Why I Will NEVER Wear These On My Dirt Bike Again
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- Knee braces won't save you from every dirt bike crash, so before investing your hard earned money, maybe try something like I use now👇🏻
Leatt Dual Axis: aomc.idevaffil...
#dirtbike #enduro #injuryprevention
Been getting a lot of comments assuming I am telling people not to wear knee braces. I am not a medical professional and everything I say in this video is just based on my experiences. They make braces for a reason and at the end of the day you just have to make an educated decision on what you are going to wear. This video was not intended to scare anyone away from wearing braces, it just goes to show that regardless of how much you protect your body things can still happen and if you are scared to get hurt then you shouldn't be on two wheels.
So, if you have a fall and have the bad luck of having your helmet bend in in a way which ie. Breaks your cheek bone and a few teeth (but probably has prevented of virtually exploding) and that it has happened to other people as well, would you say you will change it for a bicycle helmet from then on?
Just curious…
I have always believed that those knee pads are designed for people who have serious knee stability problems, a knee pad designed for walking calmly. Using this type of protection, as our friend has seen is DANGEROUS, it is better to use "bauerfeind" knee pads that will give you the necessary reinforcement in the joint but without restricting movement and then put on an anti-impact knee pad, greetings from Spain.
Great video! I had a vertical fracture with blown out ACL as well - so i feel your pain. I couldn't walk for a year lol!
You may want to try this: for off road riding, I use those velco type medical knee braces with the aluminum on the sides, and then just put the knee guards on top. It seems to be a good compromise. Let me know what you think.
Cheers!
@@machupikachu1085 By "aluminum on the sides," do you mean a hinged brace?
@@BasedRanger indeed. They have worked well for off roading thus far.
ive had the same injury, not wearing braces as have lots of others . braces are a great piece of equipment. learning to not ride above your skill level is great tool to learn.
I’m 65now and just had my other total knee reconstruction both now I’m pretty sure it was from riding moto trails from age 14to well into my 40’s maybe it was from poor suspension but anyways I don’t believe motorcycles were part of creators design scope so the risk we take is on us
@@jackmcandle6955 God rides dude, pretty sure he has passed me a couple times out on the trail.
@@ddrowdy7666 amen
If you think that traumatic hyperextension or lateral flexion (which your brace protects you from) is a good way to "absorb the impact", it's probably something to reconsider. In fact, a traumatic hyperextension itself is a common cause of a tibial plateau fracture! With fully extended leg a coaxial impact won't necessarily cause too much of a joint bending force anyway, but if your knee were to go into hyperextension after the initial coaxial impact, the result would probably still be TPF, plus more ligaments involved. I rarely leave comments on youtube, but in this case I personally think it's a dangerous advice you are giving. Again, the main point of disagreement is not the merits/demerits of a knee brace (though it seems to be a no brainer for me in MX application), but the strategy of absorbing an impact with hyperextension. I have a couple of ACL reconstructions under the belt myself, and currently nursing a fresh fibula + tibial plateau fracture, just in case anyone is wondering what's my sports injury background :D
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s offering advice, just sharing what _he’s_ doing.
@@jackjohnson291 you are right technically. But you know how the internet works unfortunately - personal opinion expressed on a popular channel does have an influencing power. It's not his fault though.
The lower fender was supposed to burst from the impact, it was designed for that, but the leg burst. The conclusion suggests itself.
I couldn't agree more. Most knee brace designs have an ability to adjust the lockout position as well. I've been lucky enough to not have any significant knee injuries, but I've had my fair share of neck and shoulder injuries. One of which was a stage 3 separation of my AC joint. To be honest, it's a joint that will never fully recover, and had the clavicle broken instead, I would likely have better use of my left arm today. I'd honestly be careful what you wish for, because the grass isn't alway greener. I respect the opinion, but I won't be riding without knee braces myself.
Yeah, ill take a bone break over a snapped ligament any day.
Not only do knee braces protect from hyper extension but I've noticed they also form a cage around the knee that protects it from lateral forces. Like the bike landing on it or impacting a rock.
See, what happens with these braces is all the force of impact gets dispersed to different parts of the leg rather than all on one point. Sure maybe it can cause a different type of injury, but lord, i would hate to imagine how my knees would be without my braces. But you do you man.
I agree.. I’m keeping them on
Agreed! Had my bike land on my leg on rocky terrain. Knee brace took the whole impact. I got up and continued to ride and was just fine. That’s happened more than once over the years. Thankful I had them on!
Plus they try to stop side to side movement like if your leg is elevated and the bike lands on it. it wont stop it from moving sideways but is way better then having no support and 100 plus kilos going crunch sideways on your knee and clearly tearing ligaments and fracturing something or potentially a huge break fi it hits it the wrong way. with my knee braces i have the lockout set so my leg cant fully extend so only way it can flex is the regular way which is the way it should be set unlike the guy in the video who says it locks out when his leg is fully flexed which is terrible.
Yep, that is what tore my knee up. Hitting a tree, I basically wrapped around it. It was all lateral movement that caused the damage.
Being Canadian, I'm now afraid to walk on slippery surfaces without my brace... So I'm trapped 6 months of the year lol
“Yahooism”, a disease young riders suffer from where they think that structural assistance makes them a better rider. Being competitive and lacking talent is a recipe for underachievement.
