Knee braces at the age of 14?

[ChelsaR]

Is it safe to get knee braces for a 14-year-old boy? My son who is a good player but he's getting injured frequently. I don't know whether this is related to his bone strength or immunity. As a mom, I'm concerned about his health but I don't want to spoil his career as well. When I discussed this problem with our family doctor, he suggested me to get him branded knee braces and ankle braces ( http://dynamicphysiotherapy.ca/products/braces/ ) to avoid unnecessary injuries. Is it safe to get such braces at this age? Do they have any difficulties? Kindly share your thoughts. Thank you in advance.

[aalan]

I don't feel like I'm the best person to comment on this, but didn't want to let it sit alone either.

I'd be cautious about using braces preventatively. My rough understanding is that you're going to weaken the joints if they don't have to work for themselves. I will use braces during a recovery period only. (Obviously there are some people who need braces full time.)

You might want to think about talking to a sports specialist rather than a family doctor for their advice.

I'm sure you can get a long list of potential recommendations. I personally use http://www.theurbanathlete.ca/ and have heard positive things about http://pivotsmo.com/

[lime]

Also not scientific basis here, but I think maybe find a way to strength train the core and lower body? I've a friend who I met in highschool and to this day she wears hard plastic braces on both ankles whenever she plays sports... I think it's because her body just grew to rely on it and she never did any balance exercises or anything.

Also at 14, these may be growing pains that just go away after the body catches up.

[lesterkeller]

They recently found that wearing braces actually weakens the knee over time. Wearing one if you don't have knee problems is very bad.

[david.ip]

Should definitely see a chiropractor. Most likely he is not activating the proper muscles which has caused him to compensate for this by using his knee instead.

A chiropractor would be able to diagnose and to help with teaching the proper motions to reduce future injuries.