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How to Sleep in a Knee Brace
When suffering from a sports injury or recovering from a knee surgery, many people find it useful to wear a knee brace while sleeping to reduce the risk of further injury. While you should always ask your doctor if she has any special instructions that will speed your recovery, there are a few basics to safely sleeping with a knee brace.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Check all straps, hook and loop tapes, and any other tapes on the knee brace to ensure that the brace fits snugly.
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Lie comfortably on your back 1. If you are used to sleeping on your side, you may wish to adjust the number of pillows you are using to keep your back comfortable and completely relaxed.
Stick a pillow or two underneath the ankle and foot of the leg in the knee brace, to elevate it.
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Lay a blanket over yourself, if you wish 1. If you want to keep the brace uncovered, consider using two blankets—one across your chest and one on your free leg.
Warnings
Never elevate your knee by resting a pillow behind it. Set the pillow only beneath your ankle and foot.
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References
- FamilyDoctor: Knee Bracing: What Works?
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Knee pain: how to choose the right knee brace for your child. Updated October 10, 2019.
- American Academy of Family Physicians. Knee bracing: what works?. Updated May 11, 2017.
- Moyer RF, Birmingham TB, Bryant DM, Giffin JR, Marriott KA, Leitch KM. Valgus bracing for knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2015;67(4):493-501. doi:10.1002/acr.22472
- Petersen W, Ellermann A, Rembitzki IV, et al. The Patella Pro study - effect of a knee brace on patellofemoral pain syndrome: design of a randomized clinical trial (DRKS-ID:DRKS00003291). BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014;15:200. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-200
- Squyer E, Stamper DL, Hamilton DT, Sabin JA, Leopold SS. Unloader knee braces for osteoarthritis: do patients actually wear them?. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2013;471(6):1982–1991. doi:10.1007/s11999-013-2814-0
Writer Bio
Amy Lukavics is an Arizona resident who has been a professional writer since 2009. She contributes to the blog Hello, Moon and her writing interests include cooking, crafts, pregnancy, health and beauty.