Myth 1: Braces Are Only for Athletes

The Truth: Knee braces are for anyone who wants to stay active or manage knee pain, regardless of age or activity level. Knee braces can help manage arthritis, allowing you to do the things you loved before knee pain. They can also be used to support the knee during physical activities, making you feel more confident with each stride.

Myth 2: Knee Braces Weaken Your Muscles

The Truth: A properly fitted knee brace supports your joint; it does not replace the muscles around it. The knee brace will help by lessening the physical demand and on your knee, allowing you to move more comfortably while you recover.

Myth 3: Knee Braces Are Always Uncomfortable

The Truth: Modern braces are designed in away to give maximum support, while still being comfortable. Comfort comes down to the fit and function of the brace. Off the shelf braces are readily available in many sizes and styles. However, a custom brace can provide an even better fit, and therefore comfort, allowing you to keep doing what you love.

Myth 4: A knee Brace Will Prevent All Injuries

The Truth: While braces can lower your risk of certain injuries, they are not a shield. No brace, even custom ones can guarantee you won’t get injured. However, they can provide, support, reduce strain and there for boost your confidence. Pairing a brace with properly fitted shoes meant for the activity can help you stay safe, but active.

Myth 5: You Only Need a Brace for Serious Injury

The Truth: You do not have to wait until you are in extreme pain. Knee braces can be used to help with minor joint stiffness to chronic conditions, like osteoarthritis. In fact, the sooner you address the misalignment or instability, the better the chances are of preventing further damage or injury.

Visit a BioPed Clinic Near You

It can be overwhelming at times to navigate the information on the internet about knee bracing. However, at BioPed, our goal is to help you find the best fit, so you can keep doing more of what you love!

The post The Top 5 Myths about Knee Bracing – Debunked! appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

Why Use a Knee Brace

Knee braces aren’t just for injuries. Knee braces can help to manage discomfort, prevent further injuries and reduce strain on the joint. If you have experienced any of the following, it maybe time to consider a knee brace:

• Instability when changing directions quickly for example, pivoting to catch the ball
• Pain during or after the activity
• Past injuries such as meniscus tears, or ACL injuries
• Overuse issues like runner’s knee

Types of Knee Braces

At BioPed, our clinicians will take the time to understand your movement patterns and pain before recommending a brace, because not all braces will work for everyone. Different pain and different activities may require different styles of braces. Here is how different braces can help with your unique pain.

1. Compression Sleeves: These knee braces provide mild compression around the knee, are less bulky and are used for mild pain, instability and swelling.
2. Hinged Braces: These braces are made unique to you and are excellent at addressing very specific challenges. They are protective for sports that have lateral movements, such as soccer or basketball.
3. Patellar Straps or Bands: These are small bands that fit right below the kneecap and apply light pressure to help reduce strain during repetitive motion. These are ideal braces for runners. They are slim and do not add bulk.
4. Custom Knee Braces: These tend to be used for serious injuries. a BioPed clinician would measure you, and a brace would be made for your exact measurements. The BioPed clinician would consider your body type, the activities you plan to do and the severity and location of injury to help make the ideal brace for you.

What Else Can You Do Besides Knee Bracing?

A knee brace will be quite helpful and can be paired with other strategies to improve your health.

Below are tips for helping you stay active:

• Warm Up: Prior to playing, take a few minutes to warm up your muscles and joints. Do some stretches. Never go into a game with cold muscles, you increase the chance of injury.
• Strengthen Your Muscles: Stability in joints starts with strong muscles and ligaments. Strength training or physiotherapy can help to build muscle around the joints to help stabilize them. For the knee that includes the hips, hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteal muscles.
• Recover Properly: Don’t skip the cool down. Also, remember ice, rest, and compression after a workout can help your knees recover faster.
• Check Your Shoes: Proper footwear is key to having the correct foot alignment. Old or unsupportive shoes do not support the foot, which in turn supports the rest of the leg.

Whether you are a weekend warrior or train regularly, knee pain doesn’t have to mean the end of your sports journey. With the right support, such as proper shoes and a knee brace, combined with smart training habits, you can stay active and do more of what you love. Don’t let your knees hold you back!

The post Staying In the Game with Less Discomfort: How Knee Braces Can Help appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

What Causes the Popping Sound?

