JointHealing.com: Patient preferred. Physician approved.

This DonJoy knee brace is excellent for the support of mild instabilities of the knee, such as for MCL tears, LCL tears, and mild ACL instability. In addition, it can provide support to people with patella (kneecap) problems, and for those who want more control of their knee than the comfort knee sleeve offers. The DonJoy Drytex Hinged Knee Brace can be used for most non-contact sports. For contact sports, or for even more stability, we recommend our DonJoy Playmaker or DonJoy Legend knee braces.

This knee brace is produced by DonJoy, who is one of the leading sports knee brace manufacturers in the world (they are now called "djortho") and an official supplier of the U.S. Ski Team. DonJoy lists this knee brace as their "Drytex economy hinged knee brace — Wraparound — no popliteal cutout".

So why did we pick this knee brace over all the others we tested from different manufacturers? Simple:

• The Drytex fabric is only produced exclusively for DonJoy. It is a patented Lycra fabric surrounding a nylon core. Drytex is much more comfortable than neoprene, which virtually every other manufacturer uses. In addition it is much more breathable, and therefore less "hot" to wear, especially if you live in a warm climate or are active in sports. Finally, there are people with allergies to neoprene; Drytex is a great solution for them.

• The wrap-around design allows it to be fit to knees of many shapes and sizes. In our experience, this wrap-around design can be custom-tailored to fit each patient, as compared to typical "pull-up sleeve designs" that most other manufacturers utilize.

• DonJoy is a very respectable knee brace manufacturer with a long history of producing quality products used by athletes all over the world to support and protect their knees. Most orthopedic surgeons recommend this brand of knee brace.

• The knee brace just felt better with regards to support than any others we tested.

• It sells at a price that simply cannot be beat! We doubt you will find a knee brace of such high quality, with the unique features detailed above, for less. Indeed, we have seen knee braces sold at sporting goods stores that are similar in style (but obviously not as high in quality) for much more. At a medical supply shop, this brace typically retails for $140 or higher.

Frequently asked questions about the DonJoy Drytex Hinged knee brace include

1. What color does this come in? All DonJoy Drytex knee braces are sold only in BLACK.
2. Why don't you sell the "non-economy" model of the Drytex hinged knee brace? Quite simply, we tried it and we feel it doesn't add much more support than the "economy" model, plus it was more expensive. If you're looking for significantly more support for your knee, try our DonJoy Playmaker knee brace.
3. I've noticed your sizes do not match the sizes specified in the DonJoy catalog. Why is that? We think that DonJoy has sized this knee brace too small based on their measurements in their catalog. We have modified the sizing based on our experience with this knee brace to fit you more accurately.
4. How does this knee brace compare to the DonJoy Playmaker knee brace? The DonJoy Playmaker provides more support to the knee, and is suitable for contact sports. It also weighs a little more, and also is slightly longer on both the thigh and the calf. These factors, in addition to heavier-duty hinges, are what affords the Playmaker knee brace greater support than the Drytex Economy Hinged knee brace.

All measurements taken six (6) inches (15 centimeters) above the middle of the kneecap. See our brace measuring guide for more information.

For the DonJoy Drytex Hinged Knee Brace, we recommend the following sizes:

• Small: 14 to 16 inches (35.5 to 40.5 centimeters)
• Medium: 16 to 19 inches (40.5 to 48 centimeters)
• Large: 19 to 21.5 inches (48 to 54.5 centimeters)
• X-Large: 21.5 to 24.5 inches (54.5 to 62 centimeters)
• XX-Large: 24.5 to 28 inches (62 to 71 centimeters)
• XXX-Large: 28 to 30.5 inches (71 to 77 centimeters)

As a general rule, most men will wear Large or X-Large knee braces, and most women will wear Medium or Large knee braces. Of course, it depends on the size of your thighs! (Don't worry, we keep that information confidential.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have modified the above sizing chart from DonJoy's recommended sizes because we have noted, over thousands of knee braces sold, that the DonJoy sizes fit too tightly for most of our customers' preference. If you would prefer to use DonJoy's actual sizing guidelines, please use this chart for your knee brace purchase.