Knee Braces - Tumblr Posts
Why is is so goddamn hard to get some fucking knee braces. I can barely fucking walk. Fuck the health system in this goddamn country.
So I got home to my parents place yesterday to find out that my doctors request for custom knee braces was denied by my insurance and I’m devastated. I’ve tried so many prefabricated braces and either they don’t fit or don’t do enough and because I don’t have documented loss of muscle tone or a deformity in my knees they denied it. Im majorly hypermobile and my thighs don’t fit into prefabricated braces so unless there’s like a fucking miracle prefabricated brace that I haven’t tried idk what to do. My knees slam back randomly and it hurts so bad, my knees are seriously unstable, and just overall they suck. Fuck insurance why do they get to decide what’s medically necessary
Who the FUCK decided that insurance companies get to decide what’s medically necessary????????
Does anyone have any recommendations for good knee braces for preventing hyper extension? I’m trying to get some through my insurance but they’re being slow as fuck and my knees are only getting worse so any suggestions for OTC braces would be hugely appreciated
Got some hinged knee braces (from Amazon) and honestly they help some but I can’t adjust how far back they can go so they stop at 180 but to keep myself from hyperextending I would need a smaller ROM but they at least do something. My main problem is that they don’t fucking stay up! Granted I’ve never had a brace that stayed up on me but still it’s annoying and kinda pisses me off cause it just means I have to constantly adjust them and pull them up. Also when I sit the top of the brace majorly gaps. Like it turns into a fucking handle basically.
Also they are so far from sensory friendly because of how much they slide around.
All that said they’re helpful for now and hopefully I’ll be able to get custom braces soon if my insurance will approve them (I really hope they do soon because fuck my knees suck). Being disabled and being fat (1) and having big thighs as a result really makes this shit hard because prefabricated braces don’t fit me.
Also the socks I’m wearing are from Not Your Grandma’s and they’re compression socks and they’re fucking amazing and so comfortable 10/10 honestly. They’re about £15 (idk what that converts to in $ I think it’s like $17??? I’m American (eww) but the company is from the UK) so not cheep but the material and patterns are so good!!! Highly recommend. I have their dinosaur, shark, and sea life patterned socks.
(1) I really don’t know if I qualify as fat. I feel like I do but I’ve also been told I’m not “fat enough” which is ridiculous like maybe I’m fat lite? Or something idk either way I’m a large person.
Whelp my knee braces got denied again...
Why the fuck does insurance get to dictate what I need vs don’t need?????
I just want to be able to walk without being in pain. Is that really so much to ask??
I finally got my custom knee braces!!!! I’m so fucking happy I just wish it didn’t take this long to get it authorized. I’m so lucky too that my insurance covered them because otherwise they’d be ridiculously expensive. They were 3D printed to match my legs so they fit so perfectly. Getting used to them is hard because they make my leg muscles have to actually work rather than just going along for the ride and my joints don’t hurt as fast during the day. Walking is so much better now. I’m so fucking happy omg. I’m so thankful to my sports medicine doctor who wrote the letter that was hugely responsible for getting my insurance to approve them.
Now I need custom fit braces because of the significant size discrepancy between my thighs and my calves. Every pre fabricated brace I have tried or wanted to try didn’t fit me in so many ways. Either they didn’t go big enough to fit my thighs or they fit my thighs but were too big for my calves or they wouldn’t sit right on my knees or so much else. But I finally have amazing braces that fit perfectly and actually stay on my legs and for that I am so thankful.
These braces have made such a big difference in how active I’m able to be and how I’m able to do physical therapy. With these braces I can actually get my knees and legs closer to where they need to be without the same kind of pain and instability that I have without them.
Now I’m working on getting a disabled parking placard because while walking is easier it’s still hard because of my joints and fatigue and also because of my POTS and just everything else that’s wrong in my body. So I have an appointment with my gp to work on the paperwork and then I’ll go from there to apply. I’m so happy that I’m finally able to get even just some of the help I need and for that I am so grateful.
I just want to not be in pain.
I just want have parts of my body not be numb.
I just want to be able to go up a flight of stairs without feeling like I’m dying.
I just want to be able to go on a walk and actually enjoy it rather than have to think about how close the next bench is.
I just want to not have so many gi issues.
I just want to not be sick all the time.
I just want to be able to go through a day and not be absolutely exhausted by the end of it.
I just want to be able to live and not have to worry about whether I’ll be able to do what I can do today tomorrow.
I just want to have a body that works right.
Okay so I’m heading back to school after spring break and my trip was AMAZING like seriously I loved it but wow I’m in so much pain now from everything we did. I had rest time and most days were laid back but damn even still. I made the mistake of bringing neither my crutches nor my braces with me because I thought they’d be a nuisance rather than helpful but I have definitely come to realize that any potential level of nuisance-ery is far less than the helpfullness of them. I hopefully won’t make that mistake again.
On another note screw the stairs you have to take up to a plane sometimes. Those are so wobbly and steep and long. And oh my my knees wanted to CRY.
I fucking love my knee braces and crutches. They make my life so much easier and I’m so lucky to have them. I went on a hike today (mostly flat but with stuff like fallen trees and tree roots and grasses making it bumpy and stuff) and I could actually do it! I walked for an hour for over a mile and I’m so fucking proud of myself! I know that because it was flat some people might not consider it a hike but I do and I’m proud.
Happy disability pride month!
I hate having to plan my outfits around my knee braces
don’t get me wrong I love my braces and I’m so lucky to have them (it took sooooo long to get them since I needed custom ones) but damn it’s annoying too. Like finding pants to fit my thighs is hard enough but trying to find pants that fit my braces too or that my braces can fit over is so hard gahhh
Who knows maybe I’ll start posting my outfits to help me feel more comfortable and confident with them
I went on a short walk today to grab a drink from a coffee shop (driving felt like over kill since it’s like 3 ish blocks away granted with some decline/incline) and I wore my knee braces and I didn’t need my crutches to do it because of them. I’m so happy that I could do that today. Sure sometimes I need both my braces and crutches but the last few weeks I’ve been doing good with my braces and my cane occasionally! Also I feel like I look cute today so that makes me feel good too.
Also the pants I’m wearing today are from Halara (not sponsored lol I wish I was) and their so many of their wide leg “magic denim” or whatever it’s called pants that I have fit my braces under them so well and and make them barely noticeable which I like. I don’t mind my braces being visible but sometimes they make weird lines and stuff. Or when they’re showing they have a weird blue line on them (idk why honestly) so they can’t blend into black pants well but they can go under these well. My braces also fit really well over their leggings/tight joggers without moving which is awesome because as a certifiably sweaty guy my braces like to slide and those make them stay. Also just in general since my braces were custom made and molded to my legs they stay on SO much better than any other brace I’ve ever tried
How was your day?
So I cant think of what to post but I wanna post anyways. Lil life update that nobody asked for- -New hyperfixation. Ride the cyclone -got a brace for my knee pain/weakness but I cant wear it at school because u cant use medical devices without like an injury or serious medical condition -Got spooky lil mints in a spooky lil tin from spirit Halloween (they're ouija themed) -got a new candle for Dio, he likes it, I like it, all good -Listened to the new Wtnv episode and I love it sm (as expected) -Got new meds from Dr for my migraines -doing a lil better but I have little spoons atm How are you guys doing?
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