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Knee injuries and chronic knee pain can be complex, but the process of finding a knee brace shouldn’t be. Choosing the right knee brace for your situation is an important part of healing and managing pain effectively—and we’re here to help.
To find the best knee braces for seniors of 2022, the Forbes Health editorial team researched over 40 knee braces, analyzing cost, product details, use case and comfort. See which knee braces made the cut below. Note: All prices are accurate as of publication date.
With its affordable price, comfortable fit, adjustable support and minimal strap design, the Cho-Pat Dual Action Knee Strap takes the top spot on our list. Best for people with an active lifestyle and made with high-quality surgical tubing, this knee strap provides support above and below the knee. For users looking for additional stability, the strap stabilizes the kneecap to improve tracking and reduce the chances of displacement.
Made for all ages and activity levels, the U-Flex Athletics Knee Compression Brace for Men and Women has the lowest price on our list and is made with lightweight fabric for easy and comfortable wear. Its compression offers pain relief for those with arthritis and helps alleviate muscle inflammation, swelling and stiffness.
Made with hinges and straps, this knee brace offers strong support, relieving the knee joint of pressure and stress and helping with realignment. The neoprene material adds comfort and warmth while the wraparound style makes it easy to take on and off sore, swollen knees.
Made with Airprene, a neoprene-like material with perforations, the Advanced Orthopedics Deluxe Airprene Hinged Knee Brace allows skin to stay dry while moisture escapes. With adjustable straps, the brace also provides customizable support and relief from pain and injury.
Made for arthritic, weak, stiff or injured knees, this knee brace offers comfort through compression. The material provides support and flexibility and keeps the knee warm as you move while also remaining breathable.
Ideal for arthritic knees, this knee brace is made with elastic to provide support without limiting motion. As its name suggests, this knee brace has two steel springs on either side to help stabilize the knee and prevent lateral movement while adjustable straps and an opening in the back allow for flexible sizing and comfort.
Recommended for users with osteoarthritis, this latex-free knee brace offers support across all areas of the knee. A neoprene buttress around the knee provides compression and stabilizes the kneecap while spiral stays on each side keep the knee from moving laterally.
Built for comfort, this Shock Doctor knee brace comes with padded patella finishings, stretch spandex on the back of the knee, spandex binding and quality stitching for a comfortable wear. It’s also made with patented N-tex, a vented, moisture-wicking neoprene fabric, to ensure skin stays dry.
The Zamst EK-3 allows active seniors to stabilize their knees without sacrificing movement. With its open-front wraparound design, this knee brace doesn’t require the user to pull the brace over the leg, and it can be put on while wearing shoes. Lightweight, breathable fabric makes the EK-3 brace comfortable during activity while adjustable straps hold it in place.
This RDX knee brace is made with lightweight nylon and polyester fabrics, so it’s gentle on skin and allows for a seamless fit under clothing. The breathable fabric makes the knee brace wearable for long periods of time, and a silicone grip keeps it securely fastened.
Just as there are a variety of knee injuries and issues, there are multiple brace types to heal, prevent and manage the pain these conditions cause. Knowing which type of knee brace is right for your needs is the first step. As with any medical decision, it’s best to consult your health care provider before using a knee brace.
Originally made for athletes recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, functional knee braces are used for stability. They are widely used among a range of individuals as a form of support and are typically worn following an ACL surgery. As the name suggests, functional knee braces are effective in returning users to functional activity after a ligament injury.
While functional knee braces can be made custom, there is little evidence that custom braces offer additional advantages compared to pre-sized braces available in stores. Whether you’re considering a custom or in-store functional knee brace, consult your doctor about the most accurate brace size for you, as it will impact the amount of support the brace provides.
Also known as functional rehabilitative knee braces, rehabilitative knee braces are braces that protect and support an injured or surgically repaired knee joint. Similar to functional knee braces, rehabilitative braces assist in healing the knee and allow patients to gain mobility while reducing pain. Rehabilitative braces boast fast and long-lasting results in terms of improved muscle strength and reduced pain for patients with osteoarthritis.
Unloader knee braces help distribute and “unload” weight from the knee joint. These braces are typically used for people suffering from osteoarthritis, a common knee condition in seniors. Unloader braces are often prescribed by doctors to help patients with osteoarthritis with knee pain and alignment while awaiting knee surgery or as a more cost-effective alternative to surgery in some less severe cases.
