The 7 knee brace best features that can help to reduce your knee pain and help provide the best knee support for your knee are:
I have had my fair share of knee injuries and issues. I have suffered from several medial and lateral ligament sprains. Multiple patella tendonitis inflammations, jumper’s knee, and general knee pain from intense training.
I have used knee braces multiple times so I have a good understanding of what makes a great knee support. I can tell you I have ordered over 30+ knee braces over my time!
Through the process of elimination from over 10 years of using knee braces. I can tell you what specific features give a high probability of a knee brace that will be an excellent choice and I am here to share this with you.
Let’s dive right in..
1. Medial and lateral stabilizers
Stabilization by the way of flexible metal stays that run along the length of the medial side and lateral side of the knee brace.
If you have a metal support structure running on the sides of the brace. It will give a significant amount of extra support and stability over non-stabilized braces.
I would easily say that it gives as much as 4x more support in terms of lateral and medial support. This will give more robust and dependable support so look for this if your knees feel they can do with extra stability.
Achieving 4x more stability with stabilizers
This is not a guarantee. The stabilization will rely on how well the strap system integrates with the stabilizers. It’s something you should be looking for if you think you need that level of support.
An improvement over non-stabilized braces will be seen from a basic 3 strap or 2 strap brace. (We will go over strap systems and designs in more detail).
Look for knee braces that have more than 3 straps that use opposing forces (cross torsion). This type of strap system to fit and attach the brace will give you up to 4x more stability by way of the torsional forces added to the stabilizers.
It’s important to note we will use some phrases like cross torsion. This may not be something you see or hear about in a knee brace’s description but it’s something to be aware of.
I will try my best to explain what these all mean and how it benefits you. If doing activities where lateral and medial (side to side) forces are exerted on the knee. Then a good level of stabilization is advantageous for increased support and confidence.
Activities such as skiing, soccer, football, basketball, or tennis. In fact, in any exercise where side-to-side movement is present. Having a snug knee brace that you can feel supporting the outer and inner ligaments will naturally make a huge difference to how confident you will feel and the level of support you are getting.
2. Cross torsional opposing strap system
I mentioned earlier that you will invariably see that 90% of knee braces are 3-strap or 2-strap styles. This means exactly that; 3 or 2 straps of the knee brace are used to attach and try to support the knee.
In my experience and testing, this gives a poor level of achievable support. This is because of basic physics around how the straps interact with the knee.
If you can imagine a simple column standing upright on the ground representing a knee. Then you try to support its sides by wrapping a brace where all the straps come from only one side.
You will see that it simply will not be as strong a brace to support the knee effectively as a brace that has straps coming from opposing sides and more of them.
This image shows the principle of cross torsion where equal forces are coming from the lateral and medial sides working together therefore significantly increasing the level of support.
Less slippage and adjusting means a better fit and compliance
The other benefit of a cross torsion strap system is that it will be much more able to keep the knee brace in place. A big issue that 99% of generic 2 or 3-strap knee braces face is that they slip a lot when moving.
This can be annoying and in many circumstances make the wearing of a knee brace for pain a chore giving less compliance. Once again it’s the inherent flaw of the 3 straps and 2 strap system.
Having all straps coming from one side is far inferior to the cross torsion strap systems. Cross torsion designs will often have 4 straps to provide an even distribution of compression. A hybrid 2 strap top and bottom system that joins together giving cross torsion.
Having 4 straps has more purchase ability to hold the brace up. It will provide even and uniform support across the whole knee joint giving a 360 wrap-around support. It’s a simple concept yet makes a huge difference in the fitting of the brace and how well it works.
Below is an image showing you examples of 2-strap, 3-strap, and cross torsion style knee braces.
Below are three examples of what I mean by the cross torsion straps system what I like about these 3 models are:
1. They have at least 4 straps which will give the best all-round support
2. All three models have a long body giving maximum attachment area and adherence to staying in place
3. Testing these 3 braces confirms superior support vs short bodies and 3/2 strap brace designs
Restricted knee joint and range of motion issues
The 3 strap design has a big design flaw in that the middle of the 3 straps wraps around the back of the knee in order to attach itself. Now, this really does affect your range of motion, comfort, and how much you will tolerate wearing the brace.
