Which Knee Brace Should I Choose? | Best Knee Braces for Ligament Injuries & Arthritis

Daniel Taylor
12 minutes ago
3 min read

Which Knee Brace Should I Choose?

If you have injured your knee or suffer from knee arthritis, you have probably searched online and been overwhelmed by the huge number of knee braces available. Every manufacturer claims their brace offers exceptional support, pain relief, and improved mobility.

The reality is that different knee braces are designed for different conditions. Choosing the right brace can make a significant difference to your comfort, confidence, and recovery.

In this blog, I'll explain when I recommend knee braces and which options from Ossur I find most useful in clinical practice.

Do Knee Braces Actually Work?

In many cases, yes.

I generally recommend a knee support during the early phase of a knee injury, particularly when pain levels are high and you need additional confidence when walking.

The main benefits of a knee brace include:

Providing support during movement
Improving confidence when walking and exercising
Offering compression to help manage swelling
Improving proprioception (the body's awareness of joint position)
Reducing stress on injured structures
Helping maintain alignment of the knee joint

It is important to remember that a knee brace should complement a rehabilitation programme rather than replace it. Strengthening exercises, mobility work, and activity modification remain key components of recovery.

Best Knee Brace for Ligament Injuries

Ossur Formfit® Pro Knee Elite

knee brace to treat arthritis
a knee brace to treat osteoarthritis

If you have injured a ligament in your knee, such as the:

Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
Mild Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury
General knee instability

I often recommend the Ossur Formfit Pro Knee Elite.

Why I Like This Brace

The main reason I recommend this brace is that it strikes an excellent balance between support and comfort.

Key features include:

Lightweight design
Breathable material
Comfortable enough for daily use
Medial and lateral support stays
Helps reduce excessive side-to-side movement
Allows normal walking mechanics

The additional side supports can be particularly useful when recovering from an MCL or LCL injury, helping to provide confidence while the ligament heals.

In my experience, patients are far more likely to wear a brace consistently if it is comfortable, and this is one of the strongest points of the Formfit Pro Knee Elite.

Best Knee Brace for Knee Osteoarthritis

Ossur® Unloader / OA Knee Brace

knee osteoarthritis brace
knee brace for knee injury

For patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis, I generally recommend an Ossur OA Knee Brace.

Why I Recommend It

Again, comfort is one of the biggest advantages.

Patients with arthritis often wear their brace for extended periods, so a lightweight and breathable design is essential.

The OA brace works differently from a standard support because it helps to:

Improve knee alignment
Reduce loading through the worn compartment of the knee
Offload pressure from damaged cartilage
Improve walking tolerance
Reduce pain during daily activities

The brace contains a lightweight but sturdy frame that allows the knee to be gently realigned. The adjustable straps can then be used to increase the unloading effect on the affected side of the joint.

For patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis (the most common type of knee arthritis), this can be particularly beneficial and may help delay the need for more invasive interventions.