Neoprene Knee Sleeve?

[hanyuufan5]

Hello, I hope it's okay to post this here.

I have been having problems with my kneecaps partially dislocating several times a day. My doctor recommended a neoprene knee sleeve, the kind with a hole for the kneecap. However, I'm having trouble finding one small enough. Not trying to brag or anything, but basically my legs look nearly identical to Alina Zagitova's. My knee measures 12 inches in circumference straight and 12 1/2 inches when slightly bent. Walmart had one that said it was for 12-16-inch knees, but it started sliding down when I tried to walk in it.

Does anyone know where in the USA or on the internet I might be able to find one? (As cheap as possible while still being useful, please.)

Thank you.

[Bill_S]

My grocery store has them. I believe that my local CVS pharmacy carries them too.

I use the kind (Ace-brand) without any hole in them. I put a square of foam padding between the neoprene sleeve and my knee for homemade "low-profile" knee pads.

Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for you) all that I see now are the sleeves with hole for the kneecap. I predict you won't have to look far.

[icepixie]

Try sleeves with velcro straps to adjust the fit, such as these.  I have gotten them at grocery stores and drug stores.

I wear these from Ace because my knees are also unstable, but sounds like not to the point yours are so they may not do what you need.  I like that they're less bulky than the longer sleeves, though; I feel like I can bend my knees better, and the velcro goes right over where I need added stability so I can get it tight enough where I need it.

[Query]

Sports Authority has a bunch of sizes and styles, but may be a bit pricey. OTOH, your health is worth a little extra money. I would encourage you not to economize too much. They may even let you try them on over thin pants or tights.

I bought some while I had knee tracking problems. Being able to try them on made a big difference, at least for that. I found they weren't adjustable enough to make do with one that wasn't perfect for me. I also tried a medical supply store - but they didn't let me try them on, so I wasn't sure which to use.

Someone who knew what they were doing might be able to find a way to use sports wraps, which can be very cheap - but I'm not sure if they can provide the same degree of support. You might need to wrap them with tape, every time, to provide additional support. I tried the dollar store wraps, and found they provided insufficient support, even with lots of tension - but I'm not an expert.

But finding someone who can do that may be a problem - you need someone like a sport-specific PT, certified physical trainer, or an appropriately trained coach, and they cost money. I'm not sure a general purpose physician who didn't specialize in sports medicine would know what to do. You could probably look it up on the Internet and play with it - but be careful not to wrap anything so tight you cut off your circulation or become numb, or so loose you get abrasion, or insufficient support.

At one point I also tried a number of neoprene ankle wraps to prevent ankle sprains - a different sort of injury, but still a matter of restricting range of motion. I found that wrapping with medical tape was an order of magnitude more effective than pre-made wraps, but I had to read a medical reference, took a few hours of practice to get tape wrapping right, and initial supervision by a certified physical trainer (APT). It's a bit like a soft cast. You can make it stick to your skin less (for easy, safe removal) by using a sports gauze underneath (available in dollar stores), or by making the initial tape wrap stick-side-out. And if you aren't careful, you may get slippage and abrasion or blisters underneath, and your skin may suffer from insufficient washing if you make it too tight, so probably need to cut it off, wash, rest, and redo it every few days or less. (Cloth first aid or coach tape is pretty water proof.)

But, in general, economizing too much on health can be a big mistake. If you have health insurance, maybe you can get approval to get an appropriate specialist to help you do it right.

[dlbritton]

My knee cap does not track straight so I wear a DonJoy Tru-Pull knee brace which was prescribed by my sports medicine doctor.
I found it online as well for $89-115. It has 2 straps for adjustment and a gel pad that keeps my knee cap tracking straight.
I am supposed to wear it skating or skiing but not all of the time as that can weaken the muscles in the leg due to the support offered by the brace.

I found similar looking braces by McDavid in the $25-50 range. I wear McDavid hex elbow pads and am impressed with the quality.
Dicks Sporting Goods carries a large line of McDavid products in my hometown in central NC.