Correlation does not equal causation. I am a 50+ Expert, and have been riding for 40+ years. I tore my right ACL completely in half along with meniscus damage while racing in the mid-90s. I have wore knee braces since then. The ACL replacement surgery was difficult, but I endured and worked hard through therapy. I was riding again after three months and racing again by the time I was released from therapy - around the fourth month. I have used CTI2 braces and Asterisks, which I wore out, and now PODs with excellent results. I will not go back to standard knee pads. While I am currently not racing, I ride hard in the desert, mountains, and woods, and I am sure the braces have saved my knees on numerous occasions, as well as catching all of those cactus thorns. Every person has their own experiences and opinions, but I won't go back. Bones heal, ligaments have to be replaced.
Correlation does not equal causation.
See how that works?
I ruptured my ACL a few months ago while riding bike. My friend told me that knee braces can prevent this problem, but after watching this video, I started to wonder, if the knee braces only limit the knee angle but do not absorb the impact force, does that means the impact force is just transferred to other places, and will it be possible that the ACL problems turned into a tibia fracture, just like the video.
I remember this same argument back in the 70s 80s and 90s about helmets causing more problems than they help. Broken necks from them etc. I never stopped wearing a helmet because of the one in 100,000 possible broken necks. Ride your ride and you do you.
I was thinking pretty much the same thing. If you fixate on how something can lead to a negative outcome you often discard all the positives involved in any sort of protection. I'm actually a bit fearful that some people will use this as "proof" that braces are something that not only doesn't work, but causes even worse problems.
@@foil666 Totally agree. At age 60 I snow ski with the same knee braces that I ride with. Maybe when they get older they may think differently
Lol there's some boomer in a local Facebook group that swears that helmets are more dangerous because it can break your neck lol, people will say whatever they need to justify their crazy positions.
True this is always an argument, contrarians usually start it.
@@Jesse_JGA I smashed in my skull but at least my neck is fine.
I had the same injury and I was NOT wearing knee braces. I think it is all just luck. Some good, some bad. As someone who had the same injury, I know what you went through for your recovery. The fact that you finished the race is unbelievable. That is honestly the most bad-ass thing I have ever heard. I ended up getting a Helicopter ride to the hospital which I am certain you would have preferred to the bumpy car ride. Props to you dude. That injury sucks and my knee will never be 100% again, but it is good enough to ride. FYI, at that time, I too was in the best shape of my life. Oh well.
Y
@@laryangel4082 Y Heli ride? Remote riding area, no roads nearby. I didn't call the Heli. the rescue team did.
Same tib fib plateau break with internal fixation here 6 months post surgery. I'm on my feet 10 hours a day at work no to minimal limp and still ride but I hurt at times.
I had the same injury in 2020, no knee brace - and no idea when I actually did it (no crash, just the bike overbalancing at walking pace a few times on rutted lanes). Felt a bit stiff, told the lads to carry on without me when we got to a proper road and I rode about 20 miles home. Got home, put the foot of the broken leg down to get off the bike and couldn't hold the weight - fell over on my driveway, but managed to pick myself and the bike up and put it in the garage. Got similar metalwork in there now. Before the incident I'd been considering knee braces, afterwards was kicking myself for not getting them. Now I'm a bit easier with myself knowing they aren't a magic bullet and I may well have had the same injury even if I had been wearing them.
Three years on, I can walk, ride and cycle, a bit stiff, but about to have the metalwork removed as it's uncomfortable.
Just had the same injury this fall. Pretty devastating. No knee braces. I think the tall riding boots are a contributing cause . They put a lot of leverage on the leg just below the knee.
I see tibial plateau fractures in the operating room often and none of them occurred because the patient was wearing a knee brace.
Injuries happen in all sorts of scenarios from hiking to soccer to basketball to falling off a curb.
I’m gonna continue wearing knee braces because ligament injuries occur with a lot less force than bone fractures and in my medical opinion are more likely than a bone fracture.
Tough break you had but it’s all part of the risk of riding dirt bikes.
W
I just tore a ligament 5 weeks ago (no surgery required) and it's still painful if I don't change positions often. Pain is going down slowly though.
This^ , well said. Im a nurse and i side with you.
Was riding last weekend and my buddy tore his MCL. No knee braces. May have been avoided with the braces. One of his first rides of the season and now he’s off the bike for at least 6 wks. That’s a huge bummer.
I had a tibial plateau fracture but not from riding my dirtbike. I got a CTI brace with a patella cup after my surgery which gave me the confidence to ride. This type of fracture can happen in various situations...any knee protection is not necessarily going to protect you from any injury....it just makes some injuries less likely. FYI the CTI brace that I purchased was awesome for side-to-side motion protection. However, if I was to ever seriously have another crash with the CTI knee brace on, my tibial shaft, femur, or hip would break. So, wear any brace you want. None of them will protect you from injury....but they will protect you from some injuries
man im sorry to hear so many people gave you hate for the race and protection. your doing your best and your doing great. love your videos and appreciate your stories.
Hey Bro, i am 4 months post Tibial Plateau breakage on my left knee. Actually 4 days after this video cam out. My story goes, i just popped out for a quick ride one afternoon and didnt bother bracing up, just wearing my steel toe work boots also. Lost it around a corner, stuck my leg out as you do and away she went. The forks of the bike came down and inverted my knee and dislocated it. Turns out our knees only meant to bend one way. The doctor said it was a mixture between straight on force up my leg, a twist and then the weight of the bike. Busted all my ligaments in my knee, damaged nerves and broke the artery. I had to have amajor surgery to save my leg as there was no blood flow to my foot for many hours. My foot is still numb and doesnt move though i can walk around with a brace holding my foot up. I think if i was wearing knee braces, I would not have dislocated my knee and tore the artery. However, maybe the force would have had to go somewhere so a proper brake of the lower leg or Femur may have been the outcome. Dislocation isnt good either, busting everything in the knee is inevitable when this occurs. I think i will still wear a brace when i get back on. I need that knee to stay together. Any way mate, thats my story. Great video, enjoy. Troy
Had a tibial plateau fracture myself this fall. Dodged the bullet on vein damage. I did a bang up job however on the tibia. no weight on my leg for at least 12 weeks! One month in and my leg already looks shrunken and sickly. Going to be a long recovery. How’s your recovery going?
