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- $Unique_ID{BRK00090}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Knee Braces and Injury Prevention}
- $Subject{kneebrace football injury Musculoskeletal System Connective Tissue
- Knee knees Brace Braces accidents ankle foot anterior cruciate ligament ACL
- kneebraces accident ankles feet}
- $Volume{M-17, O-17}
- $Log{
- Anatomy of the Knee*0006601.scf
- Anatomy of the Knee Ligaments*0015501.scf
- Anatomy of the Ankle and Knee*0016901.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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-
- Knee Braces and Football Injury Prevention
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-
- QUESTION: I like to play an occasional game of weekend football, but don't
- want to take the chance of hurting my knees. Are knee braces any good to
- prevent injury?
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- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ANSWER: The kind of prophylactic knee braces worn by athletes to prevent
- injuries--not the kind that are used to protect injured knees or support weak
- knees--may not only be ineffective, they may even be harmful.
- A recent study showed four to five times more of certain types of
- injuries among athletes who wore knee braces than among those who did not. It
- appears that the stress is transmitted by the braced knee to injure the ankle
- and foot. The braces also do not appear to be effective in preventing tears
- of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the most common type of knee injury
- among football players.
- However, some experts believe that the braces do protect the knee from a
- blow to the outside. And although there is disagreement about bracing normal
- healthy knees, most sports physicians agree that it is important to brace an
- injured or unstable knee.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-