Innovation Sports CTi2 brace

[rbal]

Hello,

I am not a snowboarder, bike rider, skier etc. I'm a racquetball player with an acl and lcl deficient leg. Have used custom DonJoy and custom DeRoyal Flexguard shell braces. It's time for a new brace.

Wonder if anyone can feedback on IS CTi2 brace, pros and cons, overall impressions etc. [Note: some posts I've seen on forums bemoan that IS does not have a one year free refit policy. They now do.]

I'm particularly interested on strap snugness, snugness to condylar area of knee joint, migration (slipping of brace) problems or not problems, LATERAL support (i.e. if you get a major lateral plant or a shove while in lateral plant, does the brace greatly inhibit any lateral "buckling"?).

Any and all feedback on this brace would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[Sinecure]

I've had and used one for years. I've also tried Breg, but not DonJoy. The CTI2 is the best fitting brace I've ever tried. They also have an ACL retention device that's an add-on and I highly recommend it. It will keep your lower leg from shifting forward. If you plan to use it for raquet sports, you'll probably want to buy a couple of the thin neoprene sleeves they sell. I think the brace comes stock with one, but if you use it a lot, it could get funky or wear out after a while. Alternately, doctors have this cotton stretchy tube stuff that comes on a roll and you cut to fit. If you could scare up a few rolls of that, it would be good to put underneath the brace. I wear mine over long underwear so its not a problem.

If you think you'll bang your kneecap much (like when snowboarding and kneeling in the snow), the optional patella protector (knee pad) is a good addition as well.

Innovation Sports is great about supplying replacement straps whenever you need them. They also offer a full re-furb service where they re-paint the whole brace and put new pads and straps on it. I've done that with my original CTI brace (from 1986).

[OffpisteHardboots]

Go find a good orthopedic surgeon and have a new ACL (and LCL) installed. They can either do it from your hamstring tendon or with a Cadaver tendon (what I have). Its worth the down time, I never wear a brace and the fixed knee is as tight as new. My problem is a messed up Meniscus, which I'm going to have a new one of those installed one of these days. but the recovery time for that surgery is a bit longer.