Do you wear a knee brace over your pants?
Can I wear my knee brace over my pants?
If you’ve experienced a knee injury, knee surgery, or a total knee replacement, your doctor may require you to wear a knee brace. These braces should be straightforward and user friendly, but you may have questions about how to properly use your knee brace that you felt too silly to ask. Like can you sleep in a knee brace? How do you wash and care for a knee brace? Do you wear a knee brace under or over pants?
First, there’s no need to feel silly. Thousands of other custom knee brace wearers have asked the same questions! Take a look at this Reddit forum, for example.
So, down to business!
Do knee braces go over pants?
The short answer is: sometimes. If you feel like you need extra support and stability, protection against skin abrasion, or want to keep your knee brace in place, wearing your knee brace over pants can be a good idea. But not all pants are created equal. You might want to opt for pants that are designed to be worn under a knee brace — and yes, we'll tell you where to find some!
At some point, you've probably wondered how to wear a knee brace with jeans. While it may be tempting to wear your knee brace over jeans or other thick, everyday pants, it might not be the most comfortable. Sure, it might stop a knee brace from sliding down, a common complaint about the devices. But it also may encourage chafing and skin irritation, which can even be a problem when a knee brace is worn directly against the skin, as is often recommended. Not to mention that wearing a knee brace over pants will alter the desired fit of your knee brace, especially if it is a custom knee brace from a manufacturer like DonJoy, Ossur, or Bauerfiend.
Note that many of these knee brace brands will have their own guides and information about how to wear their products. It’s a good idea to consult those! For example, Bauerfiend suggests that you should choose a lightweight, breathable, and moisture wicking pant to wear underneath your knee brace, if you would like to wear some kind of pants.
You can wear a knee brace under jeans, but that still doesn't solve many of the problems and little annoyances that custom knee braces often come with, like discomfort and skin irritation. Not to mention that pesky bit about distal migration, the term used to describe knee braces sliding down. So, really, your options with loose fitting pants are kind of limited, and it comes down to the user’s choice.
Do you wear knee support under or over leggings?
If you’ve been asking: can I wear my knee brace over pants or can I wear my knee brace over jeans, you may or may not have considered opting for a form fitting, breathable pair of pants instead of bulky, loose fitting ones. The next question is: should you wear a knee brace under or over leggings?
Wearing leggings under a knee brace is a great option to prevent skin irritation and help hold your brace in place. Many people who wear custom knee braces opt to wear them over leggings or tights. Tights or leggings will add much less bulk under a knee brace, therefore keeping the intended fit about the same.
How to wear a knee brace over pants:
While you can technically wear a knee brace over any pair of pants, you might want to consider investing in a pair of pants that were actually designed to be worn under custom knee braces.
But does such a thing exist? It certainly does.
Bracelayer’s knee stabilizing compression pants were originally designed to be worn under custom knee braces. Our CEO and founder, Dan Tognotti, was frustrated by years of knee injuries, instability, and the complications of custom knee braces. That’s why he designed Bracelayer’s compression leggings!
We’ve written before on how Bracelayer’s compression pants help keep knee braces in place, including why they might slide down in the first place. What you really need to know is that the texture of the compression mesh layer of our unique Tri-Tech support layer provides excellent grip for knee braces, locking them in place while also providing targeted knee support and compression.
As recommended by Bauerfiend for optimal success layering a knee brace over pants, Bracelayer's pants are made of a moisture-wicking compression fabric to keep you dry and prevent skin irritation! If temperature control is a concern, we also have a design with behind-the-knee ventilation for extra air flow (the KS1 Vent!) And on top of all that, compression gear is proven to have a number of benefits, including increasing circulation to reduce swelling and inflammation, aiding in recovery after intense exercise or injury. These aren’t your average leggings!
Knee brace compression pants for all!
If you came to this page to find out if you can wear knee braces over pants, you are probably hoping to do just that. But just so you know, Bracelayer® compression pants don’t have to be worn under a knee brace. They provide knee support all on their own, thanks to the Tri-Tech support layer.
Compression fabric, perforated, medical grade neoprene, and compression mesh create the effect of a built-in compression knee sleeve, except this knee sleeve won’t roll down or cause skin irritation. It will stay right where it needs to be, providing targeted support to your largest and most vulnerable joint.
Though our pants were designed to be worn under knee braces, our knee stabilizing technology is helpful for knees at any stage: recovering from injury, experiencing the first steps of knee pain, or those hoping to prevent injury.
Bracelayer® pants support you every step of your journey and can help to relieve knee pain.
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