I wear Mobius knee braces and truly feel that they've saved my knees multiple times. I'd 'tweaked' my knee a few times before getting them, but never had any injuries since getting them. Everything I've read/been told is that bones heal up quickly and when they're healed, they're as good as they were originally, however, tendons and ligaments never properly heal, and take a long time to heal. I don't understand how the knee brace made the 'pogo' any worse? If your knee bends the wrong way (as it's more likely to without the braces), then you'd have had potentially a lot more (but maybe different) damage? I agree that knee braces aren't going to save you from any and all crashes/injuries, but I personally feel that they are well worth wearing, and that your injury was an outlier. Everybody needs to make their own choices about protection.
100% right Ligaments are never the same after injury or surgery
100%,
I wear the Mobius also, have them set, so no full extension. I like the full wrap around design. Im wondering if his accident would of been different if he had those instead. ??? So now he is completely against any type of knee protection.
100%. As a matter of fact, the Mobius allows you to lock flexion out in a few different degrees of flexion.....theoretically by locking you out from full extension, you could potentially lower your possibility of a fracture like this. This is one of the reasons I wear mobius as well. They are also the best knee guards out there IMHO
I also wear Mobius and 100% agree with this. Ive fractured my tibial plateau before and had an ACL tear. Both suck. Plateau sucks worse, but IMO it’s a little bit harder to do that than to damage ligaments, especially if you’re doing a lot of slower technical riding.
My tibia actually broke from hitting my knee into a tree in precisely the knee guards he’s describing. I actually feel that if I was wearing my current Mobius braces I would have possibly walked away from that injury as they have much better impact protection than most knee guards.
I’m the most padded, braced, and protected guy on a bike. Ive had so many injuries over the years and am just now 12 months into recovery from a fractured shoulder that came with multiple ligament tears, nerve damage and god knows what else. The reality is you likely never know how bad an injury could have been if you weren’t wearing protective gear. Based on the location of your break I fail to see how the braces could have contributed to your injury. Maybe if you had snapped your femur above the brace you could argue it was the brace but no brace is going to stop what happened to your tib 🤷♂️
All that aside though my take on it is this …you NEVER want to be the guy that tries to convince others not to wear protective gear because you never know what the consequences could be for others or your own karma. Just look at Ryan Hughes. He banged on for years telling anyone and everyone not to wear neck braces and what happened? He broke his f#$king neck!
Different kind of gear, instead of not wearing gear. I'm more an ADV kind of person so I use knee pads integrated into pants. I was thinking of getting knee braces for rougher trails but now I'm not so sure.
@@fallinginthed33p Same here, I own an adv bike and a 300L. I bought a Leatt z frame with leatt knee brace pants. I like the comfort and stability it gives to my knees. Chasis is not too rigid and I can do long walks. I sold it and now I'm thinking to upgrade to X frames, but after watching this video, I am also not sure how to proceed.
@Hilts thanks for your comment. I bought the leatt x frames anyway.
So sorry this happened! I have practiced sports chiropractic for 40+ years, and worked with many different knee injuries, and after moving to a remote desert area of CO in 2004, I left 750cc and 1000cc sportbikes forever. My current bike is a 2023 KTM 350 EXC-F. I use Klim Baja pants in all riding situations. I hope your rehab from the injury was successful and you are still enjoying your off-road adventures! Thank you for sharing your injury and your solution to prevent future similar injures!
As with anything, knee braces are a trade off. You protect your ligaments and tendons, but are more vulnerable to breaking your long bones.
I do physical therapy and have had a major knee injury as well (patellar tendon rupture) and I would say from my experience and research it all depends on which direction the force was exerted on the knee and which position it was in. Do you remember if you were sitting or standing when your foot slipped off the peg? If standing, it’s unlikely that you were going to avoid a plateau fracture unless somehow you bent your knee more before contacting the ground. If sitting, there’s a chance you could have escaped with less severe injury (PCL and other soft tissue damage). Don’t listen to people who talk about how bones heal better, the tibial plateau supports half of the body’s weight on a very small surface and if that isn’t right it changes everything. If you had blown out all ligaments, you would’ve had a much more complex rehab as far as stability goes, but much less pain. Something to weigh when deciding on braces. Hope this helps!
I ruptured my ACL a few months ago while riding bike. My friend told me that knee braces can prevent this problem, but after watching this video, I started to wonder, if the knee braces only limit the knee angle but do not absorb the impact force, does that means the impact force is just transferred to other places, and will it be possible that the ACL problems turned into a tibia fracture, just like the video.
Man seeing this video brought back some uncomfortable memories.
I was riding my dirt bike in the hills. I had Leatt Dual Axis kneepads on.
My foot slipped off the peg taking a turn uphill, low speed. My left foot hit the ground as the bike pulled to the right.
My x-ray looked exactly like yours after surgery. 1 bar and 8 pins in my leg. My knee bent sideways, giving me a comminuted l fracture. There's a description and pics in a vid I did but won't link here.
