Knee problems are incredibly common, especially among athletes. A lot of martial artists wear an ACL brace in order to protect their knees while they are performing twisting or spinning motions. These braces support the ligaments in the knee and can help those who have a torn ACL to continue to practise their chosen sport.

Athletes who have a torn ACL and who opt not to have reconstructive surgery are essentially completely dependent on the ACL brace to fulfil the role of the ACL. If they have a damaged MCL or torn meniscus as well, then they could be at risk of some serious mobility problems later in life.

Preventing Damage

The sad truth is that many of the knee problems that young athletes face could be prevented if the athletes wore a knee brace before they suffered from an injury. Repeated twisting, jumping and diving can put a lot of stress on a person's joints. Wrestlers, judoka and even volleyball players that dive for the ball on a regular basis are putting themselves at risk of developing knee problems, but they could avoid a lot of those problems with the correct kind of knee brace.

Not all joint issues can be solved with a good knee brace. Dancers, gymnasts and karate practitioners that spend a lot of time performing kicks to the air (instead of having the impact of the kick absorbed by a pad) may stress their joints each time they kick hard and to full extension. This puts different forces on the joints to spinning or twisting, however, and any damage can usually be moderated through careful warm-ups, regular breaks and rest. Sudden trauma or the twisting of a weak joint are generally more harmful.

A good knee brace will support a joint that is put through lateral and twisting stress, however. In addition, if the brace is padded it can absorb some of the impact of dropping to one knee, such as the repetitive "shooting" motion performed by wrestlers. While not all competitions allow the use of solid braces, soft ones are usually permitted and can still offer a good amount of protection.

Prevention over Cure

Muscle damage tends to heal quite quickly, because muscles have good blood supply. The same cannot be said for tendons and ligaments. It can take many months for tendons and ligaments to heal properly, and if the tendon or ligament completely tears or detaches, then surgery may be required. This surgery can prevent someone from practising their sport for many months. Naturally, this is not a desirable outcome. Preventing the damage from occurring in the first place through sensible practice and the use of suitable supportive equipment makes sense and will prolong the careers of young athletes.