Are knee braces effective?

Knee braces may be worn to provide knee stability, prevent injury and protect the knee while healing from an injury or surgery. But are they really effective?

There are studies that suggest wearing a knee brace can help reduce knee pain and instability. However, there are also studies suggesting there are no clinical benefits to wearing knee supports. In order to assess the effectiveness of a knee brace, it’s important to consider the type of knee support in question. There are five general categories of knee braces: Prophylactic braces, functional braces, rehabilitative braces, unloader braces and knee sleeves.