I would have avoided that had I had knee braces and not the Dual Axis on. Careful what you wish for.
Now, I won't even ride on the road without the knee braces. Stay well, fellow hobbler.
I tore MCL 6 months back with the Knee brace on Leatt by the way got away without a surgery... When my leg started streatching i could feel the barce stopping it from streatching more if i didnt had the braces on 100% it would have been worse... just gave a break for 2 weeks and started riding with brace on still have mild pain feel it when i do streaching... I completly support wearing knee brace
There is great wisdom in the words to: "Never belittle anyone on a topic that they never had the opportunity to learn." However, these words of wisdom are very difficult to practice as there is always someone chirping off and telling you that you are doing everything wrong on a topic they never took the opportunity to learn (anything) about. Good video, keep up the good work!
I’ve ran the Leatt Dual axis knee guards for years and love them. Keep up the good work sir!!
Ok, I have no expertise on this. Just a question/observation. In professional motorcycle races, it seems that when I see riders walking around, suited up, they have sort of an ape-like stance. Their legs are not straight. Your demo of the brace appeared to be pretty straight. Any chance, that if your leg had been unable to straighten out, would your leg have buckled instead of pogo-sticking, as you put it, in the straight position?
Super helpful and apprecaite the information on your the braces and your accicident. Glad you have recovered.
Great information, sorry you had to go through what you did to get the info! I run the leatt dual axis knee guards and find them super comfy. Get the XL is you have large calfs :)
Yepz, I am a sponsored rider, a competitor of LEATT with years of protective gear development in industries plus motorcycles ( and I even have a LEATT helmet- so NOT a gear snob). I have MANY years of experience with braces/guards I have torn my ACLs, broke my tib right above my mx boot on a hard dab on a rock slab that really had that pinch hurt for a long time-a compression fracture-and the SUC. Knee braces are awesome for the right reasons but I also prefer knee guards as they do let your leg/joint flex more naturally but any riding is risky and we try to manage that. What happened to you could have happened to anyone AND if your leg had been on just a bit more of an angle almost any way the brace would have helped greatly. Thank you for sharing your story and sorry about any uninformed hate directed your way as you faced a long recoup. I went on a trip with my wife right after mine as I thought it was just a compression ouch. We walked all over beautiful Boston until I pretty much stopped in the middle of the park and said I give up. My bone doc said you did what?? I told her Im an old guy that hurts everywhere anyway and she got me fixed- but it takes a while to heal. Im getting back to riding again and have different types of guards depending on what terrain I expect. Hinged/full length for those FUN days in mud/rocks/hills for max protection to multi strap full length fixed guards for trail riding and then the slip on type for comfort and low speed type practice and fun. Not that they can not cross into each others terrain- just have enough pad between you and the type of earth you try to stick a knee in or limb or kicked up rock does not leave a mark on your shin bone. A really great video my friend and it came across to me that you advised to wear what is good for that person and expected terrain. I advise people to try their guards before use, Slowly kneel onto uneven ground feeling the padding- then keep dropping faster on to rougher material to see how good the protection is for you You should not feel anything really. The guard should give you a bit of suspension above the ground. Some you can feel exactly what is on the other side of the plastic- you may want to try others. Thank you allowing my old two cents from decades of riding off road, Keep the great content and info my friend and I cant wait for the next. Stay safe out there my friend !!
I was 25 years old at the time and was racing 1/4 & 1/2 semi- pro FlatTrack. I was going about 80 miles an hour into a turn sideways put my foot down and hit a rock . I felt my foot hit me in the left side of my back. I had the same injury that you had .I took 3 years to heal enough to ride again I can say that I feel your pain man take care !
Thank you!!! I am old and I just a dirt bike. I too purchased some knee guards. I couldn't get them adjusted properly so I never got around to wearing them.
You may have saved my riding fun.
@AdventureDaily and when you say the knee brace doesn't allow you to hyperextend the knee. That is what you want but the elastic bands holding the knee brace prevents the knee brace from preventing hyperextensions at all. In theory it should work but only if the bands do not stretch and the muscles in the leg stay the same size and if there were bands behind the knee but that would not be functional for the knee.
I also had a TPF seven years ago and not wearing knee braces. Not really sure if wearing them would have actually help as in my case it was a side impact that broke my tibia. Hey, kuddos to you for finishing a raise after that! Impressive. Hope you are back to 100%, I agree it's also the worse fracture I have experienced and the recovery takes years to gain back confidence, that if you are lucky to get full range of motion after. Keep on riding
I'm Glad you're doing better - I wonder if slamming your foot down with a Single Hinge Brace transmitted a Freak Pressure Spike to one side of your leg ? I run dual hinges braces - I love Rails on each side of my legs, along with catchers cups for my knee caps. I won't ride without them... It seems to me Dual Hinge braces absorb all Hits more evenly and uniformly up & down your leg. I looked at those Knee guards you mentioned, they have a little more Give. I would still pay more for dual rail braces and Not Tighten them down to much - I've heard of guys with Tight Fitting knee braces snapping leg bones - My braces are securely cinched down with a little "Give"- For elbows I run soft elbow guards with hard cups inside - I had to cut out a foam panel on top to allow blood flow...
