McDavid Knee Brace Support with Side Stays, Compression Knee Sleeve & Cross Straps for Patellar Tendon Support, Tendonitis, Arthritis Pain Relief, Recovery, Knee Brace for Men and Women

As braces go, this ones pretty danged good. I had surgery on a meniscus tear 35 years ago and was recently on a vacation that involved a lot of stairs. Needless to say, my knee was not happy. The last brace I got from the doctor was too small and smelled terrible, so I decided to try my luck here. I was worried because the sizing is based on joint size, not leg circumference, and, because I'm overweight, I tend to have issues with the thigh part being too tight. For reference, my joint measures 16.5" and 4" above my knee is about 22". I'm happy to say that, although the brace is a bit snug, it's not painful. It fits pretty well, and the pain is gone. I have now ordered the XXL size so that I have something a bit more comfortable to wear around the house, but this XL is going to be great for walks. I am not at all disappointed. I also love the extra support the criss cross straps above and below the knee cap give. My knee cap is the most painful, and with this thing on, it's finally quiet.

I've been using the brace a few weeks at this point. A little back story, I tore my ACL 7 years ago, and had it replaced less than a year ago. So I just got released back to normal activity a few months ago and am now back doing martial arts 2-3 days a week. I was looking for something to provide a little protection and piece of mind. Overall it seems to do a good job for a neoprene brace. It's a bit longer than some of the other braces I've had in the past, and I like that about this one. The crossing elastic does a good job providing compression in the right areas. The images don't show it well but the 4 crossing straps are velcro-ed under the top and bottom securing strap. This does seem to be a good thing as it can help control how you want the compression just above and below the knee. When wearing this I hardly notice it's there. Sure, it's a little bit of bulk, but it doesn't bulge, the velcro so far seems to be the best I've seen on a brace and hasn't caught or poked once. It stays put through all sorts of activities. Even after a solid workout it still feels sturdy and ready for another round. The one downside I can say might the sizing, I ordered the large, measured my knee and even my calf to make sure it wouldn't get hung up. I ended up with 16 for the whole area I thought the brace would cover. It fits but is definitely providing compression. Is it too much, I can't really say. I can get the brace on ok most days with a quick tug, but getting it off can be difficult. Had my knee been any larger I would definitely need the XL. I'm considering purchasing a second one for the other knee and I may get the XL instead and compare the two before deciding what to do. I'm sort of hoping the neoprene will wear in a little, but so far it's still going strong, and seems very sturdy. Also, this is still a neoprene brace, it probably won't protect you from a hard hit or twist, but hopefully it'll help with the everyday stuff. The side supports don't seem to really add much bulk, but they don't seem to add much support either. I've had others with the flexible supports and they seemed to at least be more noticeable how they added to the knee. Though, it's difficult to tell. As far as a neoprene knee brace this has been the best one I've tried so far (7-8). This kind of brace might be overboard for someone who hasn't had any kind of knee issues, or someone doing lighter sports. Though if you've had issues, or are worried about issues, this might be a good brace for you.

My knee measurement around the patella is 15.5 inches, which puts me at the low end of the LARGE size range of 15-17 inches. IT FITS PERFECTLY. I have somewhat boney protruding knees. Other people may have less protruding knees but may have larger calves and quads, which may explain their difficulty in getting their specific size onto their leg. The Velcro is military industrial complex grade quality. It holds like iron. It took some effort to get the straps unhooked in order to get the thing on my leg. I was considering the Neo G but thought otherwise because of its negative Velcro reviews. It is very comfortable. Even when I cranked the straps about as tightly as I could, it still felt nice and firm and stable and supportive and comfortable. It never ever became constrictive nor did I ever feel my leg falling asleep due to blood circulation being cut off. I wore it for about 9 hours while at work, well past the recommended 2 hours. It is compact and fit easily under my trousers. I was expecting it to become irritating to the skin but it never did. The rear panel is of a softer material which allowed greater comfort and less abrasion when bending the knee. When I took it off I expected my leg to be itchy and discolored from wearing a tight brace all day but that did not occur. There was only the slight indentation from the brace's "donut" cushion around the patella. I have other braces that cause much itchyness. Even after 9 hours, it never shifted or moved, neither up or down n or side to side, from the position I put it on at the beginning of the day. The only negative comment I have is, out of the box, it has a smell similar to paint thinner. I am sure this will dissipate over time. But this brace is so well constructed and so heavy duty, it looks like it will last a lifetime. Great stitching and design. I can see how people can get addicted to this because of the total comfort and extreme support. Today I am not wearing it to see if my knee has improved because of my wearing it yesterday. So far my knee feels good without it but I know I will need to wear it again in the near future. I am sure I could wear it every day, all day, with no adverse affects.