Having that middle strap blocking and hindering your knee joint from my testing caused pinching, blood flow constraints, overheating, and excess sweat and made it very uncomfortable to wear.
This is not what you want from a product designed to help you move around for the day! Cross torsion strap system knee braces will often have 4 straps instead of 3 and by virtue will not block the back of the knee as they often have an open back.
I can honestly tell you this feature alone makes you not even want to consider a generic 2/3 strap design. The comfort noticed by a free knee joint is a different level.
Its’ quite often a case of you don’t know what you don’t know!
360 wrap-around support for maximum knee support
The other advantage of cross torsion strap knee braces is that they will give a sense of a 360 degree full wrap-around support. Again because cross torsion uses opposing forces to buttress together the knee in the middle.
Cross torsion strap braces will beat any 2 strap and 3 strap knee brace hands down for effective knee support. In my opinion, 3 strap or fewer strap braces really are inferior braces.
I would only consider a cross torsion strap system that uses 4 or more straps to brace the knee because of the superior support they can achieve with less chance of restriction behind the knee and almost guaranteed less likelihood of slippage.
4 Strap knee braces for sport – the only option
Now that you understand the limitation of 3 straps and 2 strap knee brace designs it’s worth thinking about sport and exercise.
If you are looking for a good level of knee support to help you train or actively play your chosen sport. You will be disappointed with the increased slippage and sliding that 3 strap and 2 strap knee braces inherently give.
Having to constantly adjust the knee brace when trying to play or train is more than annoying. But more than that is the fact that it needs to be adjusted every few minutes. Are you getting real functional support?
Consider also that cross torsion 4 strap systems will have a full wrap-around feel to the support, if they also have stabilization built-in then the resulting support will be excellent and significantly better than any 2-strap or 3-strap brace.
This is the kind of robust stability you want when putting your knee under stress that could challenge any injury or weak points especially if vulnerable after a serious injury.
Think of a simple fun game of football in the park nothing too serious but enough to need a stabilizing knee brace for peace of mind. Here the 4-strap knee brace with cross torsion will give you that rigid support for confidence when moving around.
Real functional knee support should be ‘back of mind’ not front of mind
Back of mind means you are not having to think about it. When you have a knee brace that is constantly needing adjusting or feels uncomfortable that is front of mind.
Functional support means it allows you to carry on your chosen day-to-day activities with minimal or no compromise. The effectiveness of a knee brace will be how well you can wear it throughout the day which is a big consideration to think about.
So it is worth looking for higher quality well designed braces that utilize this quality.
3. The length of the main body of the knee brace
After testing over 30+ knee braces I found that the braces that were longer in length gave the best support and comfort. Why? more material = more area for the straps to adhere to on the thigh muscle and lower calf thereby resulting in far less slippage.
A short knee brace body simply hasn’t got enough coverage to get over the upper thigh to stay in place. I have no idea why these braces even exist, I can only imagine they will fit smaller or younger people.
If you are an average adult from the feedback I found myself and from friends, they all agreed that longer was better.
*Anything less than 9″ or 25cm will not stay in place very well vs longer body knee braces
Examples of short vs long body knee braces
Here you can see the short vs long body knee supports and how they attach to a knee. I also did a video for you to easily see the difference.
The images show that it is preferred to have a long body knee brace even if it’s a generic 3-strap against another generic 3-strap. It also shows that all 3-strap designs block the hinge joint at the back of the knee.
Below the 2nd set of images shows a generic 2-strap knee brace vs another 3-strap knee brace. Where the 2-strap has the benefit of an open back and no restriction it will be less supportive and struggle to stay in place over a long body knee brace.
4. Comfort
This goes without saying it’s number 4 on this list because if you don’t have great support in the first instance comfort means nothing. Assuming you have got the first 4 features locked in. How effective the brace will be is related to how much you can tolerate wearing it!
I say tolerate which has a negative sentiment but for a good reason. Many of the features I have gone through have in their own right the ability to make the knee brace not comfortable.