Keep Riding Dude - Its better to break bones than to tear soft tissue of any Kind -
I ride in the rocks, in the Rockies, and wear Mobius X8's. I wear them everywhere else I ride as well, and have no idea when/if they have "saved my knees", but I use my body offensively (because I'm a poor rider! LOL!), and often shoulder and knee check rocks/trees/etc; and the Mobius braces give me SO much more physical protection from all aspects of hard enduro riding! They might be adding to my aggression though, do to less fear of injury, so guards can affect the rider psychology - and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. Either way, I need the full impact/injury protection that a brace offers, and understand that any prosthetic is by default, shifting some mechanical burden onto other body parts around the supported joint. Knee braces are no exception. Ride on brother!!
had the same break in my left leg, do to a tractor accident I walk with a limp now and I am always in pain, The Dr. said that I can not run anymore. I have tried several things to help with the jolts example leaping jumping off the steps etc etc., Even when I am at stop lights and my left leg is down I can feel my left leg shaking as I try an steady the bike. 2010 Ultra limited, that I hardly ride now due to the weight of the bike. they are a night and day difference in my left an right leg, I honestly dont think I could ever do enduro riding, and def no motocross stuff, I recently got a KLR 650 that i plan to ride offroad but nothing like single track or anything like that, for me it is just simple dirt roads the kind you would take your grandmother down in a station wagon dirt roads. lol . I hope you are back to top shelf and dont have the trouble out of your leg as me.
"Why I'm never wearing a helmet again" ahh moment 😂
I did the same Tibia Platue injury in Thialand, my ACL was destroyed and didn't have braces on, ended up with 6 breaks and 12 adhesions. 4 operatons later and I'm all good again.
Thanks for this video! I"m 64 and returning to motorcycles after 30 years raising eight kids. Because I enjoy exploring back roads, lumber and mine roads and trails, I got the KLR650 Adventure. I've been trying to figure out what the best knee protection would be. I was a Paratrooper and had a complete knee replacement after running on an injured knee for over thirty years. Worse than that, I was riding my bicycle and a lady on her cell phone took me out. My back was broken at the L-1. My pelvis was cracked. My left femur was shattered into eight pieces with three inches completely missing (needed three reconstructive surgeries, two different sets of titanium hardware, and bone grafts). My left forearm was broken in three places. My left shoulder dislocated. And on top of a concussion, I had all manner of road rash! I wasn't supposed to ever walk again without a walker or cane. But after over two years of physical therapy I can jog four miles in less than an hour, and ride a motorcycle!
Needless to say, protecting myself and my knees specifically, it a top priority. I never want to be that busted up again! Your video has kept me from making a YUGE mistake! Also, I see you've posted a video on ADV Boots. Perfect! I'll be watching that next. I ride in combat boots. Where I go I may have to hike back out if things go sideways. I can't imagine the "protection" you get from ADV Boots make it a good hiking boot. I'll be very interested to see what you had to say about ADV Boots.
Thanks again for posting this video!
Interesting video and topic! I tore my MCL with those Leatt Dual Axis pads. It was my first time on a MX track in a long while and I had my leg out during a corner. Front end washed out and my leg hit the side of the turn. The pads were not strong enough to hold my leg straight. Since then I've ridden with braces only. I went through a couple of Leatt C-frames (they both broke from the frame) and now recently the X-frame braces. Nothing bad to say about braces in general and I haven't had any issues with my knees after surgeries. Yet 😅
Ouch... I just got the Leatt X-Frame, not a cheap purchase. Coming out of same Leatt knee pad/guard that you showed last, thought that it would be an improvement... Now you've got me thinking.
😬🙄🤔🤔
I clearly remember the videos about the race and your injury, it worried me very much. It's good to see you now, still enthusiast and fine. As always, I wish. you all the best.
HI I also had a Tibiaplateau fracture and the acl shredded. I am recovering from the surgery atm. I had no braces on it happened in the halfpipe with my skateboard. somehow i slipped off the tail and landed hard with my leg fully extended. I don´t think that the brace made that much of a difference, yet i also don´t think they are that useful in the first place. I can´t imagine that the "hyperextension protection" works with forces that come into play at a crash, and even if, something has to give way.
Completely agree! About six years ago I was wearing Pods knee braces and when I went down my tibia plateau snapped completely, and through the skin. Also broke my tibia and fibula in several other places. Eight days in the hospital, a couple surgeries for a rod and plate, a blood transfusion and then wheelchair bound for months.. It took 8 months and endless rehab to recover and I still have some numbness in my foot. I'm 100% convinced this was a result of the knee braces. I always thought I was invincible wearing braces, but boy I was mistaken!
It was not the brace. Without the brace your injury more than likely would have been worse.
@@olliechristopher467 That's a stupid and ignorant reply considering that you weren't there and have no idea what type of fall I had and how brace played it's part in destroying my leg.
@@robd9819 " I always thought I was invincible wearing braces" This is why you were injured. It was not the braces fault. That's as ignorant as someone claiming full wrap hand guards broke their wrist going over the bars. Motorcycling is a dangerous sport. It's the rider, not the protective gear that is responsible for injuries. When you swing a leg over the bike it's the chance you take.....
The only way you can say 100% is if you tested the same accident without a brace. You have no idea what could have really happened had the brace not been in place.
@@Pinionaire The orthopedic surgeon examined the brace and based on the injury he felt pretty certain the brace caused the fractures.
Just suffered a tibial plateau fracture this fall. Didn’t have knee braces on. I blame the tall riding boots. They put a lot of leverage on the upper part of the leg. Looking to be down for 3-4 months 😢.
I save all the bubble wrap from every Amazon delivery and wrap myself up in it, like a bubble glove. Then my guys, I shred it so hard...!!!!
