Knee Strap

The knee strap is the simplest form of knee support. It is also sometimes referred to as a knee band. Most bands are worn just below the knee in order to relieve pressure on the patellar tendon below the knee. By applying slight pressure to the front of the knee, these straps reduce pressure on the patellar and allow it to heal.

Patellar tendonitis, also called chrondromalacia or jumper’s knee, is a repetitive stress injury of the knee in which the patellar tendon is stretched past its normal tolerance or range. The result is knee pain – in fact, this is probably the most common cause of knee pain among athletes and physically active people. Athletes in sports that require plenty of jumping and/or running (such as basketball, for example) will tend to experience this injury due to the frequent high impacts between their feet and the ground. As a result, they will sometimes need to use a knee strap to alleviate the pain and give their knees a chance to recover.

Medical researchers generally agree that, if used soon after the start of knee pain, a knee strap can slow down the rate of accumulation of cartilage damage in the knee.

A question that sometimes comes up when someone is recommended to wear a knee strap is when they should be worn. Should it be only during a game or practice or should it be all the time? Our response would be that you should certainly wear your knee band whenever you are feeling knee pain. You should also wear it if you are participating in any activity that involves lots of jumping or running.