If you can’t figure out how to put your new brace on, you’re not the only one! We get this question all the time, especially if you purchased the brace from the store and no one showed you how to put it on. 

The 537 Shoulder Stabilizer is one of those products. It’s got lots of flaps, straps and Velcro, and it looks confusing straight out of the box.

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The best place to start is with the support laying flat, with none of the Velcro pieces attached anywhere, inside facing up.

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Loosely attach the flap with the white size tag to the flap directly across from it to form a loop. This is the hole your arm goes through.

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Loosely attach the two flaps below the arm loop. This part goes around your shoulder, attaching under your armpit.

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Put your arm through both loops so that the pad is sitting on your shoulder and one flap is hanging across your chest, the other across your back.

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Attach the two loose flaps on the opposite side of your body, under your other arm.

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Adjust all the Velcro attachments as needed so that the brace is snug.

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If necessary, the separate Velcro strap can attach on the arm the brace is applied to, wrap around the arm, and attach across the front or back of the brace, limiting forward or backward motion.

And that’s it! If you have any questions about how to put any of our braces on properly, don’t hesitate to call or email us.

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How many times has someone walked into your store and asked you what they should get for knee pain? Sometimes they’ll have a prescription with something vague like “hinged knee brace.” But with so many options available, how can you tell which knee brace will help alleviate their pain best?

Have They Seen a Doctor?

If your customer is in pain but doesn’t know why, they should see a doctor before purchasing anything. The wrong type of support at best will not help at all, and at worst could cause further damage.

If they have seen a doctor, they should know why they’re in pain. For instance, they may tell you they have patellar tendonitis, an ACL injury, or bursitis. If they have a prescription with the specific type of knee brace they need, go with that.

Our Knee Brace Guide

If you know which type of knee brace your customer needs, we’ve narrowed the options down for you here. These are our best-selling knee braces in each category.

Sleeves

Knee sleeves provide compression and warmth to reduce swelling. Compression sleeves can also help athletes perform at their best, helping to increase blood flow through the knee. However, most knee sleeves do not provide any extra stability for injured knees. If your patient is looking for a knee sleeve, we recommend:

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#3512 Charcoal Elastic Knee Support

A very economical option with a low level of compression.

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#279026 Cramer ESS Knee Compression Sleeve

The best option for athletes, with 18mm graduated compression to help with lactic acid removal and a lightweight knit design.

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#3531 Sportec Compression Knee Support

Provides a higher level of support, with medical-grade compression of 20-30mmHg. Has a built-in patella buttress and side stays for added stability.

Patella Straps

These straps are great because they’re low profile. They relieve pain by putting tension on the IP tendon, reducing slack. They are often used for those who play sports. Our best patella strap is the 26/3126:

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#26 IP Strap

Patellofemoral Supports

These supports are used for patella tendonitis, patella subluxation, mild chondromalacia, patella dislocation, and patellofemoral pain syndrome, and other causes of kneecap instability. We have two very effective options for those with patella pain and tracking problems:

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#138 Patellar Tracking Brace

A Neoprene support with a high-grip sharkskin liner that grabs the patella and provides superior pressure. Medial and lateral stays prevent rolling, and the wrap-around design allows for variable levels of compression.

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#34J Lateral J Brace

A longer option with a tubular lateral “J” buttress which provides lateral patellar support to enhance patellar tracking. It also has a lateral-to-medial strap and spiral side stays for added support.

Hinged Knee Braces

There are many types of hinged knee braces, but they all have metal stays that provide a high level of support to knee ligaments. These braces are useful for those with medial collateral ligament injuries.

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#32P Hinged Knee Brace

This is our most popular knee brace. The metal stays provide medial and lateral support, the buttress stabilizes the patella, and Neoprene provides warmth and mild compression. We have a pull-on style, and we also have an open top and wrap-around version for patients who have difficulty pulling braces over their knee.

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#101P Activator Knee Brace

This brace was designed for ACL and PCL support because of its interlocking strap system. It is also a good post-surgical brace because the hinges have range of motion stops.

Post-Op/Immobilizer Brace

After knee surgery, it’s important to limit movement to prevent re-injury and unwanted pain. If your customer’s doctor recommended a “Zimmer Splint”, this is the brace they need.

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Universal 3-Panel Knee Immobilizer

This option completely immobilizes the knee joint. It has two medial, two lateral and three posterior stays that are removable and malleable.

To place an order for any of these braces, you can sign up for an online account and place the order through our website, or you can always give us a call, fax, or email us. If you are a consumer who would like to buy one of these braces, you can find one of our retailers here.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to be an exhibitor at AOPQ in Montreal. Ken went and represented Ortho Active, and he said it was awesome to see some of our customers and meet lots of new people!

At the show, our booth was beside Caroline and Mario’s booth. Mario is an orthotist and came to check out the exhibitors, and Caroline was manning their booth. All of their posters and displays were in French (Ken doesn’t really speak French) and they weren’t displaying any orthotic or prosthetic products. Ken eventually gave up on trying to figure out what they were promoting and asked Caroline about her booth.

She explained that their daughter Maélie passed away in 2018 when she was only 6 years old, due to a condition that prevented her heart from functioning at full capacity. To keep her spirits up while she was in intensive care, her family brought her princess and superhero costumes which she loved to dress up in, decorated her room for each season and holiday, and threw parties for all the kids in the ICU.

Even after Maélie’s death, Caroline and Mario wanted to keep bringing joy to the children in the unit because they saw how much of a difference it made. They kept throwing parties and bringing in toys and costumes – but they realized how expensive this would be going forward indefinitely! So they set up the Maélie Alfaro-Fortier Fund of the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation.

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This is their mission (translated from French):

We want to make sure that all children are treated in a humane, child-friendly environment. That our young and old can have access to their childhood with toys, DIY, a place to have fun, visits of their favorite character, festivities…

In collaboration with the medical team, we want to purchase equipment for the unit in addition to psychologically and financially supporting families.

We want children to feel good and happy despite their condition, as Maélie was. We want to punctuate their everyday life with small simple gestures, but with the power to change everything.

We hope that through the Maélie Alfaro-Fortier Fund, Maélie’s light will enlighten and give hope to the whole unit! (You can read the entire story here).

Maélie’s family is trying to raise $50,000. Ortho Active wants to support this fund in any way we can, so we donated at AOPQ and now we’re passing the info along to you. You can make a donation at http://fondsmaelie.org or simply share the link with family, friends and coworkers. Thank you for partnering us in this worthy cause!