DonJoy Performance Bionic Knee Brace – Hinged, Adjustable Patella Support, Lateral/Medial Ligament (ACL, MCL, LCL), Meniscus, Knee Sprains

Excellent product, for what it is and purports to be. I have a torn medial meniscus, patellar malalignment and osteoarthritis in my left knee. Before I got this brace, climbing and descending stairs was very painful and my knee felt very unstable just when I walked on flat ground. After about three weeks of wearing this brace at all times except when I sleep and shower, I can now walk and climb and descend stairs pain-free, so long as I’m wearing the brace. In fact, I’ve done a couple of 10-mile moderately difficult hikes wearing it, with no pain. And I can now ride a bike. It’s not a $500 Unloader Brace, so I don’t know that continuing to wear it is going to enable any of my conditions to heal. But it does provide some vertical support, and regular use of it for 3 weeks enabled me to return to my usual low impact activities. While I’m wearing it I no longer have pain or instability. I’m 67 and don’t do high impact activities anymore, so I don’t know whether it would enable me to do them. Sizing: Based on the size guide on Amazon, I bought a Medium. On my bare leg it fits perfectly, and comfortably. But it’s too small to enable me to put it on over jeans or any but the thinnest pants. So you may want to order up a size.

Comfortable and effective.

I compared this to my Shock Doctor 875. They are extremely similar products. I am a Large in SD but a Medium in DonJoy Bionic. The most noticeable difference is that this DJ is inexplicably over twice the price of the SD ($85 vs $40). That will probably be the deciding point for most. With that said, I liked how the DJ had a lower profile where the gear housings are - they are smaller than in the SD and they are covered with smooth neoprene on the outside as well. Of note, the hinges are NOT removable on the DJ - they are sewn in - so the SD has the benefit of you being able to remove the hinges and continue to use the neoprene knee sleeve (e.g. when you are healing and need less support). The SD hinges, specifically in the gear housing, are slightly bulkier - but probably more significant is that they are exposed and subject to snagging on stuff. I'm a hockey goalie and the smooth external service of the DJ interested me because I needed to wear equipment over it. The DJ's bonus is that the back neoprene is Velcro'ed together too at the top and bottom, so you have that additional layer of adjust-ability and you can open it up and lay it completely flat for easier cleaning and drying. The SD does not open up. For better or for worse, the DJ is just a much simpler design (which makes the price difference that much more confusing). It is straight neoprene throughout and it has 2 simple horizontal straps. Whereas the SD is a fancier design with different tech materials for breathability and X-strapping (neither of which convinced me they made much of a difference). I don't see binding in the back knee pit to be a problem on either brace. The DJ has a larger patella hole, which seemed to work better for my anatomical build because my knee cap would poke through it and ensure the brace stays perfectly aligned, where the SD's tighter hole just laid over my knee cap and would shift off-center from my knee cap. This could have just been a visible thing, the actual function and alignment of the hinges were not affected. Conclusion: Again, these 2 braces are very similar, they are both great and you cant go wrong with either one. The differences are nit-picking and are neither objectively good or bad, but more fine tuned to preference. I preferred the DJ mostly because of the smoother and lower profile exterior surface and the fact I was going to wear it under goalie equipment. The larger patella hole worked better for me anatomically. The fact it opened up to be flat was a bonus too since I like to wash and hang dry my braces regularly. With that said, the extreme price difference didn't justify these small design preferences, so I'm returning the DJ and sticking with my SD.

This bionic knee takes the pressure off and helps you walk. My right knee is shredded meniscus, ACL, PCL All gone. Can't afford surgery can barely walk downstairs. I've tried at least 10 different braces trying to avoid the three to $400 price tag for the god brace. This one I found and it actually helps. I can walk downstairs. It must be tight and it will stretch the more you use it. Measure your leg especially around the knees just as the instructions say before you order it and be sure it is tightly fitting. After a few days of use it will be very snug and it would be a little bit stiff to move but you'll be able to walk and that's what counts

This brace has decent support and is well made. The reason for my 3-stars are the following. If these things aren't issues for you, then I'm sure this brace will serve you well. I have a completely severed PCL from a roller derby injury 5 years ago. Since I was retiring anyway, there was no point in having expensive surgery to repair the tear since it doesn't inhibit daily mobility. However, I now play a lot of racquet sports and do kickboxing occasionally and find that I need the stability and support of a brace for those activities. Downsides of this brace for me were: • Posterior closure. I needed a butterfly flap style closure; I have large thighs and pull-on braces do not fit. This is indeed a flap closure, but it closes in the back. That's difficult to do well and get good alignment when you're having to fully bend over, pull tightly, and overlay flaps you can't see. • Velcro straps get caught on clothing. Because I wear this on my right knee and because these are not knee specific, the velcro straps that wrap around (after closing the posterior flaps) end up between my thighs (on the upper portion). The straps are not low-profile; instead they have a big thick tab on the end and this constantly gets rubbed by my left leg causing the tab to open and get stuck to my left leg (the sticky side of the velcro is on the thick tab). I have to adjust and re-stick several times during an hour-long game. • Because of the above, I often feel like the brace isn't positioned correctly. I end up twisting it to try to get the tab to not open all the time and this results in the brace not being well aligned. • The stabilizing strips aren't as firm/thick as my old brace. The strips that run vertically along the sides of the leg (off the hinges) feel a lot more flexible than my old brace (that had been worn so much the sleeve was falling apart). This is likely fine for most people, but it feels too "squishy" for me with my injury and the activities I'm using it for.

Using sizing instructions was straightforward. Size close to upper limit, but selected. Slightly concerned a little small but ok in the end, needing straps to support the velcro. Used for skiing as prev ACL repair, and functioned well

Great fit - snug without being constrictive. Provides good support, handles perspiration well (doesn’t get loose). A tad expensive but I’d say it’s money well spent.

30 years of using a metal brace, tried this to see if it would be as good and stop some of the muscle discomfort. Makes you feel like Steve Austin!