In this article, we have reviewed the best knee brace for ITB syndrome. If you are in a hurry, the table below gives a quick snapshot of the top ones.
Contents
The Iliotibial Band is one of the longest connective tissues in the body, which joins the hip with the knee and shinbone[1].
ITB or Iliotibial band syndrome is an overuse injury that arises around your thigh. It is most common among long-term runners.
Who Can Get ITB Syndrome?
The short answer: almost anyone. If you are into running, cycling, hiking, athletes who make regular use of their knees (basketball players, soccer players, and weightlifters) you are a higher up on the hit list of ITBS.
ITBS leads to pain in the outer part of the knee. If you are running, then the pain would be higher when the heel strikes the ground.
Like most musculoskeletal pains, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (The famous R-I-C-E acronym) are the best treatments [2].
Does A Knee Brace Help ITBS?
Wearing a knee brace or band for your knees helps relieve pain. The brace works by preventing the IT band from rubbing against the thigh bone.
A knee brace around the IT band supports and relieves pressure in the area.
Do watch this short video on the causes of ITBS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi9fG7mShBc
This article will guide you in selecting the best knee brace for ITB syndrome. Let’s check them one by one.
Our Top Choice – CAMBIVO 2 Pack Knee Brace
The CAMBIVO 2 Pack Knee Brace, Knee Compression Sleeve for Men and Women, Knee Support for Running, Workout, Gym, Hiking, Sports (Army Green,Small) is our top choice for Best Knee Brace for ITB Syndrome, because of the following reasons:
- Designed with anti-slip silicone waves for superior comfort.
- Made of breathable fabric to give comfort and to enhance hygiene.
- The muscles which are seen around the knee stay warm because of the 3D elastic weaving.
- These knee sleeves are designed for your convenience and give the right fit.
- Highly effective in supporting swollen knees and enhances your mobility.
Best Knee Brace for ITB Syndrome
#1 CAMBIVO 2 Pack Knee Brace
CAMBIVO 2 Pack Knee Brace is the best knee brace for ITB syndrome. The knee brace helps support your knees as it is designed with breathable fabric and anti-slip silicone waves to ensure comfort and support.
Features and Benefits
- Anti-slip Silicone: the knee sleeves are designed with anti-slip silicone waves on the tops, which gives superior comfort. It provides the ultimate comfort for your knees as compared to other knee sleeves.
- Flexible Fabric: The muscles which are seen around the knee stay warm because of the 3D elastic weaving. The material is flexible and breathable and minimizes sweat. Moreover, these knee sleeves are comfortable, easy to use, and give a better fit.
- Support: the knee sleeves are designed to evenly distribute weaves to ensure that your joints and the surrounding area receive an equal amount of pressure. These sleeves provide 360-degree support to your knees and help in removing stress from them.
Why should you buy it?
If you are suffering from knee pain, stiff muscles or joints, and knee injuries, then this knee brace is perfect for you. It is designed with breathable fabric and anti-slip silicone waves to ensure comfort and support and reduce the joints’ pressure.
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#2 Bracoo Adjustable Knee Support Brace
This knee brace is our second choice for the best knee brace for ITB syndrome. The extra padding around the knee cap and comfy skin-friendly neoprene give better comfort and relief. The simple design of this brace makes it easy to fit and to provide adequate support.
Features and Benefits
- Design: The design and the straps can be adjusted and are attachable to any point to prevent slippages and so will accommodate a wide user range.
- Stabilizer Ring: the stabilizer ring ensures the knee cap remains in the proper position during flexion and extension, which helps distribute stress across the ligaments and increase stability, leading to improved leg ailment for better recovery.
- Breathable: the premium grade neoprene increases your blood circulation and helps in fast healing. The breathable fabric provides extra comfort and minimizes skin irritation. Moreover, it can be worn on either the right or left knee to ensure warmth and comfort.
Why should you buy it?
The knee brace is an ideal choice for sufferers of arthritis, strains, and knee pains. It is designed with a stabilizer ring that ensures the knee cap remains in the proper position during flexion and extension. Moreover, it’s simple design makes it easy to fit and to give adequate support.
#3 NEENCA Professional Knee Brace
This professional knee brace strengthens joint support and reduces knee load. Its technology of anti-slip and high elastic design gives a better fit and makes you feel more comfortable while wearing it.
Features and Benefits
- Design: The knee brace is designed with gel pads that are of the contoured patella enabling better comfort and full knee support. The technology of anti slip ensures better fitting without any sliding and tumbling during exercises.
