Knee Orthosis
Knee joint which is the most mobile and overloaded part of the body is a region where many problems can arise. Some of the most common diseases are as follows;
Trauma,
Arthritis,
Osteoarthrosis
Knee orthoses, which are used to prevent pain and difficulty in movement in the knee region, minimize the pain by limiting the movement of the knee. It also helps to reduce the load on the knee joint.
What are the Benefits of Knee Orthosis?
Knee orthoses, which are generally used in the treatment of anterior and cruciate ligament injuries in the knee and in the post-treatment healing process, are ideal for postoperative use, especially for patients undergone a surgery. In addition, the knee joint osteoarthritis causes intense pain in the early period patients. Swelling occurs around the separate knee joint. In the chronic period, patients cannot walk easily or have difficulty climbing up the stairs because of pain. Preferred orthoses for the relief of such discomforts are also known to be useful for chills around the joint.
One of the benefits of the knee orthoses is to eliminate the movement limitation after fracture or disease. For this purpose, one of the angle-adjusted knee orthoses is preferred. Thus, the movement limitation is normalized. Such orthoses must be tailored to the person and the disorder type.
Soft Knee Orthosis
Soft knee orthoses are produced in 6 different types. Property and usage purpose of each varies. These are as follows:
Elastic Knee Orthosis:
It is in an elastic form and used to support the knee. It also helps to relieve the knee joint and provide steady compression. This allows the patient to move much more easily and comfortably.
This type of orthoses are generally used when the following conditions occurs;
Pain in your knee region,
Difficulty when moving your knee,
Conditions such as bursitis, soft tissue,
Chronic joint conditions.
Angora Knee Orthosis:
Angora knee orthosis provide warmth, softness and maximum comfort for the knee region. The benefits of angora knee orthoses include that the silicone ring helps stabilize the knee. Usually used for weak and painful knees. In addition, the preferred orthosis to support the patella circumference also makes the joint more durable.
Neoprene Knee Orthosis:
This type of soft orthosis is made of mesh neoprene material. Therefore, using this orthosis for sprain and swelling of the knee joint is ideal. Silicone support is provided around the patella of this orthosis which is very useful particularly for pain. In addition, further stabilization is achieved via baleens. If extra band is attached, compression in the knee region is increased.
This type of orthoses are commonly used for conditions such as the following;
Knee pain,
Mild instability,
Stress arising after extreme sports,
Patellofemoral pain syndrome,
Swelling and soft tissue injuries in your knee.
Flexible Baleen Knee Orthosis:
Flexible baleen knee orthosis which is a silicone support around the patella joint applies compression. This orthosis also helps to overcome the existing problem by ensuring that the oedema is easily eliminated. It stimulates the knee stabilization and removes moisture thanks to its special air permeable mesh fabric.
Patella Stabilizer Knee Orthosis:
Such knee orthoses are used to set the patella to the most correct position. Under normal circumstances, the patella should be placed right in the middle of the knee. In some cases, however, the patella may slide to outward or inward. This causes knee movement to be painful.
Patellar Tendon Band:
This band is usually preferred to improve proprioceptive performance. It is also often used to reduce the load on the knee joint. Damages arising from activities such as running and springing are prevented via this elastic band.
Rigid and Articulated Knee Orthosis
When the properties of rigid and articulated knee orthoses are examined, there are 5 different classes. These classes can be listed as follows:
Articulated Baleen Knee Orthosis:
The knee bending and opening movements can be easily adjusted via articulated baleen knee orthosis. Furthermore, knee stabilization and movements are adjusted to comply with the requirements of the treatment. This ensures that the load on the knee is controlled and that any undesired movement is prevented.
Knee Immobilizer Systems:
Knee immobilizer systems, which are used to limit the movements in the knee region after trauma, provide more compression thanks to the soft supports that can be placed inside it. Thus, no problem is encountered during the healing process.
Rigid Ligament Injury Orthosis:
There are many different models of these orthoses which can be produced with a wide variety of materials. In general, the models that fulfill the needs in a best manner should be preferred. At this point, the respective physician should be a guide. These orthoses are particularly used as a result of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament injuries.
Functional Load Prevention Orthosis Preventing Osteoarthritis
Orthoses used to reduce unilateral load due to medial or lateral damage also maximize knee stabilization. Moreover, knee movements are limited as desired.
Genu Recurvatum Orthosis:
The purpose of this orthosis is to limit backward movement of the knee and protect the knee from excessive loading. Its usage is beneficial in the conditions such as muscle strength imbalance of patients with polio or stroke.