Woo Hooo...
Thank you for sharing the info, i started smiling right away when u said that u will be wearing LEATT DUAL AXXIS, because i bought the same one a few months ago
I broke my tibia last month while jumping. The surgery went well i am still recovering. I was using Leatt dual axis knee braces, but I'm not sure if they were properly fitted (maybe not), for the price they are great. That's why I think each case is different.
Your X-rays could be mine from a while back. I find it ironic that I was thinking knee braces/pads might have helped me. I was in a low speed wobble that threw me off the bike and I landed on the pavement on my right knee and shattered my tibular plateu in to, I think, 9 pieces (thankfully no tendon injury). At the same time the handle bars snapped back and cracked my left wrist. So a walkee with a shelf on it since my wrist was non-load bearing. I dont know if knee pads would have helped and my situation was not the same as yours but the outcome seems very close. Also your big bone comment is on point.
I think this is a difficult subject because every fall is different. I’ve broken 7 bones and damaged 2 ligaments over multiple accidents. This has included complex joints like knee and shoulder. I’ve had ligament break away bone instead of snapping itself (like you describe) this is far easier to heal than ripped ligament (which I’ve had fixed with surgery and carbon fibre strips). In my view best to worst is broken bones, ripped ligament and damaged nerves. No matter how much protection we have on we can still do serious damage and I agrees that sometimes we suffer worse because of transferring the impact to another location BUT I think overall knee braces help more than harm. In the end we each decide and live with the outcome. Thank you for the video.
Hey man, feel how you will about knee braces, but I think I'm going to invest in a pair once im recovered from similar injuries as you. I pogo'ed my leg just like you two months ago. Tibial spine fracture, fibula fracture, and miniscus tear. I was wearing zero knee protection at the time, and that has led me to have the opposite thoughts as you. Would I have been okay if I just put on my braces? Who knows, but I think I'll wear them from now on.
I wear knee braces on my quad-bike but not my dirt bike. I figure the extra support is better for the heavier vehicle but i don’t know. Probably be worth doing some more research and making sure I’m properly protecting myself.
Hopefully a full recovery by now. Thank you for the product review
I had the same break On a WR 500. When you go down you go down . The leg is traped underneath when you land hard it breaks. I had 5 screws with 4 breaks. You are right about the guards. Make it as light as possible. Then you might tuck and roll. Get away from the monster. At least I didn't break my knee cap. Keep riding,
Wearing my downhill knee guards, I predicted this issue and you cemented it, cheers👍
Maybe a knee brace that always kept a slight bend in the knee would be the best of both worlds? That way you would get protection for acl injuries, whilst still allowing the knee to do its job and let the leg flex to absorb impacts. I don’t ride dirt bikes so I don’t know if that would be bad…
I had the same brace, quality of leatt is very bad …. Aluminium screws (with blue locktite) damage the thread that hold the brace in one piece on the side and they say the carbon part will break when they under allot of stress.
Try Mobius x8 , like it very much.
Not as heavy as leatt braces and less parts that will give up on you.
I'm sorry for the whole thing. I had a similar injury (the x-ray looks exactly like mine with all the screws/bracket..) I did brokethrough my tibial plateau by slipping my foot down the peg. I don't know man: I had normal knee protectors and I didn't broke any ligament; I broke meniscus and I cracked my femour on the side, instead. 2 surgerys with the 2nd for meniscus, to "clean" the knee and remove the hardware. I was 49 and it wasn't easy.
I have always just worn helmet and boots, and gloves. Crash a LOT....Started when I was 3, and am 48.....I was always a crasher. I wear minimal gear, and have only ever broken som fingers and my tail bone twice...maybe 3 times....I have become a Ryno follower as of late. I never realized all of the points he makes on minimal gear, but makes sense now. When you crash, you have to become flexible...like water. Ninja rolls...if something can't bend, it will break. Man, fell for you on your injury. Good to see you have recovered!✊
I literally only use a helmet and some steel toe work boots had some really bad crashes over the years but never broke a bone yet I feel like proper gear adds restriction to how you can move about on the bike and to your joints when you fall.
Sorry older video but man...injuries suck! Glad you're healing up good. I switched to the Leatt guards almost 2 years ago and love'm. Watch those rivets on the pivot joints. Like a helmet, after any tumble check the equipment. I have broken a couple pivot points (rivet, washer) but came out injury free. I replaced the guards and same thing happened in an enduro race few months later (again no injury). At $100 a pair, totally worth it🤙 Hope you didn't get "forever" turned-off to racing.
Hey thanks for the video. I don't understand why it crushed your knee. when talking about the brace preventing your knee to move as it's supposed to, the brace actually allows you to rotate or bend, so in that force, it should have bent.
Now if the brace locked and prevented it to bend, then I'm guessing it's a faulty brace. but having to find a good one, does actually help.
I saw other video discussing this which is a pro brace, his brace actually have a fail safe human like tendon that acts like a fuse and is replaceable incase it breaks in situations like might break your middle knee or upper leg.
Injured medial ligaments on each knee in two falls. KLR 650 (500+) pounds, landed on legs. Your post tells me a smaller dual sport bike has it’s problems too.
The dual axis have probably fallen apart by now. The straps stretch out to incredible lengths in a short amount of time. I found that they stay strapped on better if you take the plastic buckle part off and simply wrap the strap around your leg the required 10 times and tuck the velcro end under against your sock. The hinge also breaks. i did a low speed flop practicing sandy corners and barely landed on my knee and its been sore for 2 weeks. I also have a permanent mark on the inside of my right knee from where the sweat-hardened hinge pad is grinding on my skin. ive ordered the z frames. at least the straps are replaceable.