Knee popping or crepitus, can happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s completely harmless, while other times, it may signal underlying issues. Here are some causes of knee popping:

• Cartilage Wear and Tear: Over time, the cartilage that is meant to cushion your joint can wear down, especially if you’ve had a past injury or live an active lifestyle. This can lead to more noticeable “popping” and, in some cases discomfort.
• Meniscus Injury: The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that acts to absorb shock in your knee. If it is damaged, you may hear popping along with experiencing pain, swelling, or feeling like your knee is locking up.
• Ligament or Tendon Movement: As you move your knee, tight tendons or ligaments may shift slightly over the bones creating a “popping” sound. This is often harmless and usually, there is no pain associated with this movement.
• Gas Bubbles: Your joints contain fluid that helps lubricate the joint. When gas bubbles form and then pop within the fluid, you will hear a popping sound. This type of popping is usually harmless and also painless.

Should I Be Worried About Knee Popping?

Knee popping on its own is not always a cause for concern. However, if you experience any of the following along with the popping sound it may be time to consult a healthcare professional.

• Swelling or pain
• Locking or catching when moving
• Difficulty walking or bending your knee
• Instability or giving away

These symptoms could indicate more serious issues like a ligament/tendon injury, meniscus tear or arthritis.

How Can a Knee Brace Help?

While bracing won’t stop the popping sound, it can help with:

• Stability: If your knee feels weak, or prone to give away, a brace can provide extra support to keep it steady.
• Injury Prevention: For those who have experienced previous knee injuries, a brace can offer added protection during activities, which can reduce the risk of re-injury.
• Pain Relief: Certain braces help to offload pressure from specific areas of the knee, which can reduce discomfort caused by arthritis or overuse.

Tips to Keep Your Knees Happy

Along with using a knee brace, here are some simple things you can do to keep your knees happy and keep you doing more in life:

1. Maintain a healthy weight: Extra weight can put additional stress on your knees. Even a small weight change can have a big impact.
2. Warm-Up Before Activities: Taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up the muscles before exercise can help protect your knees from injury.
3. Strengthen Your Muscles: Strong muscles around the knees help to support the joint and reduce strain.
4. Listen to Your Body: If your knees are telling you to slow down, take a break. Rest is just as important as the activity.
5. Consider Custom Orthotics: Sometimes, knee pain is directly linked to foot alignment. A BioPed clinician can assess if custom orthotics can improve your alignment and reduce knee strain.

Visit a Clinic Today

If knee popping is accompanied by pain, swelling, or instability, do not ignore it! Your knees are designed to move. Taking steps to care for your knees today can help you do more in life tomorrow.

The post Is Your Knee Popping? Here’s What It Means and How to Find Relief appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

When to Use Cold Therapy (Ice)

Cold therapy is a go-to option for most knee injuries, especially in the early stages. Ice is the best option if your knee feels swollen, inflamed, or bruised. Cold therapy works by reducing/slowing blood flow to the injured area, which helps to minimize swelling and numbs the pain receptors.

When to use ice:

• Immediately after injury: For the first 48 hours, apply ice to reduce swelling and decrease pain.
• After physical activity: If your knee tends to swell after a workout or long walk, ice can help calm the inflammation.

How to apply ice:

• Use an ice pack or bag of frozen veggies wrapped in a cloth.
• Never apply ice directly to the skin to avoid frostbite (skin injury).
• Apply it to the knee for 15-20 minutes at a time, on and off for the first 48 hours.

If you experience swelling in the knees often, consider using a cold therapy wrap that secures around the knee. These wraps are convenient for keeping ice in place while you stay mobile.

When to Use Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is most effective for chronic knee pain or stiffness, particularly once the initial swelling has subsided. Heat increases blood flow, which can help relax tight muscles and joints.

When to use heat:

• After the swelling has gone down: Once your knee is no longer swollen, heat can help loosen tight muscles and improve mobility.
• For chronic conditions: If you have ongoing knee stiffness/ arthritis, heat therapy can be helpful as a daily routine.

How to apply heat:

• Use a heating pad, heat wrap, or warm towel.
• Apply it for 15-20 minutes at a time.
• Ensure the heat source is warm, not hot, to avoid burns.

A moist heat pad can be more effective than dry heat. You can create your own by dampening a towel and microwaving it for a few seconds.

Alternating Hot and Cold Therapy

For some knee injuries, alternating between hot and cold therapy can be beneficial. This is known as contrast therapy and can help improve circulation and reduce stiffness.

How to do contrast therapy:

• Apply cold therapy for 15-20 minutes.
• Follow with heat therapy for another 15-20 minutes.
• Repeat this cycle a couple of times a day.

