How to choose a sports caliper of a knee: advice and feedback

Active lifestyle and sport enthusiasts benefit the whole body. But, unfortunately, such an energetic existence rarely does without injuries. During employment by mobile kinds of sports the greatest physical loading is necessary on knee joints. As a result of sudden movements, shocks, falls, excessive twisting or unbending, knee injuries occur that force the intensity of the exercise to be reduced or the training to be completely interrupted.

Especially to protect against possible damage, the caliper of the knee is developed, which helps to fix the joint additionally during physical exertion, thereby preventing any dislocations, sprains, sprains or ligaments. The bandage not only helps to prevent possible injuries, but is also often used during treatment and rehabilitation of athletes after serious knee joint injuries. Let's consider in more detail what the support of the knee is, what it is designed for.

Operating principle

The caliper is specially designed to protect against damage during active sports. It reliably and gently fixes the joint, additionally supports excessively loaded and tired muscles, while maintaining good mobility and not interfering with circulation of blood in the limbs. The support helps to reduce the load on the knee with sharp accelerations, bends, jumps, which are inherent in many gaming or other sports (volleyball, basketball, football, handball, pioneerball, martial arts, etc.).

The knee brace is a good protection of the joint and hamstrings at serious loads in bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting. The support reduces the likelihood of stretching the muscles, damaging the meniscus and ligaments. It helps not only protect yourself from injuries, but also increases the effectiveness of training, creating an additional shock effect during exercise.

The support of the knee sports facilitates the full operation of the joint with intensive physical exertion. It has an excellent warming effect, causing an active flow of blood to the articulation. Thanks to this principle of influence, the working capacity of the muscles increases, the flexibility and elasticity of the ligaments increase, pain and fatigue are reduced in case of excessive physical exertion. If you are actively involved in sports, the support can help support your knees in a healthy state for many years.

Benefit

The sports bandage keeps the mobility of the knee joint, without limiting the freedom of movement during active physical activities. The use of a support can help you improve the efficiency of your workout, avoiding the negative consequences of excessive workload. The accumulated bandage brings tangible benefits, as it allows:

• Reduce pain;
• Reduce muscle tension and fatigue;
• Remove part of the load from the knee joint;
• Reduce puffiness;
• Protect the knee from injury and damage;
• Improve the performance of muscles and ligaments;
• Increase knee flexibility.

Wear the support of the knee during intensive training or competitive events. This will allow you to improve your athletic performance by protecting the knee joint from possible damage. In training days with the usual load it is recommended to do without the use of a knee brace, so that the muscles and joints receive a full physical examination.

Contraindications

The knee brace is a perfect protection of a healthy joint from possible damage. When purchasing a support, remember that this is an auxiliary tool with active loads. The constant wearing of the bandage negatively affects the work of a healthy knee joint. As a result of abuse, there is a weakening of the muscles, joints and ligaments. In addition, there are no special prohibitions on wearing knee pads. It is not recommended to wear the caliper of the calf when:

• Allergies to the bandage material;
• Skin diseases;
• Inflammation of the joint, when thermal procedures are prohibited;
• Diseases of the veins of the lower extremities.

If the caliper is used to rehabilitate the knee after serious injuries (ruptures of the tendons and joints, displacement of the patella, dislocations, etc.), it is necessary to consult with your doctor before use. Remember that the caliper does not cure the injury. He is only able to ease the pain in the injured knee and stop further violations. Use the bandage as a supplement to the main treatment and during rehabilitation after trauma or surgery.

What kinds of supports are there?

In the sports goods market, there is a large assortment of supports, subdivided according to their functionality and the degree of fixation. For the production of bandages, various materials are used: elastic fabrics, plastic, metal parts and fasteners, Velcro, regulators, hinges. The sport knee support is divided into the following categories: soft, semi-rigid, rigid. Let's consider each kind of knee braces in more detail.

Soft calipers

This category includes all kinds of bandages made from dense elastic fabric. The main purpose is to prevent diseases and reduce the load on the knee during sports. Soft support of the knee, reviews confirm this fact, well stimulates blood circulation, reduces pain during inflammation, reduces swelling.

A completely soft knee helps to reduce physical stress during running or while doing strength exercises, but it will not save you from injuries if you fall. If your sports involve a high risk of getting a knee injury, then choose an elastic model with an additional seal on the joint.

