Supports & Braces Buyer's Guide
Supports and Braces perform two important functions:
To support and stabilise painful joints or body parts following injury or surgery;
Prevent injury by supporting parts of the body during sporting or other physical activities.
Therefore, the type and severity of your injury, or the potential damage that may be caused by your chosen activity, are critical to your choice of support.
Our Buyer's Guide aims to help you to choose the best support for your needs.
Ankles, elbows, wrists, knees, shoulders, calves and shins, lower back, neck or the hip and Groin can all be injured and as a result may need a degree of immobilisation or support. Usually soft tissue damage results in swelling, bruising and pain that can impair function. Therefore to support the area until pain reduces and full strength is regained a support or brace can be effective to aid rehabilitation. A support or brace can be effective during injury rehabilitation as they can easily be removed to allow a degree of movement, accelerating the recovery process and reducing the muscle wasting after an injury or surgery. The removable nature of Supports and Braces also enhances the hygiene element of wearing a support as the body part can be washed and kept clean underneath.
To protect and support different body parts our range of supports or braces may use semi-rigid shells, air cells or stabilisers or Neoprene and are all designed to prevent too much movement after an injury.
At Physioroom we offer a large range of various supports and braces that cater for injuries to the Knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, thumb and lower back, as well as offering supports specific to Children and compression underwear. Our buyers guide is designed to help direct you to the most appropriate support for your injury.
Aircast Supports
Physioroom offer a range of Aircast supports to offer protection for ankles, wrists and elbows after injuries such as ligament sprains or fractures. Our Aircast supports contain air cells which can be inflated with the integrated pump to allow cushioning and compression within the lightweight plastic shell, thus helping to reduce swelling. Aircasts are effective for protecting joints after injuries such as fractures to the carpals or tarsal bones in the hand and foot, Lisfrancs injury or stress fractures, that all require time to heal. They can be a preferable method of immobilisation for some injuries as partial weight bearing is allowed to prevent muscle wasting and help maintain lower limb function to speed up recovery after healing. Aircasts can also be removed to provide greater hygiene and also to allow early rehabilitation and gentle exercises to be carried out, as advised by a Chartered Physiotherapist.
Hinged Supports
Our vast range of hinged supports offer substantial support for injuries to the knees, elbows and the great toe. The hinge function allows supported movement within the plane of the joint, without twisting or rotating. Heavier duty supports such as the Donjoy Renegade Functional Ligament Knee Brace offer a high level of support after ligament damage to the knee whereas the Neoprene Stabilising Knee sleeve is lighter weight and can be used whilst playing sport to protect the knee from twisting movements and ligament injury.
Knitted Supports,
Knitted supports offer a flexible and light support in the later stages of rehabilitation. Knitted braces allow movement but also peace of mind as a return to activity or sport is made. Knitted braces can be effective for sufferers of Osteoarthritis or longstanding joint and muscular stiffness as they allow freedom of movement but warmth and support to aching body parts.
Neoprene Supports
Our Neoprene supports offer compression and therapeutic warmth to joints and are indicated in the later stages of injury when returning to activity or sport. Neoprene and Silicon supports stimulate blood flow, relieve pain and speed up the healing process. Neoprene and silicon also provide support and protection if a body part is used on an everyday basis they are comfortable tot wear and can be washed to enhance hygiene.
