Orthomen Rigid Knee Brace for Mild to Moderate Osteoarthritis (OA) - Left Knee Support for Pain Relief & Stability - Ideal for Running, Hiking & Sports Recovery

I had ACL surgery at both knees and was looking for a good brace for skiing. After a pretty in-depth research, I decided to go with this one. I have used one brace on each knee for a few skiing sessions now. I can put it on without much difficulty. Once it's on, it stays in place, and I almost forget it's there, which is a good thing. I have almost full range of motion, with just a notch of limitation to prevent hyper-extension. In order for it to work though it needs to be tighten up pretty well on each strap, which may take a bit away from the comfort. The only caveat is that I did not fall or put myself in a situation where my leg tended to go seriously and dangerously in hyperextension, therefore I can't tell how well it works in these conditions. But it's good for peace of mind.They keep slipping downit does help with my knee pain. There was a marked difference in the pain I experience at the end of the day. It was worth the expense to have some relief.I tried about 5 different braces. This brace goes the farthest up and down the leg which is what gives the most support if you are trying to support and take the load off your knees. It really helps during exercises to rebuild my leg muscles.I deal with joint hypermobility and chronic pain, so I was looking for a brace that would prevent hyper extension of my knee (bending too far backward), which I experience every time I lock my knees. A compression brace doesn’t prevent this very much, in my own experience, so I decided to try this far more rigid brace. It definitely helps, I can set the hinge to only allow flexion/extension to whatever point I choose using the small metal triangle inserts that you adjust by unscrewing the small screws on the hinge joint of the brace, pulling the triangle out and replacing it with whichever one suits me best then screwing back on. The instructions state that you remove some sort of cover when you unscrew those screws, but my brace did not have any sort of cover that would come off when I took the screws out, I had to insert the triangle in the joint through the front/back of the joint. This was simple to do once I figured out that no covers were going to come off after trying to pry it with the screwdriver.I do recommend carefully measuring your leg at the recommended points before ordering, the brace fits great around my calf but the thigh has a metal bit that goes around the front of your leg that my thighs are too thick for. The straps fit fine otherwise, but this metal half-moon shape just doesn’t fit well on me (see photos, you can tell it’s not fitting properly).I do wish it had a built in angle adjustment for changing how far it allows bending and straightening to make it easier to change like the other similar brace I’ve tried has, but this is just a minor inconvenience. The hinges are adjustable to the width of your knee so you can turn it with the included hex key to make it move in or out to conform to the sides of your knee, which is a feature that I LOVE and the other hard brace I have tried does not have this feature.As I am currently on a weight loss journey, the thigh piece should fit me well soon and I can see myself utilizing it more at that time. I recommend this!I ordered the largest size. Kind of have a blown out meniscus and have a hard time walking sometimes, so I kind of need a bit of helper support every now and then. This just barely fit, but one thing I noticed when using it, is it tended to slip on me every once in a while and kind of dug into the skin.I measured my leg before ordering and I was exactly between sizes Medium and Large. So I went with the medium because I was worried that the large would be too loose and bulky. Guess I should have sized up to the large instead because the medium is too tight on me. The velcro strap around my upper calf barely reaches and the whole thing is very uncomfortable. I don’t like the way the metal is shaped for the thigh either. It curves in weird and just digs in, even though my thigh (size-wise) should actually fit that portion of the brace. The concave metal is preventing it from being comfortable, especially when I stand. I will say though, this is a very well made brace. Nice materials, adjustable, and feels sturdy. I just think the sizing should be a little easier to navigate for something at this price point. Learn from my mistake…if you’re in between sizes, size up!I got this for my 93 year going Mom who has some serious knee problems but her age prohibits surgery.This brace has provided her some relief and allows her to walk with less pain. Just be aware, it’s a little complicated to get it adjusted correctly and it’s important that you do that before you use it.I couldn’t get it right so I scheduled her a PT appointment and let the experts make the adjustments. It made all the difference in the world for her. So I recommend it, but spend the money for a good fitting.