- Fabric: The air knit fabric instantly absorbs water and evaporates a large amount of water. It is thicker than other knee protectors and provides extra reinforcement. The breathable compression fabric reduces the pressure and pain from the knees.
- Good Fit: the high precision 3D cutting technology of knitting with ergonomic 360-degree design gives a perfect fit to your kneecap curve. Moreover, the high elastic fabric avoid sliding and tumbling while doing exercises,
Why should you buy it?
This knee brace is suitable to wear while doing exercises. It is made with air knit breathable and highly elastic fabric that gives a perfect fit and prevents sliding and tumbling while doing exercises. The technology of anti-slip gives perfect Fit and full support to your knees.
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#4 Vive Knee Support Strap
The cold knee strap features blend of soft neoprene and three gel packs of arctic flex to give better support and pain relief. The four adjustable straps make it ideal for wearing on the left or right knee.
Features and Benefits
- Pain Relief: it targets both front and back knee with adjustable compression. The knee brace offers comfortable relief from strains. Its arctic flex gel packs can be removed and are ideal for cold and hot therapy. The gel pack will slip easily into the pockets and makes it comfortable to wear.
- Flexible Fit: The brace is secured with a robust fastener system with four adjustable straps that can fit knee circumferences up to 21 inches. The soft brace can be worn on the left or right knee.
- Breathable: the breathable neoprene blend gives better for long hours. The knee wrap is made from a lightweight neoprene blend, soft and breathable, and adds to your comfort.
Why should you buy it?
If you often complain of knee pain, then this knee brace is the right option for you. The soft knee brace features arctic flax gels that are removable making them ideal for cold and hot therapy and is made from a lightweight neoprene blend, which is soft and breathable and adds to your comfort.
#5 Anoopsyche Knee Brace
The knee brace is suitable to get relief from ITB pain as it is made with a silicon slip belt design that fixes your knee and protects it. Its elastic material provides good stretch and reduces pressure whenever you do exercises.
Features and Benefits
- Design: The silicon slip belt design of the knee brace is ideal for intense exercises. It helps to reduce your knee pain and to correct posture, and fixing your knees. It provides better support to your knee and gives better pain relief.
- Material: The elastic material provides maximum stretch extension, and the neoprene material is breathable and light and gives you better comfort for long hours. The Velcro straps eases the stress points and can easily be adjusted to your comfortable size.
- Support: This knee support reduces knee pressure and strain. The four-piece spring design helps your knees to move and recover quickly and makes it easier for you to walk while wearing this knee brace.
Why should you buy it?
If you do intense exercises regularly, you can wear this knee brace to give better knee support. Its silicon slip belt design helps in doing better exercises, and the elastic material provides good stretch and reduces pressure whenever you do exercises.
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#6 ComfiLife Knee Ice Pack with Wrap – Knee Brace
The knee ice pack has the professional gel grade inside and the adjustable compression brace that provides better support to your knees. Constructed with thick, flexible material, it let you stay comfortable and relaxing for long hours.
Features and Benefits
- Flexible: The comfy knee ice pack is flexible and adjustable and allows you to wrap around the entire knee for pain relief. The adjustable knee brace gives compression support. The gel pack is specially engineered for better pain relief.
- Hot or Cold Therapy: this reusable gel pack is the perfect choice to relieve joint or knee pain in less time. The high-quality gel pack delivers up to 30 minutes of soothing comfort.
- Material: Constructed of thick, flexible material and double sealing prevent leaking. The finished edges prevent the seams from separating, and this high-quality gel pack is durable and can be used for a more extended period.
Why should you buy it?
If you want quick pain relief from joint or knee pains, you must try this knee brace. The adjustable knee brace gives compression support, and its gel pack is specially engineered for better pain relief in less time and ensures long hours comfort.
#7 Vive Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap
Designed specifically to support the IT Band, this compression band is the perfect support for stabilizing your IT band. The textured interior of the band and the adjustable fastener put the brace in the right position to hold the IT band tightly, for effective compression.
Features and Benefits
- Gel compression pad: An integrated gel pad inside the brace helps to reduce the vibration being felt around the knee, thereby giving additional support to the ITB.
- Nonslip: The strap has a textured surface on the inside. This does not allow the strap to slip from its place over the ITB, letting it hold the ITB securely and providing compression even while you are doing your daily activities or going out for running.