If you have several features all not up to scratch then the comfort is going to be very poor. But there are some essential features that can make the knee brace more comfortable to wear let’s go through them below:
1. Quality inner lining
Firstly make sure the inside of the knee brace has some kind of material finish rather than raw neoprene. You will be needing to wear a knee brace for possibly extended periods of time.
You will sweat so you don’t want a rough exposed neoprene soaking up that sweat and making it stink! Kind of like what you get with neoprene knee sleeves. Look for skin-friendly linings that will help keep the skin feeling good all day.
This will minimize any potential irritation that can occur from your skin and sweat being in contact with neoprene for hours a day.
2. That middle strap and excess behind the knee
So I talked about the middle strap that blocks the back of the knee in 3 strap designs. This really does make it uncomfortable to wear compared to 4 strap systems that do not block the knee joint.
There are some very well-designed innovative knee braces that take this one step further.
The EX-701 knee brace is one such model. It has all of the must-have features discussed so far and has a patented 4-strap system that brings a high level of support, stability, and comfort.
The strap system includes a ‘comfort gap’ this is a clever elegant solution to the middle strap restriction seen on 3 strap braces.
Because the effective ‘middle strap’ is split into 2 it creates the space needed for unrestricted knee bending and heat and air to escape by removing the bunching that typically occurs with 3-strap braces.
This greatly improves comfort and compliance to wear for long periods of time. The other clever thing is that the straps also double up as patella support bands. We will cover this in the next section.
Achieving a genuine non-slip fit
By using a patented 4-way strap system the EX-701 knee brace locks in the fitting with almost no slippage. This is because it has 2 large anchor straps and 2 cross-over straps. The 4 straps combine by creating cross torsion and a very stable buttress effect to stabilize the knee joint.
You will feel solid support right down the body of the knee brace each strap working on its own and in combination to keep the brace in place and provide compression.
4-point custom compression adjustment
By being able to adjust the 4 straps independent of each other the EX-701 gives complete control of the level of compression to your knee. 3 strap and 2 strap designs simply cannot offer any custom compression. As they are linear one-sided straps where each strap relies on the other to hold it in place.
The cross torsion straps can offer fine adjustments as the opposing straps keep the brace in place
Best in Class stability without the bulk
Because the EX-701 has cross torsion and patella support with double medial and lateral stabilizers. When the straps are engaged around the knee the bracing effect and stabilization are incredibly strong. See the video below to show the difference vs 3 strap designs.
5. Slimline profile and lightweight
A good knee brace will provide good knee support without compromising the range of motion and not offer minimum restriction.
I bring this up because if you have read this article so far, common generic 3 strap braces will invariably have some restriction around the back of the knee.
This is due to that middle strap having to wrap around the back which will in most cases create that bulk behind the knee.
So when we talk about a slimline profile we want the knee brace to feel like it’s not overly bulky. Again if you have a cross-torsional knee brace system where you have opposing straps they tend to bind the knee brace tighter and the straps will not be running round the back of that knee already making it more slimline.
Some knee braces will have metal hinges on the sides to aid in stability. You can achieve a high level of stability without the need for bulky hinges again if you can find a model that intelligently uses cross torsion with flexible metal stabilizers. This will create a 360 wrap-around buttress that will be very strong for stability.
Take the EX-701 knee brace here you can see it has all of the desired top features that work in harmony together.
You can see it has a unique 4-way strap system creating cross torsion support that can wrap itself around the knee joint.
It also overcomes that middle strap issue by having 2 smaller straps that allow for the knee to bend unrestricted, creating a slimline profile.
Because it uses cross torsion it has a superior stability effect over conventional 3-strap braces even with metal hinges. The EX-701 will fit elegantly under clothes as it is only 3.5mm thick and weighs less than 6oz or 180grams.
Knee brace for running
A common search is for a good running knee brace. I can tell you that being slimline and lightweight goes without saying.
But it has to stay in place first and foremost and be super comfortable to wear. The EX-701 is an excellent choice for achieving knee support for running having the features that will give you a great experience.
