ACL Bracing - Helping With Prevention, Protection & Healing | DJO Global
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Helping With Prevention, Protection & Healing
DonJoy pioneered the concept of functional knee bracing more than 30 years ago. Our first
prototypes were simple neoprene sleeves sewn together in the Carlsbad, Calif. garage of our
founders, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Line Captain Mark Nordquist and local lawyer Ken
Reed. Those first braces came from a deep understanding of the need for prevention,
protection and healing, and DonJoy has led the profession of performance ever since by
studying the body, listening to athletes, consulting physicians and pushing the envelope of
innovation.
Today, DonJoy braces are standard equipment for competitors in more than 44 countries. They
count on us to create world-class products, while medical professionals look to us for
unmatched service and in-depth education. The result—complete confidence for those who
wear DonJoy braces and for those who prescribe them.
About Bracing
The Perception
The overall perception of knee bracing technology available to most patients today is that
“everyday” knee braces can be unsightly, bulky, heavy, minimally effective, restrictive and
uncomfortable. These misconceptions combine to produce “brace anxiety” among many
patients, often preventing mainstream adoption and compliance of braces that can help
prevent injuries, allow people to remain active while healing, and protect the knee from future
injury.
The Reality
Patients are looking for quick, effective and economic options for maintaining or regaining
their life activities; most want to delay expensive, invasive surgeries. While some patients are
turning to the use of prescription narcotics (which can lead to addiction) and cortisone shots
to manage their pain, these treatment options do not provide stability to the knee.
Bracing
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2. About ACL Injury - The Facts
Young people between the ages of 15-25 account for half of all ACL injuries.
A person who has torn their ACL has a 15 times greater risk of a second ACL injury during the initial
12 months after ACL reconstruction , and risk of ACL injury to the opposite knee is two times that of
the restructured knee.
Many athletes don’t return to sport after ACL reconstruction due to fear of re-injury.
Learn more in our DonJoy ACL Infographic, and see how the 4-Points-of-Leverage frame design
provides significant strain reduction on the ACL, and how knee bracing increases patient confidence
after reconstruction.
The Smart, Simple Solution for Post-Injury
Why brace after ACL reconstruction? Clinicians will typically prescribe a functional knee brace after the
patient has regained full range of motion—that’s usually between three to five months after surgery.
Graft strength of the new ACL is considerably weaker than the native (original) ACL during the first 12
months, so a brace during this early period helps protect it from harmful forces that occur in everyday
life or in sport. Bracing also elevates a patient’s confidence, allowing them to return to their previous or
enhanced level of activity. Just look to athletes including Robert Griffin III, Tiger Woods, Adrian
Peterson, Tom Brady, Lindsey Vonn, Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning just to name a few. Another
important reason? Peace of mind. A functional knee brace provides not only confidence for the patient,
but confidence for the surgeon, knowing that their patient’s knee is protected.
The Smart, Simple Solution for Preventative Use
Given the physicality of football, it’s easy to understand why collegiate and professional linemen wear
braces on both knees. The line of scrimmage is an environment prone to knee injuries, so team doctors,
athletic trainers and coaches don’t hesitate to equip their players with bilateral (both knees) custom
braces. As with helmets and shoulder pads, knee braces have become standard equipment to assist in
preventing season-ending knee injuries. And the same logic holds true with skiing, snowboarding,
soccer, basketball, volleyball, professional rodeo, water sports and others. An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.
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Sized to perfection, Defiance is custom-
made, allowing a broad spectrum of knee
sizes to perform at exceptional levels.
The purpose of the FourcePoint hinge is to
train the knee to flex (increase flexion
angles) during cutting and jumping, which
A Bit About the Defiance Brace, Our Flagship Product
Defiance is the world’s leading custom knee brace. More than one-million have been prescribed to athletes of all shapes, sizes, ages and
genders.
From middle-school soccer players to elite professional athletes, Defiance is the brace athletes trust.
3. DonJoy bracing should not limit an athlete’s
ability at all; DonJoy is worn by many
athletes who’ve come back from injury and
win gold medals, Super Bowls, World Series
and collegiate national championships
A number of All-Pro and Super Bowl
quarterbacks in the NFL today wear the
Defiance knee brace because of a past
injury or for preventative reasons
DonJoy braces are worn by a majority of
collegiate and NFL teams
DonJoy braces are endorsed by the
Professional Football Athletic Trainers
Society
23 of the AP Top 25 trust DonJoy to protect
their athletes from ligament injuries
DonJoy is the official medical supplier for the
U.S. Ski and Snowboarding teams and Justin
Sportsmedicine (care team for professional
rodeo athletes)
1. Griffin LY, Albohm MJ, Arendt, EA, et al. Understanding and Preventing Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries: A Review of the Hunt Valley II Meeting, January 2005. American Journal of Sports
Medicine. 2006 34:9. 1512-1532.
2. Paterno MV. Paper #2. Presented AOSSM Annual Meeting; July 11-14, 2013; Chicago.
3. Wright RW, Magnussen RA, Dunn WR, Spindler KP, Ipsilateral Graft and Contralateral ACL Rupture at Five Years or More Following ACL Reconstruction. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Am.
2011;93:1159-1165.
4. Spindler et al. Return to High School and College-Level Football After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. Published online Aug. 24, 2012.
*Supporting studies for 4-Points-of-Leverage System
*Queen R, Butler RJ, Dai B, Garrett WE. Effects of Knee Extension Constraint Bracing on Lower Extremity Motion Patterns in Post–ACL Reconstruction Patients. Interim report of six and twelve month
data from the ongoing study, 2012.
*Yu B, Herman D, Preston J, Lu W, Kirkendall DT, Garrett WE. Immediate Effects of a Knee Brace with a Constraint to Knee Extension on Knee Kinematics and Ground Reaction Forces in a Stop–Jump
Task. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2004;32:1136–1143.
*Yu B. Training Effects of a Knee Extension Constraint Brace on Lower Extremity Motion Patterns and the Risk for Non-contact ACL Injury. Feagin Leadership Forum. Duke Sports Medicine Center, 2010.
*Boyi D, Butler R, Garrett WE, Queen R. Limb Asymmetries During a Side-Cutting Task in Adolescent Patients 6-12 Months Following ACL Reconstruction. Duke University, 2012.
**Supporting study for FourcePoint hinge
**Beynnon et al. 1992; Beynnon et al. 1995; Beynnon et al. 1997; Fleming et al. 2000.
Constructed of hollow carbon fiber,
Defiance has the greatest strength-to-
weight ratio of any knee brace on the
market, weighing less than 20 ounces.
Defiance features the 4-Points-of-
Leverage System, which is a clinically
tested* design that decreases ACL strain by
50%.
Another clinically tested technology**
featured on Defiance is the FourcePoint
hinge, which provides additional protection
from ligament injury.
in turn keeps the knee out of the at-risk
position, thus lessening the chance of
injury.
Defiance protects athletes, allowing them
to move with full range of motion,
offering no limitations for a host of activity
levels.
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