some shin/knee guards in my bag and they feel really streamlined under my pants so once in a while I use them. It's certainly easy getting around the pits without the brace..
I did have a near fall where my boot hooked a rut and pulled my leg around giving me a nasty groin pull. I was purple from my crotch to my knee. Did the braces save me from a knee injury but wreck my groin? Don't think it would have mattered because that was the knee that was replaced.
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876moto
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876moto 2/7/2020 9:00am
2/7/2020 9:00am
sandtrack315 wrote:
Show us the data...
My apologies on the wording. "Asterisks prevent twisting"

Like captmoto, I have experienced more groin pulls and general hip stress since switching to using the tether. Tore my knee up in 2004, but since then I haven't had a knee injury.
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SmokinJoe439 2/7/2020 9:15am
2/7/2020 9:15am
I don't wear them never have and I don't think I ever will never had an issue with my knees.
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newmason
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newmason 2/7/2020 9:18am
2/7/2020 9:18am
Never worn knee braces, knee pads only and never had ACL issues
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Lightning78
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Lightning78 2/7/2020 9:53am
2/7/2020 9:53am
I only have a set of evs knee braces to help make gripping the bike easier bec I'm 6'3 and it did work well but lately on my 03 KX250 I feel like my legs are getting hung up and stuck in odd positions on the bike throwing my balance off so I'm planning on riding without them next time I ride and see if that changes. I would at least like a set of knee pads that will prevent hammering the insides of my knees bec that was a real problem before I got my knee braces
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YZed250
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YZed250 2/7/2020 10:15am
2/7/2020 10:15am
T-Fish wrote:
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear...
I swear someone was talking about this on a podcast within the last month or so. I’m pretty sure they said Cooper Webb does not wear braces, but wears pad like TP199.
ML512 wrote:
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin...
There was one I was on recently we talked about it, I think my last go on Pulp maybe. I brought it up because Jerry Robin doesn’t wear them. Neither did Windham or Pastrana, nor Webb.
WDSRCR wrote:
Love him or hate him, Ryno really pushes against using them as well. I didn't wear them for nearly 20 years of racing but a couple...
Love him or hate him, Ryno really pushes against using them as well. I didn't wear them for nearly 20 years of racing but a couple years ago a windfall allowed me to get custom CTi's.

I don't think about them as much for internal knee protection but as a woods rider the knee cup has certainly saved me and the frame has taken hits that otherwise would have hurt like hell or possibly injured me.
Love Ryno but don't follow his advice to ditch the braces. Mine wore out and I was slow to rebuild them. Worst move ever.
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xplane
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xplane 2/7/2020 6:18pm
2/7/2020 6:18pm Edited Date/Time 2/7/2020 6:21pm
The main argument about wearing knee braces is that they "might" make it easier to break your femur or tibia. But those bones are pretty strong so you still need a lot of force to break them. In other words, the knee brace probably doesn't make that scenario much more likely since by the time you are breaking either of those bones you have had a bad crash...knee brace or not.

My personal intuition is that knee braces are overall mostly useful to prevent unpleasant knee injuries in lighter crashes. They are like pads but on steroids, and probably give some protection to ligaments.

In hard crashes sometimes something has to give. The braces themselves are not THAT rigid. You might be surprised how much your knee could actually flex in a brace given ligament-threatening force.

In other words, you are likely better off wearing a knee brace. Pros all have access to people who have figured this out even if they themselves aren't that deep into the details.

Another important factor is knee injuries take notoriously long to heal and happen too much so the braces don't need to be that effective before it starts making sense to wear them given the relatively minor degree of incumbrance.
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50dippin
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50dippin 2/7/2020 10:46pm
2/7/2020 10:46pm
xplane wrote:
The main argument about wearing knee braces is that they "might" make it easier to break your femur or tibia. But those bones are pretty strong...
The main argument about wearing knee braces is that they "might" make it easier to break your femur or tibia. But those bones are pretty strong so you still need a lot of force to break them. In other words, the knee brace probably doesn't make that scenario much more likely since by the time you are breaking either of those bones you have had a bad crash...knee brace or not.

My personal intuition is that knee braces are overall mostly useful to prevent unpleasant knee injuries in lighter crashes. They are like pads but on steroids, and probably give some protection to ligaments.

In hard crashes sometimes something has to give. The braces themselves are not THAT rigid. You might be surprised how much your knee could actually flex in a brace given ligament-threatening force.

In other words, you are likely better off wearing a knee brace. Pros all have access to people who have figured this out even if they themselves aren't that deep into the details.

Another important factor is knee injuries take notoriously long to heal and happen too much so the braces don't need to be that effective before it starts making sense to wear them given the relatively minor degree of incumbrance.
My last knee injury occurred while wearing braces. Low sided and landed with my knee completely bent and my foot twisted ~90 degrees outwards. The straps from the brace blew apart with the impact, the velcro wasn't strong enough to handle the force and my knee completely twisted inside the brace.
I agree with you small impacts braces are great, but with larger forces not sure the 4 straps resting on moving skin are enough to prevent major injuries.
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nascarnate326 2/8/2020 12:58am
2/8/2020 12:58am
I take my chances and wear my braces every time I go on the track. So far my knees are one of the only thing that is trouble free.

My question is, why does moto hate safety gear these days?
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Three7one
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Three7one 2/9/2020 1:35pm
2/9/2020 1:35pm
xplane wrote:
The main argument about wearing knee braces is that they "might" make it easier to break your femur or tibia. But those bones are pretty strong...
The main argument about wearing knee braces is that they "might" make it easier to break your femur or tibia. But those bones are pretty strong so you still need a lot of force to break them. In other words, the knee brace probably doesn't make that scenario much more likely since by the time you are breaking either of those bones you have had a bad crash...knee brace or not.

My personal intuition is that knee braces are overall mostly useful to prevent unpleasant knee injuries in lighter crashes. They are like pads but on steroids, and probably give some protection to ligaments.

In hard crashes sometimes something has to give. The braces themselves are not THAT rigid. You might be surprised how much your knee could actually flex in a brace given ligament-threatening force.

In other words, you are likely better off wearing a knee brace. Pros all have access to people who have figured this out even if they themselves aren't that deep into the details.

Another important factor is knee injuries take notoriously long to heal and happen too much so the braces don't need to be that effective before it starts making sense to wear them given the relatively minor degree of incumbrance.
50dippin wrote:
My last knee injury occurred while wearing braces. Low sided and landed with my knee completely bent and my foot twisted ~90 degrees outwards. The straps...
My last knee injury occurred while wearing braces. Low sided and landed with my knee completely bent and my foot twisted ~90 degrees outwards. The straps from the brace blew apart with the impact, the velcro wasn't strong enough to handle the force and my knee completely twisted inside the brace.
I agree with you small impacts braces are great, but with larger forces not sure the 4 straps resting on moving skin are enough to prevent major injuries.
imagine what the injury would’ve been like without those straps reducing the twist even a minute amount...some force had to be absorbed to blow the straps...having said that, I don’t believe knee braces are an absolute must..every time I try to ride without mine on, I can maneuver a lot better on the bike but my knees are so bad the loss of stability just isn’t worth it for me.
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