I remember it was my freshman year of high school and I was trying out for the varsity soccer team and one of the girls came in to the tryout and she had the huge bulky brace on. I remember being somewhat scared to go against her and get hit by that brace. But I also was so curious how she could play soccer with such a huge brace on one leg and not be affected in any way. I didn’t think it would ever be a serious thing that I would have to consider, but after I tore my ACL and began to start coming back to playing soccer, it was something that my surgeon, physical therapist and I discussed.
My experience with braces had been somewhat limited. Before my ACL tear, I had had a small MCL sprain in eighth grade, a strained quad for a few weeks, and the occasional ankle injury throughout high school. For the ankle injuries, I always made sure to properly rest them and then I would come back to play. I remember trying to get my ankles taped a few times but hating how it was super constricting and my touch would be worse. I tried an ankle brace but they were also always bulky and I felt like I was overcompensating for it. So, I never ended up using ankle braces seriously. I felt that this was also the approach I wanted to take for my knee. I wanted to get back into running – without anything on my knee!
One of the reasons for this was that I wanted to be able to feel my knee and know if there was any pain or anything. I thought that having a brace or compression on the knee would affect the clarity of my perception of any pain, soreness, or discomfort. I got into biking and then elliptical and then running – all without using my brace. When the time came for me to move on to cutting and actual soccer touches, I was confident without a brace. That was the second reason I didn’t want a brace. I didn’t want to become reliant on the brace and not be able to play without for both mental and physical reasons. Plus, I didn’t think it would be a sustainable investment because eventually I would have to stop using it and that would be another transition. If I never used the brace, I would only have to transition to play once.
My surgeon also told me that I wouldn’t need to use a brace. He explained that many of his past patients returned to play without a brace – I was all for it! So I never actually used a brace again after my first six weeks of the brace brace from surgery. I really loved the freedom of not having the brace when I returned to play – it also helped me to feel more like myself (my pre-ACL injury self).
Now, I wear a compression sleeve when I play as an extra layer of protection for my meniscus. Since I have reinjured my knee once while wearing my compression sleeve, I am not sure how effective it is – or if perhaps I would have injured myself sooner if I hadn’t been wearing it. I like my compression sleeve because it is super light and doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything. That was the main thing for me – making sure it wasn’t bulky and getting in the way of my play.
I know plenty of girls who play with the brace and in the end it’s your individual decision to use or not use it. For me, I felt that the ease which came along with the brace would make it more difficult for my return but in many cases, this is the reason that people will choose the brace. Ultimately, I think you should listen to your body and choose the option which adds to your confidence in your physical ability and play.
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