The Preventive Use of the Anderson Knee Stabler in Football

In brief: The Anderson knee stabler restricts the valgus stress to the knee joint, which should decrease the number and severity of collateral ligament injuries and reduce the number of meniscal injuries. The authors reviewed medical records of football players at the University of Southern California (USC) and recorded the number and type of knee surgeries from 1980 to 1984, noting which players wore braces and which did not. Results showed that the Anderson knee stabler is beneficial in preventing collateral ligament and meniscus injuries to the knee. There have been no grade-3 injuries to the collateral ligaments caused by direct contact to the brace. The authors recommend that all USC linebackers and interior linemen wear the Anderson knee stabler during practices and games but say that further longitudinal data are needed.