In 2006 or so I got that identical injury on an LTZ400 quad. I was riding trails and while going around a corner caught the edge of a fallen tree that was hidden in high grass with the right front tire. It kicked me up on the left wheels and my foot slipped off the peg and missed the nerf bar, hitting the ground and breaking the top of the tib off and tearing the ACL. I have a plate from the knee to just about the ankle. I was wearing full gear EXCEPT FOR NO KNEE BRACES. I never crashed. I brought it back down on all 4 wheels and came to a stop. Good times. Almost 20yrs later (at 48) I'm still riding, picked up a 2021 KTM 500 a couple of years ago. For me personally I have to keep moving to keep it working. I walk/hike 2-5 miles a day on average for my job on all types of terrain.
Sympathy for your injuries, it's probably something you will manage the rest of your life 20 years later mine still has bad days. That said can't blame knee braces for that injury, maybe that particular brace, as I dnt like the design only having one hinge. My first knee injury was w no braces and required 7.5 hours of surgery to repair shredded ACL torn mcl partially torn pcl broken cartilage. 2nd and 3rd occurred w braces partially torn mcl. I've caught my foot/leg in positions many times im confident would have resulted in injury without them. I won't do any serious riding without them. I also set the hyper-extension stops to max so I'm well from going full straight leg.
With the Don Joy's the hinges actually have rubber cushions in them besides just the lockout plates
I have the exact same X-Ray. 2" of bone was vacuumed out and replaced with bone putty. Mine was because I didn't wear a brace. That was at age 50 (Desert Racer). I was bed ridden for 6 months and 1.5 years later I had the bug again and after research, knee brace would be the only way to ride again. I've been riding since and I'm 68 years old.
Appreciated for you sharing the painful story. You will be back to track in no time, and be stronger. Cheers
Against lateral knee damage, braces seem to make sense. I've tried that type of damage once, and it sucked. Not as much shearing of important bones in the knee joint, but still.. It took me a full year to recover, even though I was in fairly good shape before it happened.
However, making braces too rigid, is perhaps stupid. The leg can flex a little in all directions, so maybe it's better to think "force distribution", to not concentrate the impact force to one single point.
I wear that exact brace. I'm glad you have finally nearly healed.
I'm riding a DL1000XAL8 where it's not really designed to go, but at nowhere near your difficulty skill set nor at your speeds.
Where I am, I rarely exceed 20MPH and do a lot of 10MPH, just because I need a line that the bike can take.
You think I should get away from those Leatt's?
lot of "feel like" and "i think" in there dude. I "think" that you would rather have what happened to you than to have your knee joint completely bend backwards, tearing and breaking everything completely and maybe not ever getting back on a bike again. Knee braces are for support and should not be expected to prevent all injury. Sorry you busted your tibia but it could have been much worse without the brace, at least that's what " I feel like".
And that sums up the internet! Everybody has an opinion and this is how I "feel like". At the end of the day accidents happen and all you can do is wear quality gear to try and protect yourself the best you can. Doesn't matter how good of a rider you are, sh** happens.
I broke my femur 2 inches above my knee cap while wearing the Leatt Dual Axis knee guards. I wish I was wearing full knee braces at the time. I think it depends on the luck of the draw on how you get your injury.
The tp199s are a solid knee pad, I’ve been wearing them for a few years and I love them 👍🏼
@AdventureDaily I can tell you what broke your knee, it was not the knee brace because the knee brace elastic bands allow the brace to pull forward if needed as well as break when needed. I recently broke my knee too; I broke the same spot as you plus the middle knuckle. A draft horse kicked me just below the knee while I was sitting on an e-bike with the affected leg positioned on the peg. Therefore, a relative equal amount of force is needed to break your knee. I am 5'9.5" and was 152lbs at the time. According to your x-ray and the knee brace it appears you broke the inside lip of the upper leg bone/knee joint. I believe what happened when your bike started bucking and you lost your footing is that when you landed your inside knee bone clipped the bike frame at the same time the bike bucked again causing a break, or when you planted your foot on the ground when you missed the foot peg then the bike frame bucked sideways into said planted foot/knee. This would relatively be equivalent to being kicked by a small draft horse, a Percheron Haflinger to be specific. Or you are taking protein supplements which weaken your bones. Or you have cancer.
I'm all about guard type impact protection, but no bracing. The load has to go somewhere, and when leverage is involved things get spooky and unpredictable. The neck braces have the same issue in redistributing load into a different catastrophic injury that the body may never normally experience. Of course the industry studies and testing will bias to better than nothing, but when the high level riders start dropping their use because they see the anecdotal evidence all the time.
I've seen the same injury on a rider without braces. You can only jam your leg into the ground so hard. I've had several expensive braces over the last 30 years and they saved my ligaments. Meniscus not so much. A level XC, MX, END, etc. I set the lockout adjustment so my bad leg couldn't extend fully to reduce straight leg impact.
