How to Use the Hinged Knee Brace

Putting Your Knee Brace On
  1. Detach the top and bottom Velcro straps and reattach so the straps are loose. Position the brace so the metal hinges on both sides of the brace are lined up with the sides of your leg, and the patella hole lines up with the centre of your leg. 
  2. Put your foot through the hole at the top of the brace (the wider opening) and pull the brace up your leg until the patella hole is slightly past your knee cap. The brace will drop down slightly when you let go. Your knee cap should rest in the patella hole, supported by the buttress inside the brace. 
  3. At this step you can take the brace off and make any necessary adjustments. You can reposition the felt buttress or take the metal hinges out and bend them to fit the shape of your leg. Then put the brace back on. 
  4. Detach the top and bottom Velcro straps. For each strap, pull the elastic section at the back of the brace until the strap is tight and reattach.

Bending the Hinge

  1. To take the hinge out, locate the small opening on the hinge cover on the inside of the brace. Pull the top of the brace back so that the top of the hinge pops out.
  2.  Pull the hinge up out of the brace. 
  3. To bend the hinge to fit a wider thigh, hold the hinge face down against a table, with the point you want the hinge to bend at at the table’s edge. Push down on the free end until the bend in the hinge matches your leg shape. Repeat on the other side of the hinge to adjust for a wider calf. Do the same thing but with the hinge facing up for a narrower calf.
  4. Put the hinge back in the brace facing the same way as when you took it out. Once the hinge is all the way in, push it down a bit farther so that it’s stretching the bottom of the brace, and pull the top of the brace up so that the top of the hinge goes up into the top of the hinge cover. Then pull the brace on again.

Taking Your Knee Brace Off

  1. Remove the Velcro straps and reattach so that they are loose.
  2. Grip the top of the brace and slide it down your leg. Leave the brace with the Velcro straps attached so that they don’t stick to anything else while you’re not using the brace.