Contrast therapy can be especially helpful for post-workout recovery or managing chronic knee pain.

Additional Tips for Knee Recovery

Here are a few tips to help you recover faster and get back to doing more:

• Rest, but don’t stop moving completely: Gentle movements, a light walk, or stretching, can help to prevent stiffness.
• Elevate your knee: Keep your knee elevated, especially in the first few days after injury to help reduce the swelling.
• Strengthen supporting muscles: Once you have recovered from the initial injury, strengthening exercises for your hamstrings, quads and calves can help prevent future injuries.

When to Seek Professional Help

While home remedies like hot and cold therapy are a great start, some knee injuries require a professional assessment. If you experience any of the following:

• Persistent pain lasting more than a few days.
• Knee instability or feeling like your knee might give out.
• Swelling that does not improve.
• Difficulty bearing weight on the injured leg.

You may require help from one of our BioPed clinicians. Our clinicians can recommend products like knee braces to provide added support and stability, strengthening exercises, or custom orthotics to improve your overall alignment and reduce strain on the knee.

The post Is the best Recover from a Knee Injury Heat or Ice? appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

Understanding Knee Pain

Knee pain is the discomfort or pain around or in your knee joint. The knee is the biggest joint you have in your body. It helps to support and absorb the weight of your upper body when you move. Knee pain can fluctuate throughout the day or from day-to-day depending on your activity level. Common causes of knee pain are:

• Injuries (old or new): sprains, tears in ligaments/meniscus, or dislocations
• Arthritis: inflammation, swelling and stiffness in the joint
• Overuse: tendinitis, bursitis, or patellofemoral pain (runner’s knee)

Regardless of the cause, knee pain can make you feel achy, stiff and unstable on your feet. The good news? There are solutions that can help you feel more supported.

How Bracing Can Help

One of the most effective ways to manage knee pain is to use a knee brace. Knee braces are designed to provide extra support for the weakened or injured knee, by reducing pressure on the painful areas and providing stability. They provide support by keeping the correct alignment of the knee. There are many different styles, some use rigid materials, others use soft materials with compression, so finding the right one for your specific needs is key. This is where a BioPed clinician can really make a difference. BioPed clinicians are specialist in the lower limbs, and can assess your knee pain, and recommend the best brace for your unique situation.

Tips For Helping with Knee Pain

In addition to bracing, here are some practical tips you can use to manage your knee pain at home:

1. The R.I.C.E Method: this method should be used immediately after injury/trauma
   1. Rest: Minimize physical activity to allow for healing.
   2. Ice: apply ice to the injury for about 15–20-minutes every hour the first day of injury (never apply ice directly to the skin, always have a barrier between the ice and the skin).
   3. Compression: compression wraps help to reduce knee swelling to the knee.
   4. Elevation: prop up your leg on some pillows and keep it at a height above your heart to help minimize swelling.
2. Stay Active: gentle activities such as walking, biking or swimming can keep your joints moving while not putting stress on them
3. Strengthen the Tendons and Muscles: focusing on strengthening the muscles and tendons around the knee can significantly reduce the pain you feel in your knee
4. Watch Your Weight: extra weight adds pressure to your knees. Maintaining a healthy weight can relieve strain and reduce pain over time.
5. Custom Orthotics: sometimes knee pain can be caused by poor foot alignment, and orthotics can help reduce knee pain placing the foot in a neutral position.

Find a Clinic Near You

Remember, knee pain does not have to keep you on the sidelines. With the correct brace, personalized support from a BioPed clinician, and some simple at-home techniques, you can manage your knee pain and get back to doing more of what you love!

The post Managing Knee Pain with Bracing appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

How Does Bracing Work?

No matter if you are playing soccer, basketball, running, or hiking, the sudden burst of activity can stress your body, especially if you spend most of your time in a sedentary position, such as an office desk job, or working from home. This abrupt transition to high intensity activity can often lead to conditions like sprains, strains, and overuse injuries. Bracing can provide support and stability to your joints and muscles, reducing the risk of injury and helping you to manage existing conditions. So how does bracing work? Bracing works because of the combination of rigid and soft materials working together. The soft material can provide some mild compression, reducing inflammation and fluid accumulation.  They offset pressure and support mobility, while the rigid materials control movement of the joints and provide protection. Bracing helps to maintain the proper joint alignment, promoting stability of the joint and controlled movement. Braces can be used to improve range of motion, prevent instability, avoid hyperextension, and enhance mobility in degenerative diseases like arthritis.