- Adjustable: The ITB strap uses a fastener system, which can be used to adjust its position when needed. The fastener can adjust the strap between 14 and 20 inches.
- Breathable: The strap is made from neoprene, which is a lightweight and breathable fabric. Neoprene is moisture-wicking as well, making sure that you can run to your heart’s content on a summer day without worrying about the strap getting soaked.
Why should you buy it?
The product is specifically designed for ITB support. It reduces strain on the knee and the risk of reinjury. It also reduces the rubbing and friction on the outer part of the knee. Compression based heat aids in healing soreness and increasing circulation. It can even be worn below the knee for common patellar problems such as patellar tendonitis and runner’s knee.
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Buyer’s Guide: Best Knee Brace for ITB Syndrome
IT band syndrome is commonly seen among runners, and you may feel sharp pain right above your knee.
So wearing an IT band brace or strap helps relieve pain from ITBS. But before choosing the right knee brace, you must consider certain factors.
Support
Look for a knee brace that gives a full level of support to your knees as these braces help reduce the pressure and strain from your joints.
The braces are designed to offer compression and support to give relief from the pain of ITB syndrome. They provide stability and support to your knees and joints.
Adjustable Straps
You can choose knee braces with the feature of an adjustable strap to get a better Fit. The elastic straps in your knee brace allow you to control the amount of pressure and enables the right amount of support. It also helps in better mobility while keeping the affected area more stable.
Fabric
The fabric used in making the knee brace is also an essential factor to consider. The moisture-wicking breathable fabric helps to improve the range of motions of the knee joint.
Neoprene knee braces are often recommended to help treat IT band syndrome as they are comfortable and give you better protection for long hours.
Better Fit
It would be best if you chose those braces that give you a better fit and are adjustable. The brace is ideal if it fits comfortably on either knee without any trouble.
The knee wrap designed braces better control the level of compression on your knee and gives a customized fit. So that you can wear these braces while doing any of your activities.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Best Knee Brace for ITB Syndrome
What is the treatment to fix ITBS in your knees?
First-hand treatment involves rest, ice, and compression. You can also take anti-inflammatory medications to get some relief from this pain.
Moreover, home treatments may include stretching, massage, and foam rollers at the site of pain and inflammation. But if the pain is severe, then you must consult a doctor and take proper treatment.
How long does the IT band take to heal?
Treatment can be a long-term process as it may take from a few weeks to a couple of months to heal from IT band syndrome fully. The recovery time is usually from four to eight months.
The overuse caused it in the first place, so it needs time to recover fully. You must not put much strain on your knees and take proper rest.
Is ITBS serious?
Many patients with chronic ITBS feel fine most of the time but may suffer from frustrating flare-ups every time they walk and run for more than a certain amount.
Some severe cases may cause continuous pain, but even those cases are still aggravated by usage. So if it appears to be serious, you must take precautionary measures and get fair treatment.
Should I ice or heat my IT band?
Heat should be applied before or during stretching for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Ice treatment should be done by using a cold pack at least 10 to 15 minutes.
You can also opt for a massage using ice, for this you have to rub ice on the region of inflammation for five minutes or until the area becomes numb. It also helps to give you better pain relief.
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Conclusion
A knee brace can help alleviate the ITB syndrome pain. It can relax your pain and enhance your mobility without restricting your daily movement.
In our opinion, the CAMBIVO 2 Pack Knee Brace, Knee Compression Sleeve for Men and Women, Knee Support for Running, Workout, Gym, Hiking, Sports (Army Green,Small) is the best choice among the various options that we have considered, because this knee brace helps support your knees as it is designed with breathable fabric and anti-slip silicone waves to ensure comfort and support.
The Bracoo Adjustable Compression Knee Patellar Pad Tendon Support Sleeve Brace for Men Women - Arthritis Pain, Injury Recovery, Running, Workout, KS10 (Black) is our next best choice because the extra padding around the knee cap and comfy skin-friendly neoprene give better comfort and relief. The simple design of this brace makes it easy to fit and to provide adequate support.
If you are looking for a value for money option, you can also consider the Anoopsyche Knee Brace, Relieve ACL, LCL, MCL, Arthritis, Meniscus Tear Pain, Open Patella Dual Stabilizers, Sports Exercise with Adjustable Strapping & Breathable Neoprene M, which offers great value and features at a very reasonable price point.
References:
[1] Iliotibial (IT) Band: Syndrome, Strength, Stretches, and Preventi (healthline.com)
[2] Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment (webmd.com)