One study found patients who were able to tolerate wearing an unloader brace for two years decreased their chances of surgery, and any patient who continued brace use longer than two years didn’t have to undergo surgery[1]Mistry DA, Chandratreya A, Lee PYF. An Update on Unloading Knee Braces in the Treatment of Unicompartmental Knee Osteoarthritis from the Last 10 Years: A Literature Review . Surg J (N Y). 2018;4(3):e110–e118. .
Unloader braces can be used on patients with arthritis in a particular side of the knee, says Daphne Scott, M.D., assistant attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in the department of primary sports medicine in New York City and a Forbes Health 2022 Advisory Board member. The unloader brace puts pressure on the opposite side and opens space, she explains. Unloader braces are one of the types of braces she uses most with patients. She doesn’t, however, recommend anyone put themselves in an unloader brace without first consulting their doctor.
“If someone has a big knee injury, it’s swollen, they’re limping or they can’t handle weight bearing, they absolutely need to be evaluated by a doctor,” she says.
Prophylactic knee braces are designed to protect knees from ligament damage. Often used as a preventative measure, prophylactic knee brace benefits require further research, as they have mixed reviews from health professionals.
The braces can reduce the frequency and severity of medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries, but they also risk giving users an overly confident sense of protection, particularly for a knee that suffered previous injury.
“Knee injury is going to be hard to stop,” says Dr. Scott. “If you’re going to have a knee injury, a knee brace is not to stop that. Unless someone knows something is going on with their knee, a knee brace won’t be very helpful.
Prophylactic knee braces are typically recommended for athletes like football players and aren’t intended for daily use.
Knee sleeves are thinner, less structured braces used to reduce knee pain and improve chronic knee conditions. Typically made completely of fabric—often elastic or neoprene materials—knee sleeves can help improve knee pain and functionality in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
“Most people find some form of relief from those [knee sleeves] because they provide compression and sometimes a little warmth to the knee,” says Dr. Scott. “For people with arthritis, that can help with pain.”
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Knee injuries can appear in many forms and require different treatments. Identifying your specific knee injury and need will ensure you find the proper knee brace for successful pain relief and recovery. Common knee injuries and issues that require braces include (but aren’t limited to):
Speak to your health care provider to diagnose your knee pain properly and discuss proper knee brace and treatment options.
Fit is one of the most important factors when it comes to finding the right knee brace, says Dr. Scott. “If you have a knee brace that doesn’t fit, you’re not going to use it, which defeats the purpose,” she says. She recommends going to a specialty brace orthosis provider or a medical supply store where specialists can assist you with finding the right size brace. While off-the-shelf braces come in different sizes, purchasing a brace through a drugstore won’t allow you to try it on in the store. Meanwhile, working with a brace specialist ensures a perfect fit.
“What I look for is that the client and physician have had conversations and decisions about the clients best approach to healing and care,” says Sabrena Jo, senior director of science and research at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and a Forbes Health 2022 Advisory Board member. “The brace has to be comfortable so that the person is going to actually wear it,” she says.
Dr. Scott adds that multiple types of braces may serve the same purpose. She recommends trying two or three braces to see which one feels best. “It’s almost like buying a car,” she says. “You don’t want to just pick one and walk out with it.”
For seniors especially, finding a brace with comfortable materials is essential, due to thinning and sensitive skin. “As we age, our skin gets thinner,” says Dr. Scott. “A poor-fitting brace, or one that’s rough and has a roughened edge, can cause skin breakdown.” Brace material shouldn’t be traumatizing to the skin, and people who have fabric allergies should be aware of material components to avoid allergic reactions, she adds.
Knee braces come in many styles, the most common being hinged braces, compression sleeves, wraparound braces and straps or bands.
Hinged braces typically feature metal on both sides with a hinge in between, says Dr. Scott, and they’re available in soft and rigid forms, depending on the amount of support needed. These braces are most often seen on post-surgical patients or patients suffering from arthritis, she says. Dr. Scott recommends working with your health care provider to decide if a hinged brace is the right treatment for you.
Meanwhile, wraparound braces are typically used for patellar stabilization (keeping the kneecap in place), and compression sleeves provide compression to the knee and can sometimes provide pain relief, says Dr. Scott. Knee straps or bands are smaller than traditional knee braces and are worn around the bottom of the knee. They’re most commonly used to provide stress and pain relief in the knee.
Some knee braces also offer design features, such as open popliteal, meaning there’s a round opening on the back of the knee, or open patella, which indicates a round opening over the kneecap. Both of these features typically allow for heat reduction and reduced irritation to the skin on the knee. However, a 2017 study comparing open and closed patella braces on 108 patients with knee osteoarthritis found knee braces with no opening over the kneecap gave better results in pain reduction, function and walking speed compared to braces with patellar openings[2]Added MAN, Added C, Kasawara KT, Rotta VP, de Freitas DG. Effects of a Knee Brace With a Patellar Hole Versus Without a Patellar Hole in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. Eval Health Prof. 2018;41(4):512-523. .
