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I've got a torn ACL which normally is fine.
Normally I can climb out of the saddle and absorb bumps with my legs
This year I don't have a happy knee.
Does anyone have a fancy pants brace that will keep me cycling?
I don't have a brace, sorry, but I had a complete tear of my acl and partial medial ligament tear. It was 2 years before I could get surgery. During this time I began to ride clipped as it means your knee is fixed in a position that allows only the forward/backward motion. Not sure if you already ride clipped, but it definately helped me
I ride clipped was thinking of trying flat!
Was your surgery a success?
Yep, complete success. Although the two year waiting period meant that I put extra strain on my other knee, so I had to have a meniscus trim on that as well.
I don't have any issues now, I always ride clipped with plenty of pedal float and have ridden singlespeed for long periods with no problems. The key is getting the knee muscles as strong as posdible to compensate for the ligament.
Are you having surgery?. As it's only a tear, you may get away with knee strengthening as a permanent solution.
If you do get a brace, some have kevlar strips on either side to stop inward/ outward bending.
I went for an MRI on a meniscal tear about a year ago. Turns out the ACL replacement surgery I'd had done about 15 years ago wasn't still in place. The screw was there obviously but ACL replacement (bit of my ham string) was gone. Doesn't ever cause an issue or pain on the bike. Can get a sharp pain the odd time twisting the knee (as would be expected). I do wear a knee brace when out rollerblading. It's one of these ones https://bioskin.com/hinged-knee-brace.html
which gives plenty of support.
P.S. I've no intention of going for surgery again for the ACL or for the tear as neither causes much bother and surgery recovery is too long (4-6 months off the bike). I also don't do any activities like soccer etc. that require twisting the knee.
I haven't got enough time in my day to try and make pictures work, but I use a pod k4 and it's very good.
i had acl surgery 8 years ago, but i reckon i' slipped or something, and it hasn't been great. possibly due to jumps on the bike and being 60+yrs old. tried a POD k300 on the moto, but it wasnt comfortable (wrong size) so intersted to know whats out there. NHS hasnt helped so far
Have one of these https://bioskin.co.uk/knee-compression-sleeve.html recommended for skiing after an ACL reconstruction. I don't need it on the bike, but it's very supportive without all the extras of a full knee brace.
Alternatively you could do some solid knee/glute/calf/hams strength rehab work alongside the cycling. It made a huge difference to my knee being happy for running and cycling. Will always try and do some of this on a non-cycling day
Good Luck