Joint supports

[wooha]

Here's an interesting thing that's been going around my head for a while.

What do you all think of joint supports? You know, those elasticated things you put around you knee or ankle or whatever to support your joint during your training.

Personally I'm uneasy about them.

My theory - and I'm sure I got it from something I read - is that they do a lot of the work your muscles should be doing in keeping the joint stabilised, and therefore these stabilisation muscles don't get stronger.

I believe that to improve your joints you need to stregthen the muscles that support the joints. For example, doing squats to help a knee problem.

I recently hurt my ankle and a friend recommended getting an ankle support. Needless to say I haven't got one yet. Do you think I'm wrong? Should I go out and purchase one as soon as I can?

[chyisan]

You should buy the ankle supports. Supports are for stabilizing the joint WHILE it's healing from a previous injury so as to reduce the chance of injuring it again while healing. After your ankle heals, take the support off and strengthen your surrounding musculature and soft tissue. A good excercise for that is to point your foot out and write the whole alphabet without moving your knee.

[wooha]

That's kind of what I thought, but I see loads of people that constantly wear all kinds of supports all over themselves.. ankles, wrists, knees, you name it. I wonder how all of their joints are so weak that they need all that support.

I like that alphabet idea.

[Kungfu boy]

Buy the ankle support. I do Muay Thai and it can have some really bad effects on beginners. Some kick the bag and don't make full contact with the shin. Instead, it is the lower shin/ankle area that contacts with the bag, done repeatedly it will start to mess up the ankle. Personally, when I started to spar I was still kinda new to the footwork, and I moved too fast and rolled my ankle. Ankle supports will let you get back in the game faster, while you do still have to go relatively light in training, you don't have to stop completely.

They're worth buying dude, I've got'em.

[wooha]

Ok.. putting aside the idea that I've just injured my ankle. I really shouldn't have mentioned that, it didn't really have much to do with the point of my post.

What I'm interested in, is those people that never train without their supports. Perhaps people with chronic knee problems. I see them all the time pulling on their knee supports before training month after month.

It's a bit like wearing a weightlifting belt for heavy lifts like squat or deadlift. The belt does a lot of the work that your core stabilising muscles would normally do and therefore these muscles don't get any benefit from the movement. Sure, you can lift more with the belt, but if you ever have to lift without it you're going to be in trouble.

I look at these joint supports in the same way. If you're relying on a piece of stretchy material to stabilise your joints, how are you ever going to manage without it? Your joints will never learn to stabilise themselves.

[12345]

The way I see it is that your joint and the stabilising muscles are getting more of a work out if you exercise with a support than if you don't exercise at all.

In the longer term I agree it is better to look at doing some exercises that will strengthen the muscles etc that stabilise the joint.

If you've damaged a joint though a support may be necessary for future exercise.

Maybe a support can help train the joint to move correctly though - just a thought?

OK I haven't got a clue - interesting topic though - I would be interested to read any expert opinion.

[Pres0rz]

Here are some great ankle supports for martial artists

https://www.attacktheback.com/best-mma-muay-thai-ankle-supports/

[SteveLau]

To me, these joint supports are of use in the following situations:

- rehabilitation
- keep our body parts warm during cold weather
- add extra support in very demanding situation like tournament



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

[Frost]

To me, these joint supports are of use in the following situations:

- rehabilitation
- keep our body parts warm during cold weather
- add extra support in very demanding situation like tournament



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

This pretty much nailed it, you wont find any true raw lifters ie no sleeves or wraps who last past a few years in weight lifting, the guys who use sleeves wraps etc last a longtime as they are protecting themselves and their joints. Your body can only take so much punishment before it starts breaking down.

People use them to keep warm and protect themselves when weights get heavy, of course it can go too far and that's when you get stupid thick triple ply protection which lifts the weights for you but people will always do stupid stuff lol

[bawang]

after I stopped caring about upping the weight and listen to my body I have no joint pains. I also do prehab exercises and join warm up religiously every day even when I don't lift.