If you walk with knee arthritis, you can choose from three kinds of support: a strapped wrap, a side-stabilized brace and a hinged brace.
For a first brace with no stabilizer bars, start with the Bracoo compression wrap. It fits either leg.
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The three kinds of support:
- Bracoo Adjustable Compression Knee Sleeve: a strapped neoprene wrap with an opening over the kneecap. The pick for a simple first brace.
- Galvaran Knee Brace With Side Stabilizers: a brace with four stabilizer bars at the sides.
- NEENCA Hinged Knee Brace: a hinged brace with removable stabilizers on both sides.
Bracoo Adjustable Compression Knee Sleeve
Walkers who want a strapped neoprene wrap with no stabilizer bars.
Bracoo Compression Knee Sleeve, Open-Patella
Neoprene wrap, open-patella design, stabilizer ring
Adjustable straps, knees 12.5 to 18 inches around
Look up your size and the price on Amazon
It is an open-patella wrap: neoprene with a gap over the kneecap and a reinforced ring around it. Bracoo says the straps attach at almost any point on the outside, to keep the wrap from slipping.
- Made for
- Either knee: one size for knees 12.5 to 18 inches around
- Unsuited to
- Walkers who want stabilizer bars at the sides: it has none; Galvaran and NEENCA both do
Galvaran Knee Brace With Side Stabilizers
Walkers who want stabilizer bars built into both sides of the brace.
Galvaran Knee Brace, Side Stabilizers
Neoprene blend, 4 side stabilizers
2 gel pads, 5 sizes by thigh measurement
Look up your size and the price on Amazon
It has four side stabilizers and two gel pads. Galvaran says V-shaped bands add compression around the kneecap.
- Made for
- Size range: five sizes by thigh measurement
- Also think about
- Bracoo, if a one-size wrap fits you
NEENCA Hinged Knee Brace
Walkers who want a hinge and straps they adjust separately at the top and bottom.
NEENCA Hinged Knee Brace, Open Patella
Hinged design, removable side stabilizers
Open patella and back, top and bottom straps
Look up your size and the price on Amazon
This is a hinged knee brace with an open patella, an open back and a gel pad around the kneecap opening. Its side stabilizers come off.
Two hook-and-loop straps, one at the top and one at the bottom, each adjust.
- Made for
- Removable stabilizers: the side stabilizers come off
- Unsuited to
- Walkers who want a choice of sizes: Galvaran offers five
What the guideline and the evidence review found
The American College of Rheumatology rates knee bracing by where the arthritis is. Its 2019 guideline, by Kolasinski and colleagues, made these calls:
- Strong recommendation: a tibiofemoral brace, one made for that joint, for osteoarthritis at the main joint between the thigh and shin bones. Cane use got the same rating.
- Conditional recommendation: a patellofemoral brace, for osteoarthritis behind the kneecap.
Duivenvoorden and colleagues reviewed the evidence for Cochrane. Their 2015 review of knee braces, insoles and shoes covered 13 studies and 1,356 people.
Of the trials comparing a brace with no treatment, only one gave usable data, in 117 people. The evidence was rated low quality.
That trial showed no evidence of an effect on pain, function or quality of life after 12 months.
Neither result points to a specific product. The guideline rates brace types by where the arthritis sits in the knee, not brands. The Cochrane review found the evidence for bracing itself weak.
Which part of your knee is affected is a question for a doctor or physical therapist, not a listing.
Choosing between a wrap, side stabilizers and a hinge
Four things separate these three: sizing, stabilizers, a hinge and how the straps fasten.
- Sizing: Galvaran comes in five sizes by thigh measurement. Bracoo is one size for knees 12.5 to 18 inches around. NEENCA gives no size range.
- Stabilizers: Galvaran has four at the sides. NEENCA has them on both sides, and they come off. Bracoo has no side stabilizers, only a stabilizer ring around the kneecap opening.
- Hinge: only NEENCA has one.
- Straps: NEENCA adjusts at the top and bottom separately, and Bracoo’s straps attach at almost any point.
Worth paying for
- A choice of sizes, if a precise fit matters to you. Galvaran comes in five, measured four inches above the knee.
- Removable stabilizers, if you want to be able to take them out. NEENCA has them.
Not worth paying for
- A hinge picked from a listing alone. The guideline rates brace types by where the arthritis is, and that is a doctor’s call.
Which one to try first
| Your walk | Take a look |
|---|---|
| A strapped wrap with no stabilizer bars | Bracoo Adjustable Compression Knee Sleeve |
| Side stabilizer bars, and the most stated sizes | Galvaran Knee Brace With Side Stabilizers |
| A hinge and straps you adjust separately at the top and bottom | NEENCA Hinged Knee Brace |
For changes to how you walk, not just what you wear on your knee, walking with arthritis: modifications that help covers stride, footwear and pace.
Talk to a doctor or physical therapist about your knee before choosing a brace.
The guideline’s strong rating covers only a brace made for the main knee joint, and none of these three is described as one. Exercise and cane use carry the same strong rating.