872 Knee Brace

This is a great knee brace, but it comes with some caveats. As I get a little older I find myself "tweaking" my knee doing simple things and, as an avid runner and snowboarder, I purchased this brace for preventative care during sporting activities, and for support after a "tweak". I wanted to test it out prior to an upcoming snowboarding trip so I put it on and went on a run. The brace is made with quality material and doesn't have that cheap feel.Sizing: The brace is definitely tight, but I believe that's by design. A good knee brace should provide some compression. When I took my measurements, all my sizes were near the middle of the range for a LARGE. When I first slid it on, it definitely takes a little work but it does stretch a little. I personally have small calves so I could see how someone with huge blown out calves would have a hard time getting it on because the bottom portion tapers down a little. I still recommend not sizing up because of compression. If you don't want compression and want a more comfortable fit, you can size up but be aware that there is a chance the brace could slip during heavy activity if you sacrifice compression for comfort.Wear: I read some reviews that this brace caused some chaffing. I didn't take any chances and wore some stretch material underneath (for me, it was cold outside so I wore tight thermals but any sport/compression pants would work). I ran for an hour and a half and experienced no skin irritation.Comfort: At first you feel a little robotic and stiff, but you quickly work in and movements become more natural. Walking is fine, climbing stairs is probably 95% of normal movement, sitting is normal. Running is probably around 85-90%. The one thing I noticed however is that the compression seems to slightly cut circulation, enough to make running more difficult -- not because of the motion, but because your legs seem to burn out faster than a normal run would. You may have to make frequent stops. I'm sure everyone has different cardiovascular conditioning and results may vary but I would say that you will likely have slight performance drops; not because of mobility, but because of the compression. That said, if you are battling a knee problem its still better than being forced to be completely inactive.Performance: It seems like the biggest advantages on this brace is lateral knee support and compression. It felt strong, supportive and I never had any lateral slips. It also seemed to reduce impact on the knees, perhaps by dispersing some of that energy through the hinges to the lower leg, thereby reducing the amount of force being put on the knees. I felt no joint soreness after my run, like I have been feeling lately (although my leg muscles were screaming when I finished)Based on my experience, I think this will be perfect for snowboarding or skiing and I plan to wear it on my upcoming trips. Since snowboarding doesn't require the same volume of blood flowing in and out of the legs as running does, I don't expect to feel much leg burnout and the range of motion should be perfect for this brace. I will update this review once I give it a few runs.

I purchased the 875 and 872 knee braces in medium. I am 6' 1 200lbs with relatively skinny legs. The medium fits me best. I play hockey as my main sport and wanted protection when skating and any unintentional collisions (non hitting league) since thats how I got hurt in the first place. I do not plan on having surgery as the mri showed a high grade ACL tear but no other issues, no meniscus damage and no signs of arthritis. My doc and PT recommended a brace for any strenuous activities. I personally find myself using the 875 brace more often with high intensity activities. I find that the 875 is more supportive than the 872 but also more restrictive and less comfortable. When playing hockey though my goal is injury prevention, not comfort and through the break in period and once the hype of the game begins, it does not bother or hinder me. I do feel like if I were to select a brace for say tennis or racketball (a non contact sport) I would choose this brace, the 872 for its mobility and comfort (and it too offers great support). I have decided to keep both braces and use them both in separate scenarios. The $50 or so on amazon is the cost of the copay to get sized for a medical grade brace and I was told to expect a few hundred on top of that for the brace itself.

I love the rigid hinges this brace sports for their added lateral support. I bought this brace several years ago when I dislocated my knee in a softball game. I have that to someone else when I had recovered. I ended up buying this brace again when I dislocated my knee in a soccer game. I won’t buy another brace. This one gives superb support and is comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time.The brace is designed to slide onto your leg. If that’s something you’ll struggle with, get a different brace. The Velcro straps encircle the whole brace, providing a lot of compression. The mesh back in the knee pit area is breathable and reduces the material load when bending the knee.My only downvote is for the size. I guess I’ve been doing too many squats at the gym because my thigh grew from the last time I ordered this brace. They have a size guide and recommend sizing up if you’re on the cusp. If you have thick thighs, consider sizing up.

I ordered a size up as everyone else said, and I am thankful I did. This thing is TIGHT the first time you put it on. However, after wearing it for 2 days it broke in quickly and became very comfortable. I wear it over pants at work, on my bare leg, and over joggers for exercise. I could see myself running in this without issues, however initially it felt way too tight to do so. Just keep wearing it.Been wearing it for 3 weeks daily now and It's incredibly supportive. I played golf in it, walk, and lift weights. I will probably continue to use it when doing a knee-intensive activity. It also got soaked in the rain one day and had no issues drying off. Lastly, it does not smell. I have sweat in this thing but the brace smells brand new.FYIThe easiest way to put it on over pants is to pull your pant leg down and step on the bottom of the leg with your heel. Then pull the brace up. This way your pants don't roll up along with the brace. The first time it took me like 10 minutes to put on over-work pants. Doing this takes like 10 seconds.