Not only does it have cross torsion but a patented 4-way-strap system that uniquely manages to create a full 360 wrap-around effect.
It creates that freedom behind the knee at the same time stabilizing the patella which very few knee braces can do thanks to its two cross-over support straps above and below the knee cap. A lot of runners suffer from patella tendon issues so having stabilization and a dedicated patella band is a really great feature.
Easy to wear under clothing
Look for well-designed knee braces that have thought about the practical aspects of day-to-day living when using a knee brace.
If you are going to be dependent on knee support you are most likely going to need to wear it under your clothes so having a bulky restrictive knee brace is not going to be very appealing.
Thinner models under 4mm will also cause less excess sweat and heat. Having an open-back design is paramount to being able to wear a knee brace under trousers, pants etc.
I keep stressing that the middle strap on generic 3 strap braces is the biggest flaw in their design. It will really show up when you feel that excess blocking your knee under clothes!
6. High Quality Velcro
What there is a difference in the velcro? Yep, more than you would ever know I can tell you!
This is a real sign of quality and how much the brand or model has put into the workmanship of the knee brace.
Again from testing over 30+ popular knee braces all available from amazon.com ranging from as cheap as $9.99 to over $40 I can tell you that there is almost no difference in the velcro!
It’s an aspect that is often overlooked and there seems to be no correlation between the price of the knee brace and the velcro quality.
So what’s the big deal and how does velcro affect the user experience and support?
In a number of ways:
- The velcro is flimsy and after testing for a few weeks can often curl up and become difficult to use.
- Material backing of the velco is often very coarse and cheap, where a middle strap is used the rough backing of the velcro can scratch away at the skin behind the knee.
- The velcro is not able to stick on stick – which means that if the fitting of the straps requires one strap to attach itself over where another strap is attached it will not be possible because the backing of the velco is not stick on stick.
Sounds trivial right? But boy does it make a serious difference on the ability to fit the knee brace and wear it for durability. This video below will help explain exactly what I mean!
So do not overlook every aspect of the features that go into making a great knee brace. I hope you can see how each individual feature in it’s own right has a significant impact on how well the knee brace will support your knee.
When combined they all stack up to give even more sway to how good the knee brace will be. I have found it is not about the price!
It is about the design and the thought process of each feature that makes a great knee brace. I have seen the same quality from a $9.99 knee brace as I have in a $30 knee brace. Where a product in this competitive marketplace stands out is in its original design and combating all of the issues that arise with generic knee braces.
Unfortunately to the untrained eye or someone buying their first knee brace, this will not be apparent. By understanding these 7 must-have important features and how they all individually and in combination benefit you. You can be confident that the quality and comfort of the support will be of the highest level if the knee brace has most of them if not all of them.
Once you have identified these elements it will then be a question about the knee brace fitting your individual anatomy.
7. Patella Support
The final feature which would be the icing on the cake so to speak is a good level of in-built patella support or stabilization. I put this last on the list because not everyone will need patella support. But it is common enough to talk about.
Common patella issues can be the following:
1- Pain alone: “patellofemoral syndrome”,
2- Pain from malalignment, i.e.- tilt and/or displacement,
3- Instability: subluxation and dislocation,
4- “Wear and tear”, i.e.- chondromalacia patella or arthritis,
5- Other problems from pain around the patella: e.g.- synovial plica, tendonitis, bursitis, jumper’s knee
Good patella support where tracking and stabilization are needed may greatly improve the acute pain and discomfort. In order to get significant patella stabilization and support. The design of the knee brace must have a way of isolating the patella through dedicated straps.
Once again in my experience of testing dozens and dozens of knee braces which predominantly are the 3 strap style and 2 strap style models. These will have ZERO patella support. They may even talk about a ‘padded’ buttress open patella design. But in reality, these are just words that have no actual way of supporting the patella.
In fact, if you watch some of the videos on this blog, having that padded area actually creates more space between the knee cap and the brace, therefore not giving any ability to support the patella whatsoever!
How do you achieve good patella support and stabilization?
