Tested: DonJoy Cartilage Knee Brace

When I couldn’t get rid of my knee pain when cycling (long story), the first thing I tried was a knee brace. They’re relatively inexpensive and I’ve had braces help my wrists, ankles, and shoulders in the past, so it was a logical first step.

I chose a DonJoy Cartilage Comfort Knee Brace for two reasons:

  1. It looked like it would provide support without ruining my mobility.
  2. It was the cheapest option when it came to the higher-end knee braces.

How cheap? Only $35 from JointHealing.com.

The brace is made of cotton, uses a horseshoe-shaped foam pad for anterior knee compression, and offers medial and lateral support. I’m not sure what the side supports are made of – possibly a thin metal – but they are flexible and don’t hinder my movement.

I don’t have any patella tracking issues, but I still like the foam pad on the front to be extra sure my knee cap is staying in place.

I ordered a size medium (size chosen based on Donjoy’s recommendations, not the JointHealing.com chart) and it fits me well. It is nice and tight, but still comfortable. If I had gone with a size large, it would have been a little loose, rather than tight and supportive.

Now let’s quickly run through what I like and don’t like about this brace:

What I Like About The Donjoy Comfort Knee Brace

I liked quite a few things about this knee brace:

• Comfort. This brace is actually more comfortable than the more expensive ones with adjustment straps.
• Mobility. It doesn’t interfere with running or any normal movements.
• Lateral support. It has good lateral support thanks to the metal bracing. Braces without this side support left my knee feeling unstable.
• Patella support. It has a pad around patella, which makes it feel secure and makes certain your knee cap stays where it should.
• Price. It costs just $35 at JointHealing.com. It is well worth it, considering how it helps.

What I Don’t Like About The Donjoy Comfort Knee Brace

There are only a few minor things I don’t like about this brace.

• It gets dirty. Since it’s white, if it gets dirty at all, you really notice it.
• Cotton. Unfortunately the cotton material isn’t as nice as Drytex or a similar neoprene-like fabric. It gets wet and stays wet, so it’s not fun in the rain or when sweating.
• The seams. Unfortunately the bottom and top seams cut into my legs and leave fairly deep indents if I wear the brace for a few hours.

Let me talk about the seams a bit more…

While I like how the brace always stays in place, the top and bottom seams are extra tight. If I wear the brace for a couple hours, I have deep indents in my leg where the seams were.

I’ve tried other Donjoy knee braces in size large (and they were huge), so I worry a size large in this brace wouldn’t be tight enough on the knee itself. I don’t want to give up the good knee support to get looser seams!

The problem for me is I’m not a naturally big person, but I have relatively large leg muscles considering my athletic background. So my quads and calves are big, but my knee itself is small. so a brace that fits my muscles isn’t tight enough on my knee.

Luckily, the brace never cut off my circulation or anything, so it’s not a huge deal. I just don’t wear the brace for more than a couple hours at a time, and I don’t wear it in situations where my knee will be bent a lot (i.e. a motorcycle ride).

My final verdict is…

This is a great knee brace at a great price. It’s comfortable and offers good mobility, with just enough support. It’s not bulky like the other braces I tried. If you have minor knee instability from a torn meniscus or chondromalacia patella, try this out.

Official website: www.DonJoy.com

Buy online: www.BetterBraces.com | www.Amazon.com

Coach Levi

Levi Bloom is an experienced endurance athlete who has been training and competing for over 17 years. A former Cat 1 road and mountain bike racer (professional class on the regional circuit), he is now a cycling coach (USA Cycling Level 3 Certified) and sports nutrition coach (Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified).

coachlevi.com