[corey_rideDC]

Just found out today that I tore my PCL on sunday... with a month to go 'till the first race of the season... doc says that I should be okay to race after a month of rehab and a good brace. all the braces i'm seeing online are huuuuuge and bulky, not sure how i'll fit a knee/shin pad over it.

has anyone had experience with this? thanks!

 

[RepoDemoRider]

The brace I had for a acl was bulky but open,so I could lace the straps
around/thru it.I had a Donjoy brace,661 Race knee/shin guard,
worked great.

 

[d_c]

tore my PCL almost completely......to the point where i almost needed surgery. its almost 100% now and i dont need a brace, braces are last resort options w/PCL tears. it all depends on how good your physical therapist is, the better they are the better off you will be, but you can check out innovations.com......or something to that extent and they have some slim PCL braces.

 

[d_c]

www.isports.com

 

[Zman]

mine is completely torn, nothing attatched, and i run a CTI2 custom brace. more for protection against further injury than for support. and for DHing i run 661 pro DJ knee pads over the top, little bulky but protectc the brace as well as my knee. dont run shin guards since i am running clipless, but works great. cant extend completely or bend, but you nmow what, no worries on what will happen to my knees. works awesome i love it

and for rehab make sure to strengthen your quads. that is your main thing, strong quads make a huge difference with stability and the like

 

[buildyourown]

I completely tore my PCL 9.5 years ago. I never had any surgery to repair it. I had a lot of damage to the joint and by the time they could tell it was torn, it was too late for a repair. The success rate they gave me for a cadaver repair was very low and I was already walking so I decided to just play it by ear.
My accident happened when I was 17. I have had to relearn how to run and walk down stairs.
I am also a competive expert DH racer and my knee doesn't affect my riding one bit. I have never had any signifigant knee pain while riding DH.
I use a brace only for snowboarding and backpacking. Snowboarding is something that every doctor I have ever been to says I shouldn't do. It's just too much fun though. I only used a brace for biking during rehab. I found it cumbersome and not helpful at all.
My advice: Hit the gym as hard as they will let you. I have been able to live without a PCL and my daily life is not affected. I am able to run short distances (like playing baseball or paintball) thanks to the strength of my quad. Most docs don't believe that you can run w/o a PCL.

 

[corey_rideDC]

excellent info, thanks guys! i begin PT next week and i will push myself as much as possible to build up that muscle.