- You need dedicated straps above and below the kneecap to isloate and stabilize
- A smaller open patella hole aperture so the knee cap can push against something to get support
- Adjustability to accommodate the size of the patella and support level
Dedicated straps
The 3-strap and 2-strap braces cannot physically support the patella. The straps are too far away and therefore offer no stabilization.
The open patella hole is too large and the patella cannot rest against it. One of the only knee braces that have this feature is the EX-701 by EXOUS Bodygear.
The EX-701 has a unique patented 4-way strap system that achieves a non-slip fit. Enhanced comfort by not blocking the back of the knee. It has the dedicated straps needed to isolate and support the patella. These straps are fully adjustable to accommodate the size and support needed.
Patella inflammation has been shown to respond well to pushing the patella tendon down, helping it reset away from pain receptors. Generic 3 strap and strap braces cannot achieve this
Reducing the pain of Jumper’s knee and patella tendonitis
Jumper’s knee can often occur from an overly tight quadricep muscle pulling the patella out of its resting position. When loading occurs out of position the patella gets stressed and inflamed. This needs physio treatment which is a very easy fix. You need to loosen the quad muscle through massage and stretching. In only 1-2 weeks it should allow the patella to sit back in the correct position.
Now we know what can cause jumper’s knee. To get some kind of pain relief in the acute phase whilst seeking treatment you simply have to push the patella tendon down. This can be done by a dedicated patella band which is not present in normal generic knee braces.
The EX-701 has this dedicated patella band that is fully adjustable. This means the patella tendon can be pushed down which helps push it away from pain receptors. Moving it back to where it should rest. It may also help reduce the swelling. The band can add variable compression stronger or lighter as needed.
The EX-701 is a unique knee brace that can achieve a full 360-degree wrap-around support. It has 4x extra stability because of the cross torsion support it exerts. The 4 way-strap system is unique in that it wraps itself around the knee. This creates extra stability tightening around the stabilizers.
Putting all the features together to get the best support for your knee
One of the only knee braces on the market today that has all of the 7 must-have features present that achieves exemplary class-leading knee support is the EX-701 knee brace.
For the open patella knee brace category under $45. There are few and far between knee brace models and brands that offer so many features that are needed to get a good result in a knee brace.
Conclusion and checklist before you buy a knee brace
- Does the knee brace have flexible metal stabilizers – which are non-bulky?
- Does the knee brace use a 4 strap cross torsion strap system? This will give a 360- degree wrap-around support and stay in place?
- Is the body of the knee brace longer than 9″ or 25cm in length? We know that anything less will cause slippage and a poor experience of adjusting constantly.
- Does the knee brace look like it has thoughtful comfort features? A quality inner lining to give your skin a much better all-day wearability and minimize irritation. We know that generic cookie-cutter 3-strap designs which rely on that middle strap block the knee. This will cause excess heat, sweat, and discomfort throughout the day. We also know there is a better solution!
- Is the knee brace slimline and non-bulky? After reading this article you can see that you can achieve excellent support without the need for bulky metal hinges or extravagant strap systems. Unless you are post-surgery where bulk is acceptable because you’re in a narrow range of motion. You want a brace that allows maximum range of motion and fits comfortably under clothes.
- Is there quality velcro that is being used to fix the straps? We highlighted that this is an overlooked aspect of almost all mass models regardless of the price tag. Flimsy, coarse velcro eventually curls up over time rendering them useless to fix the knee brace. We showed the importance of thicker backed stick-on stick velcro where the strap position may need to attach over where another velcro is attached. If it can’t stick over it you can’t get the ideal strap position for your best fit.
- A bonus – does it give you patella stabilization? Last on the list because not everyone needs it, but if you do, then this gives all the benefits of full knee support without needing a separate solution for your patella.
So there you have it. We think this is the most comprehensive breakdown of the aspects that make a high-quality knee brace that will provide a high probability of a good knee support and comfort, two things that are critical to the success of a knee brace.
The EX-701 is one such knee brace that ticks all of the features needed and more as it is a unique knee brace with its own patented strap system that achieves all of the above. Check out the EX-701 on amazon.com below:
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