Manufacturers generally group knee braces into three main classifications, namely, a prophylactic brace, a functional brace or a rehabilitative brace.
(1) Prophylactic braceA Prophylactic brace is made up of a unilateral or bilateral brace and a pivot. It has been shown that a prophylactic brace may reduce anywhere from 10% up to 30% of the external forces applied onto such prophylactic brace (Martin, 2001). The prophylactic brace protects the knee by preventing excessive twists causing ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury. Athletics engaged in strenuous sports such as football players often use prophylactic braces because this knee brace offers enough rigidity to protect the knee joint and simultaneously does not intervene with the normal functions of the knee.
(2) Functional brace
A functional brace provides the knee with better flexibility. One often uses a functional brace after an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) operation (anywhere from 6 to 12 months) or if one has gonarthritis. A functional brace minimizes the rotation and displacement of the knee joint, and this allows for the recovery of the knee joint. The pivot restrains the over activity of the knee joint and thus prevents the knee from overuse. A functional brace further prevent the knee joint from settling in an incorrect posture and thus helps avoid the same injuries from occurring again.
(3) Rehabilitative brace
A rehabilitative brace protects the injured ligament and restricts activity before and after an operation of the knee joint. Specifically, a rehabilitative brace is usually used 4 to 8 weeks after a knee operation. A rehabilitative brace normally has a foam cushion to wrap up the thigh and a cushion to fix and limit both sides of the knee joint. A rehabilitative brace often comes with a pivot that is used to control the angle with crooked knee joint and also with a belt to fix the support position.