The Functions of a Brace and How They Help Diseased Joints

A brace can help you treat or even cure your diseased joints, but that’s only if you are wearing it correctly.

To ensure that your brace will provide the best results, it’s important to understand the 10 functions of a brace and how they work together to get your joints back into shape so that they stop bothering you and start functioning correctly again.

Here are the functions of a brace and how they help diseased joints.

They Keep Joints Aligned

The key function of every brace is keeping joints properly aligned, which helps them heal faster. When joints are misaligned due to an injury or disease, they can cause inflammation and pain in surrounding tissues.

A brace keeps these areas stable until they can fully heal on their own. You must follow your doctor's instructions when it comes to wearing a brace; some braces must be worn at all times while others have time limits based on your situation.

The bottom line is that wearing one reduces your risk of further damage to your joint by slowing recovery down—and preventing full recovery from taking place at all!

Compression Is Vital for Sustained Healing

The first function is to provide compression to stabilize your joints. If you have ever injured your ankle, you know that when it’s not being supported by something like an air cast or brace, your ankle tends to collapse back in place as soon as you remove your hand support.

Without something supporting it, it will slip back into its compromised position and start swelling up with fluids.

While compression helps alleviate pain, swelling can inhibit healing so make sure to find a brace that provides support but not too much compression.

When in doubt, err on the side of providing less compression – at least until you’ve had time to see how well it supports your injury while allowing swelling to subside somewhat.

They Provide Immobilization

Wearing a brace quickens your healing process by providing immobilization. This means that your body will heal faster than it would if you had not worn it.

For certain types of injuries such as acute ligament sprains, braces do provide adequate support to keep joints from moving too much and becoming damaged even further.

Your doctor will be able to guide you on what type of brace is most appropriate for your injury.

They Are Protective

Often made of strong, rigid plastic or hard metal, braces act as a protective shell to keep your body parts in place.

If you’ve suffered an injury or are recovering from surgery, they can prevent you from re-injuring yourself while your bones and muscles mend.

The same goes for someone with osteoporosis—their bones are weak and susceptible to fractures, so doctors often prescribe braces that fit snugly around their chest, hips, or wrists to keep them safe. In these cases, you must wear your brace as directed by your doctor (for example; never skip out on wearing it at night).

Strapping Forces Supportive Muscles to Work

Anytime you put pressure on your muscles, they will contract to hold up whatever weight is being applied.

This applies to joints as well. A knee brace helps support weakened or injured knees by applying compression across your joint and giving it an external force to push against.

And because injured or diseased knees can often be quite painful, strapping your knee joint into place allows supportive muscles to work more efficiently without having to concentrate too much on maintaining proper form.

The reduction in pain also increases the range of motion which helps strengthen surrounding muscles for a better recovery overall.

Compression Boosts Healing Factors and Reduces Inflammation

Apply compression to your injury with wrapping, splinting, or a brace. That may sound counterintuitive—why add more pressure to an already damaged area?

But compression helps blood flow, reducing swelling and boosting healing factors. It also keeps muscles stable around your joints so they don't have to work extra hard—reducing inflammation.

Wearable Orthotics Improve Balance & Mobility in Daily Living

Not all patients suffering from painful joint problems require surgery or injections to improve their quality of life.

Pain-relieving orthotics can be customized for maximum comfort, with many available as braces that can help reduce pain during exercise, in daily living, and throughout specific activities.

Common conditions treated with custom orthotics include slipped disks, bunions, arthritis, and other foot deformities.

Of course, it’s best to consult with your physician before beginning any new treatment plan or adding more to your regular regimen of medications and physical therapy.

Stability & Gait Assistance Improves Walking Ability, Overall, Strength, & Quality of Life

Staying upright is no small feat for someone with diseased joints, as walking becomes more difficult. Wearing an ankle brace can help improve balance and prevent further falls, which means patients with diseased joints will have an easier time staying upright—and improving their overall strength.

When it comes to easing pain related to conditions like osteoarthritis, wearing a brace for arthritis in your ankle or knee could increase your overall quality of life by helping you stay active.

By reinforcing weak joints, braces can reduce stress on surrounding muscles and alleviate some pain so you’re able to participate in normal activities.

Wearing Them Increases Patient Adherence to Treatment Protocols

It’s likely that when you think about braces, you don’t picture a piece of fashion. But when someone is in pain due to disease or injury, they aren’t thinking about how much attention their appearance might attract; they just want to feel better.

Studies have found that patients who wear knee braces during rehabilitative therapy are more likely to follow through with all aspects of their prescribed treatment plans than those who didn’t.

N.B – The content provided is for information and education purposes only.