I've never worn a knee-brace in my entire life. I'm a 30-year old active male who recently tweaked something in my knee. I thought the pain would just go away over time but it didn't. After a few months, I figured I'd try this out as I was training for a marathon. Without the brace, about 5 minutes into my run, I would experience discomfort in my knee. After the brace, I was able to go on long runs (10+ miles) with no pain. It offers great support and stability. I think the sizes run a little small as I got one size larger than I thought I would need and it fits perfectly. When you first wear it and break it in, there are two stiff but flexible "rods" along the sides that offer the support. These kind of dug into my skin a little bit and would cause discomfort but over time, that went away. All-in-all, great product and does the job.

the only product that holds my knee as it should be !! great to use ,comfortable and a stable feeling .

The good news is that the manufacturing quality of this brace is quite high and it is obviously going to maintain its functionality for a long time. However, perhaps as a function of its higher-than-usual quality, it’s also much heavier and thus less comfortable to wear for long periods than other braces I’ve tried. As someone who suffers from chronic knee pain I’ve learned, over the years, and over the purchases of several braces, never to fall for the advertising hype, and in this case that perception holds. For me, wearing the brace lessens the pain somewhat, but no more or less than other braces I’ve tried. From my perspective, the higher quality of the manufactured produce might justify its price, but not from the standpoint of pain alleviation where on this criterion, it would score only average.

When I first took this beast out of it's package I was thinking to myself, "Hmmm. This MIGHT be a little overkill. Good thing I didn't get the next sturdier one up." I was right. Next, I put it on and tried strapping it up. (Without reading the enclosed instructions printed inside the package's insert that I didn't see right away.) It wasn't looking and feeling as though I was going to be very happy with my buying decision. So I looked for and found the instructions which were a little awkward at first, but I discovered McDavid did their best in their effort to assist the consumer AND the instructions really weren't so bad after all; there's FAR worse written instructions to be found for consumer products. So, I hooked up the straps as instructed and found satisfaction with my choice beyond my first impression. I wore it to walk up and down 4 flights of stairs and found comfort. I'm a male, presently at the age of 59 years old with one knee a "little" overused and one knee a LOT overused to some extent; I exercise using a treadmill and knee press as regularly as possible. One repeated set back were my knees. This McDavid support will PROBABLY feel and MAYBE appear a little bulky to a younger high school athlete for instance BUT if there is an issue with their/your knee(s) this could or could NOT be right for you. For an older, larger person with moderate but NOT a severe injury, severe like recovering from a serious injury after a car wreck where you couldn't walk for a while,period. Then yeah, the top of the line super bulky one would probably be for you as a prosthetic of sorts, then as your condition improves go to this one as your ability to walk gradually improves. I'm NOT a doctor BUT I DO have personal experience with such issues so I feel qualified to comment on this with some authority that this should fit or not fill the bill for you with the conditions mentioned. For me, I anticipate a break-in period here for use of this support. It IS a little restrictive, BUT I was pleasantly surprised with how it felt when I started walking around with it on. It got a "Wow!" Rating to automatically register somewhere in my brain receptors. I'm serious. THAT was for the knee in worse condition of the two. My other knee isn't quite as problematic BUT there IS tenderness issues. For that knee I got the Nike open patella and I don't regret it one bit. It's perfect, really, BUT this is about the more troublesome knee which is usable BUT has been troublesome and causing problems for me for some time. It's a good buying decision for larger people and probably late teen athletes with a near serious condition. It would DEFINITELY look and feel bulky on a high school level girl or guy unless they're completely sidelined with some injury. If you plan on playing soccer or running track with this thing on, I would make other plans with another, lighter device: even the Nike might be overkill if you're active, not rehabbing. For a rehab period, this a DEFINITE two thumbs up. For active participation in a competitive sport, personally I think you'd find this one too cumbersome. (The sizing chart is reliable. I forgot where I saw it though. It's either in another review or listed under Product Information above by the manufacturer. You'll appreciate a tailor's tape measure. You can order one for just a few dollar - if you're buying stuff like this support now you'll be doing more measuring later so it's a good idea to order a measuring tape.) HOPEFULLY, I will be able to graduate to NOT having to wear this to go out for a run which doesn't appear to be a practical thing to do with this support on. It WILL be just fine for the treadmill though, JUST what the doctor ordered. I can switch to something lighter for that run in the way of knee support but I know already that this is going to improve my performance like I said on the treadmill: I felt it climbing the stairs. BIG improvement. I hope this has been helpful. WFN

Fits great, helps keep lateral movement of the knee under control. All my braces are McDavid