Tips for Choosing and Using a Brace

1. Identify your needs: determine what area of your body would benefit from the use of support and what type of activities you will be doing. This will help you chose the right type of brace. For example, if you are finding your knee swells after a long run, a sleeve brace may be beneficial to help reduce swelling.
2. Proper fit: ensure the brace fits well. It should be snug but not too tight where it is uncomfortable. A poorly fitting brace can do more harm than good.
3. Consistency: wearing the brace during each activity will provide the maximum benefit. Put the brace on before you play and wear it until you finish, even if you are not feeling achy when you start. The idea is to keep you from getting injured.
4. Combine with other strategies: bracing is only one component in the prevention and management of injury. Stretching and strengthening exercises along with proper footwear are all apart of the prevention and management of injury strategy and should be incorporated into your daily routine. Warm-up and cool downs are helping to prepare your muscles and joints for exercise and aids in recovery afterwards. Listening to your body and not pushing through pain. If you are experiencing pain and discomfort, take a break and assess the situation. It is better to rest and recover than risk a more severe injury. Staying hydrated is crucial for maintaining joint and muscle health. Make sure you are drinking enough water before, during and after the activity.

While over-the-counter braces can be helpful, sometimes you need a professional to guide you to ensure you are using the correct brace for your specific needs. This is where BioPed Clinicians can be invaluable. They can assess your condition, consider your activity level, and recommend the best bracing option for you. They will be able to address the underlying biomechanical issues contributing to your discomfort.

At BioPed, we are dedicated to helping you do more in life. Whether you need a brace, footwear, custom orthotics, compression socks or expert advise, we are here to support you. Our goal is to help you stay active and enjoy your activities to the fullest, without being sidelined by injuries. Remember, the right brace can make a significant difference in your performance and comfort. Don’t let pain or fear of injury hold you back, embrace the weekend warrior in you, and let us help you stay in the game!

The post Weekend athlete? Consider bracing to get you through the game appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

When standing, the body is a closed kinetic chain, meaning what happens in the feet can affect the ankles, knees, hips and back.  If the feet are abnormally positioned or their alignment is off, the rest of the body could suffer.  Let’s investigate lower body issues that could benefit from a pair of orthotics!

Ankle Pain

Overpronation is usually associated with a flat foot type and over supination with a high arched foot.  Both foot types can cause increased strain or compression on the structures surrounding the ankle joint.  Ankle joint instability is a common issue encountered at BioPed Footcare.  It can be a result of weakness around the ankle or a history of frequent ankle sprains.

Knee Pain

The position of the heel plays an important role in the alignment of the rest of the lower body, including the knees.  Foot pronation will put more strain on the inside or medial structures of the knee including tendons and ligaments.  Supination reduces the amount of motion in the foot, which reduces the amount of shock that can be absorbed with impact.

Hip Pain

Bursitis and arthritis are common issues that affect the hip joint. Bursitis develops when a fluid-filled sack around the joint called a bursa becomes inflamed.  Bursae cushion the bones, tendons and muscles around your joints and can become inflamed when overused or an injury occurs.  Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of the cushioning cartilage in the joint.

Lower Back Pain

Pain in the lower back is a common struggle for many people.  Back pain can cause us to adjust our gait in order to move about more comfortably, causing a domino effect in our body’s closed kinetic chain.   On the flip side, overpronation and hypermobility in the feet increases internal rotation of the legs and excessive supination decreases range of motion in the feet, leading to more impact travelling up the body to the lower back.

Come See Us

At BioPed Footcare, we are skilled at making custom orthotics, however an over-the-counter insole could also help achieve your goals!  Kneed insoles are a particular brand carried at BioPed and come in a variety of styles to suit your sport/activity and your needs.  They are well made with some flexibility and will fit the shoes you love.  Kneed insoles can produce great results!  Like custom orthotics, over-the-counter insoles can also be modified to better suit the wearer.

If you are suffering with foot, ankle, knee, hip or back pain and discomfort, give your local BioPed a call to make an appointment with one of our lower limb clinicians.  We have treatment options for you including orthotics, footwear, and bracing.  The joints in our bodies are connected, your treatment plan ought to be as well!

The post Determining when you Knee’d support appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

The post Have weekly soccer games got your knees aching daily? appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

The post Over the counter vs Custom fit – which is best for Knee Bracing? appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

The post What is a Pedorthist and why should you consider seeing one? appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.