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What is the purpose of a brace in physiotherapy?

Braces exist to support an existing joint. They help reduce the forces passing through an area and promote healing and bring further stability to a joint.

Supportive wear such as compression braces, compression leggings, and shorts can help with medical issues like lymphedema, post-surgical swelling, etc.

A knee brace for osteoarthritis
Tendonitis brace

When do you need a brace?

Injuries and medical conditions that lead to a loss of stability in a joint, or a muscle- such as:

  • Sports Injuries such as ligament tear, ankle sprains, ACL tear, etc.
  • For repetitive injuries such as tendonitis
  • Neurological conditions like stroke, spinal cord injuries- that lead to loss of function in a limb. For example, hand drop, foot drop, etc.
  • As recommended-by your physiotherapist.

When is a brace not recommended?

Conditions that are a result of a lack of mobility such as: 

  • Back pain (with some exceptions)– seriously, it’s too often that in our clinic we see a patient with an improperly prescribed back brace, or more frequently, a back brace they bought from amazon or shopper’s after googling their condition that has now led to a significant loss of function in their back.
  • Psychological considerations: Every time you put a patient in a joint, you should have a plan to get them out of it. We do not want patients to become solely reliant on the braces. Patients who are at high risk for becoming brace- dependent might not be good candidates!
  • Patient preference: Some of us just don’t like to wear a brace! In these cases, I have a comprehensive conversation with my patients about the pros and cons, and that not using a brace can lead to a longer recovery time; but personal preference is also important!

Is there a best brace?

Like clothes, more tailored and custom the braces are the better. There are generally three tiers of braces:

  1.  Over the counter/ amazon braces: while fairly cheap, they are rarely helpful because they are not made specific to the medical issue at hand.
  2. Custom measured braces: Braces that are prescribed and ordered for that specific medical condition. For example, ACL knee sprain requires a brace that stops the tibia moving into a specific direction. For most patients, this type of brace is enough to make a full recovery!
  3. Completely custom braces: These are molded based on patient’s limp. For severe arthritis, neurological conditions, fractures, these are recommended! 

We recommend you go with whatever your healthcare provider suggests!

In Summary

There is a whole wide world of braces out there; you should have a chat about whether or not a brace can help your condition with your physiotherapist or family doctor!

Our clinic carries custom measured and can provide fully custom braces. If you have a particular bracing need, please contact us!

About the author

Arjun Patel, PT, MScPT, MCPA is an orthopedic, neuro, and vestibular physiotherapist. He is the director of Blue Space Clinic Physiotherapy and sees complex cases on a daily basis. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the faculty of medicine at University of Toronto.

To learn more about Arjun and our clinic, click here!

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