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"Custom-fit" versus "off-the-shelf" ACL functional braces.
1Section of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
The American Journal of Knee Surgery
|August 9, 2001
Summary
Custom-fit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee braces offer no significant performance advantage over off-the-shelf braces for ACL-deficient knees. Both brace types demonstrated superior stability compared to athletic taping, with less migration observed in off-the-shelf models.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedics
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Sports medicine practitioners often assume custom-fit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) braces outperform off-the-shelf options for ACL-deficient knees.
- Clinical evidence substantiating this belief is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of a custom-fit ACL brace (Donjoy CE 2000), an off-the-shelf ACL brace (Donjoy Goldpoint), and athletic taping.
- To evaluate their impact on knee stability and function in patients with chronic ACL tears.
Main Methods:
- Five patients with chronic ACL tears were evaluated using three restraint systems: custom brace, off-the-shelf brace, and athletic tape.
- Measurements included anterior tibial laxity, muscle strength and endurance, jump performance, brace migration, and muscle response patterns.
Main Results:
- The custom-fit brace did not significantly outperform the off-the-shelf brace in reducing laxity, improving strength, endurance, or jump performance.
- Both braces enhanced anterior stability more than taping under low-force muscle contraction.
- The custom brace exhibited significantly greater migration (18.6 mm) than the off-the-shelf brace (4.5 mm) after one hour of exercise.
Conclusions:
- There is no demonstrable advantage of a more expensive custom-fit ACL brace over an off-the-shelf brace for the evaluated parameters.
- Off-the-shelf ACL braces provide comparable or superior outcomes to custom-fit braces in this patient cohort.