Semi-rigid calipers

In this category are collected all the models that somehow limit the functionality of the knee joint. They are designed in such a way that, without allowing undesirable movements, to protect and stabilize the knee, while allowing permissible actions.

These calipers are more complex than soft ones. The elastic material of the models is supplemented with various fasteners, adjusters, hinges, side tires depending on the intended purpose. Semi-rigid products are recommended for wearing during the recovery period after minor or moderate injuries, with exacerbation of joint diseases or chronic knee instability. The most popular model for such cases is the caliper of the LP 708, developed by the world leader in sports goods LP Support.

Rigid calipers

Calipers with rigid fixation are designed for recovery after a serious injury or operation. Such models almost completely limit the mobility of the knee joint in order to allow the damaged tissues to recover. The design has stiffeners, hinged volume controllers and retractable tires. Rigid calipers allow you to limit the amplitude of limb movement with the possibility of increasing it as you recover.

Choosing a knee bandage, you must first determine its purpose, and then choose the type of knee. If you want to buy a model for sports, with the knees not injured, then the product from the category of soft supports. In all other cases, you should consult your doctor before buying.

Material of manufacture

The caliper is made of various materials, which provide excellent dynamic protection and compression during sports. The manufacturers pay special attention to air permeability and the ability of the tissue to drain away moisture in order to provide maximum comfort and convenience when using athletic knee pads. In the manufacture of supports, the following are mainly used:

• Nylon, polyester, elastane and other synthetic fibers are strong materials that are resistant to rupture and abrasion. They have good elasticity, do not crumple, keep a good shape, have a light weight, but poorly absorb moisture.
• Neoprene is a rubber cloth with microscopic holes, which is used to increase the thermal insulation of the support. Most often it is used as an inner layer of the knee to provide air permeability and flexibility of the bandage, while increasing the warming effect.
• Cotton and other natural fibers knitted. It is used for the manufacture of inner layers of the support to ensure a good absorbency of moisture and air permeability of the knee. The main disadvantages are easy to wrinkle, wear out quickly and lose shape.

The use of this or that material in the manufacture depends on the functional purpose of the knee brace. The most durable in the sock are products made of synthetic fibers, but they do not pass air and moisture. Natural materials have good absorbency and air permeability, are more pleasant for the body, but wear out quickly, tear and lose shape. When choosing a caliper, be sure to pay attention to the composition of the material of manufacture, which is indicated on the product label, in order to understand how comfortable and comfortable to wear the knee.

How to choose a caliper caliper in size?

When choosing a caliper, it is important to correctly determine the size, so that the model is well-fitting knee, without interfering with the circulation of blood in the lower limb. To do this, measure the circumference of the lower part of the thigh with a centimeter tape. Note that the length of the caliper depends on the volume of the caliper - the bigger it is, the longer the bandage. In the stores knee pads are presented in four sizes, broken according to the parameters of the circumference of the lower thigh: S - 33-35 cm, M - 36-38 cm, L - 38-42 cm, XL - 42-46 cm. When choosing the right size, be sure to try on product.

Manufacturers

Many manufacturers of sports goods are developing their own technology for the production of caliper calipers. The most famous on the Russian market is the American company LP Support, which produces sports goods under the brand name LP. It specializes exclusively in the manufacture of sports medicine products and technical means of protection.

Jowners is a voluntary association of manufacturers and distributors, jointly producing sports products under the Torres brand. The support of the knee of this trademark won the popularity of Russian athletes with its affordable price and high quality. Branded products have a great reputation: Pharmacels, Mueller, Cramer, Medi, MedSpecs, ASO, OPPO, Push-Braces, produced by companies specializing in the production of sporting goods or orthopedic protective equipment.

Price

On average, the price of the knee brace varies from 200 to 7,000 rubles. Simpler models made of synthetic materials, designed to reduce the load during sports, will cost up to 2,000 rubles. Knee pads of more complex construction - over 2,000 rubles. According to numerous positive feedback from users, the best price-quality ratio is the support of the LP knee.

In the article, we examined in detail how to choose the support of the knee correctly, what kinds of protection are available and what to look for when buying. The knee bandage is an excellent assistant for active sports. If the model is chosen well, the support will last you a long time, it will be comfortable when used and will perfectly fulfill its function.