When searching for the right knee brace, having a brace that’s lightweight can impact its effectiveness. “You can walk out of a physician’s office with orders, but if it’s super uncomfortable and cumbersome, a client might ignore the doctor’s recommendations and discontinue use prematurely,” says Jo.
When treating a knee injury or rehabilitation of a prior injury with a brace, Jo recommends users take lifestyle and mobility into consideration.
“Does it disrupt apparel they’re trying to wear? Does it disrupt movement so they can’t be present [with their families]? Those types of things should be continually considered so an ongoing conversation can be had between the client and the client’s physician,” she says.
“The reason for a brace is to limit mobility so the soft tissues and bone have a chance to heal,” adds Jo. Having a knee brace that supports the knee in this way but still allows for healthy movement is key.
Jo recommends being mindful of movements that support and strengthen the muscles around the affected joints while wearing a brace. “[The] purpose of the brace in general, is to support and stabilize affected muscles,” she says. “Having a support or a brace will do its job to stabilize the affected area, but it won’t do anything to strengthen those muscles or the joint.”
Regular physical movement can also help prevent “the vicious cycle that happens with arthritis,” says Jo. “You have a painful joint, so you don’t move it and it becomes more immobile, and then you lose it. If you have arthritis, you must stay mobile.”
Most braces are intended to be worn during activity, with the exception of severe injury cases, such as a broken kneecap, says Dr. Scott.
Knee braces are covered by Medicare for people who need an off-the-shelf brace, but users must purchase the brace through an approved contract supplier in order to have Medicare cover the cost.
“Medicare will only cover one brace for a particular [body] part once every two to three years,” adds Dr. Scott. “They [patients] have to be pretty careful if they’re getting a brace through their insurance,” she says. “They may end up with a brace that’s not very helpful and have to pay cash for another.”
In addition to open and closed popliteal and patella options, some knee braces come with features like cooling packs, heat therapy or vibration technology for additional pain relief. If you’re considering any of these special features in a knee brace, speak with your health care provider to ensure they will benefit your condition.
To find the best knee braces for seniors of 2022, the Forbes Health editorial team researched over 40 knee braces, analyzing and ranking the products based on the following factors:
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, also known as “wear and tear” arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Caused by the breakdown of joints and changes in bones, osteoarthritis happens most frequently in hands, hips and knees, and it typically affects older populations. Obesity and being overweight can also contribute to the development of osteoarthritis, notes Jo.
One 2019 study found osteoarthritis to be “one of the leading causes of physical disability in the world[3]Parween R, Shriram D, Mohan RE, Lee YHD, Subburaj K. Methods for evaluating effects of unloader knee braces on joint health: a review. Biomed Eng Lett. 2019;9(2):153–168. .” There’s currently no cure for osteoarthritis, but doctors have leaned on unloader knee braces as a non-drug therapy for patients awaiting or attempting to avoid surgery, among other treatments.
Anyone over the age of 40 should be evaluated for osteoarthritis, recommends Dr. Scott, adding that initial screenings with weight-bearing and standing X-rays can be done by a primary care provider.
Yes, men and women can wear the same knee braces. Knee braces are not gender specific and usually depend more on sizing, says Dr. Scott.
Knee braces are not meant for use in water. “Most braces are only utilized for weight-bearing activity,” says Dr. Scott. If your knee brace does get wet, Dr. Scott recommends making sure the brace is given adequate time to dry before putting it on again.
Our Forbes Health advisory board members shared their extensive orthopedic knowledge to support our Best Knee Braces for Seniors Of 2022 ranking.
Exercise & Sports Science / Fitness
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Jessica is a writer, editor and media professional who has spent her career working with some of the most influential names in media. Prior to joining Forbes Health, Jessica was the manager of creative communications at Hearst, where she specialized in high-level production and project management. As a freelance writer, Jessica has written across a range of topics, including entertainment, travel and career. Her work can be found in Variety, Paste Magazine, The Muse and on her personal website (jessicamlester.com).
Alena is a professional writer, editor and manager with a lifelong passion for helping others live well. She is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and a functional medicine certified health coach. She brings more than a decade of media experience to Forbes Health, with a keen focus on building content strategy, ensuring top content quality and empowering readers to make the best health and wellness decisions for themselves.