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**bestbyV** · 11-13-2009, 08:23 PM

IWhat magic does it take to get one issued? Does it boil down to location and luck of the draw?

Depends on what your knee problem is. If you're like me (severe osteoarthritis in both knee joints), they (shouldn't anyway) tell you to go downtown and buy one, because knee braces like mine run about $2,000 a pair. If its an old ACL tear and they suggest you go buy a knee brace at the local sporting goods store to give your knee extra support, then that's a different story. With a torn ACL you can actually do exercises to build up the muscles around the knee so that a brace isn't a requirement, just an extra measure of support.
I'm at Wright-Patt, so I have access to a full hospital with pretty much every specialist you can imagine. However, they referred me downtown to a brace shop for mine, and all the ones they showed me were solid black with white lettering (manufacturer's logo).

Bottom line, if you're required by a doc to wear the brace while exercising, and if you would suffer physical harm to the joint by not wearing it, then no one in the AF can legally harass you about wearing it. You could file an IG complaint real quick on that one.

11-13-2009, 08:23 PM	#13
bestbyV Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 406 Senior Member	IWhat magic does it take to get one issued? Does it boil down to location and luck of the draw? Depends on what your knee problem is. If you're like me (severe osteoarthritis in both knee joints), they (shouldn't anyway) tell you to go downtown and buy one, because knee braces like mine run about $2,000 a pair. If its an old ACL tear and they suggest you go buy a knee brace at the local sporting goods store to give your knee extra support, then that's a different story. With a torn ACL you can actually do exercises to build up the muscles around the knee so that a brace isn't a requirement, just an extra measure of support. I'm at Wright-Patt, so I have access to a full hospital with pretty much every specialist you can imagine. However, they referred me downtown to a brace shop for mine, and all the ones they showed me were solid black with white lettering (manufacturer's logo). Bottom line, if you're required by a doc to wear the brace while exercising, and if you would suffer physical harm to the joint by not wearing it, then no one in the AF can legally harass you about wearing it. You could file an IG complaint real quick on that one.
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