I have the early astrix . Had them since late 2003. Theyve saved me many times. The last time my leg was squashed between the swingarm and a rut.. the bike was bounced upright from my upper calf pusing the swing arm. Theres a decent chip taken out of the carbon kevlar brace frame . I was sure with the pain i experienced that the tib and fib were broken .. but it was severe bruising . If i hadnt been wearing them im 100% my leg would have been broken . I did have photos of my leg changing colours the 2 days after . Red ,yellow blue purple and almost black. The reason i bought braces is because i injured my knee with the knee guards. The astrix ones i have are set to never allow my leg to straighten out
Good video, sorry you experienced this however the mechanics of the injury where limited to that pogo stick motion you described that broke the head of the tibia by your brace. It’s near impossible to forensically prove how much more, not different, damage may have occurred without the added protection of the brace you were wearing. I would suggest your injuries were limited by the brace versus exacerbated by the brace. You may actually have come away from this lucky. In extremes braces can transfer forces which break bones upon their exit from the protection of the brace. Breaks like those are still arguably better and less damaging that what would take place in the absence of the braces.
I broke my tibia and fibula in the 1970’s during an enduro race…back then there was almost no protective gear in existence, regardless i always felt lucky because it could have been worse (ie: hit that big oak tree that was only 2 feet from me when i fell, or my leg go through the rear wheel, etc…) my point is that any injuries are bad and you tried to prevent it by wearing protective equipment, however those piece of equipment cannot prevent an injury for all scenarios that happen in a blink of an eye… although that i really sympathize with you, console yourself that you did the best you could, it could have been worse, like breaking your spine .
Thanks for your video, it is teaching us that using safety equipment is not necessary full proof and gives us a false sense of security as you pointed out. I am glad that you are still riding and so am I 😎
When ridding slow tech trails where falling off of boulders and twisting your knee is a risk… knee braces seem really valuable. If smashing whoops at 30 mph I could see how knee pads make better since. Similar to skiing at that point
Very strange way you were injured. Never seen one like that. When I was racing I don't ever remember slipping off the pegs like that. I wonder if it had to do with riding stance? Almost looked like a panic reaction to stop the bike from going down but I'm not sure. My injuries were mainly from slamming my chin into the center clamp. I did that 3 damn times. Do you think it's the boots? The pegs to small? Stance? Reaction? Hope your all healed up. I'm asking about it because it's such a bad Injury for what wasn't even a crash really and not at any noteicable speed ( i could be wrong, the video made it look like maybe a 20 mph incident) . Good luck.
I own the same knee braces that were worn during this injury so I'm interested about this type of knee injury. What was not very clear to me with this clip was how the knee braces were instrumental to cause or increase the injury. Hope you have a complete recovery!
because as he said he had it set so his own knee could fully extend to max and the brace was set to stop there, Thats the mistake and should be set to stop just before full extension - oops.
I still have a torn acl but I’m glad to hear if I want the surgery it isn’t that bad
I have my braces adjusted one or two settings less than "full 180-degree locked knee". Seems to me forcing my knee to absorb impact by bending the right way is how to protect against this axial compression "pogo sticking".
i have a buddy that had his front end slide a little bit, stuck his foot out and broke the same chunk off, plus a 3 inch break down the middle of the tibia. Hes a B rider, it was really a ridiculous injury but he is getting older. Getting him out was fun and took the rest of the day.
Got tibia plateau fracture early 2020 myself, even without that fancy knee protection. What I assume happened is that my knee hit the asphalt and was then struck with my gas tank and weight of the motorcycle. My hands hurt quite bad, but then I noticed I couldn’t put any weight on my leg. The pain intensified when the swelling started and I ended up with quite a similar plate and lots of screws. I still feel it, but it took a very very long time before the pain mostly went away. Now it’s mostly stiffness in the joint after sitting a while and it’s painful when my bike takes multiple times to kickstart. Walking gave me the biggest improvements over time.
Idk, man. I'm on my 2nd knee injury. Both with braces on. Slow highside down the hill, 10ft down, pole-vaulting over my extended leg. Crushed the meniscus. I'm fairly certain my knee would've been snapped in half from that tumble without the brace. I was 10mi out. The brace kept my leg together pretty well and I rode out without issues, though in pain. Wasn't able to walk once the brace was off.
2nd get off a few weeks ago somewhat similar. The outer side of my knee is sore and bruised. I can only assume it's from the knee trying to break out laterally, running into the hinge of the brace, which kept the knee from buckling and all of the ligaments intact.
Everyone takes life in their own hands when on a moto. I'll continue to do so with braces on.
P.S. If I rode MX and sent triples on a regular, I might consider the dangers of snapping the femur because of the brace. But I only ride enduro. Tumbling downhill or trapping my leg between boulders/trees is not only more likely but happens often.
Bruising with swelling a big sign of torn acl/pcl. As far as I was told might get it checked if you can
@@tylermadl2088 yeah, it was the ACL.
I also broke my tibial plateau AND femur as well as acl, mcl, lcl, and patellar tendon with my knee brace on, doc said we would of been doing an acl if I had a pad only on.
I set my braces to stop at a 10 degree bend, so I never impact straight legged. I started wearing EVS web braces after coming down hyper extended and “bruising” a meniscus.
Broke my tibia plateau on my bike, too. Surgery X-rays looks almost identical to yours. 8 screws and plate. Can’t say for sure my knee brace was or was not responsible, but the rehab was intense. Glad you’re doing better. Confidence definitely comes back with time.
Knee brace wearing guy. Before I had knee braces I twisted my knee and had lateral force enough to cause issue walking at the event and for a few days. I was about to race my ISDE qualifiers so I ended up with EDGE knee braces(lower tier sub company of cti) to band-aid my injury. I tested with the braces and spent a few days adjusting and thinking of the what ifs. I ended up setting the hypertension lockout aggressively early. I found that if the brace was set to allow my knee very close lockout that during a ride small brace shifts and/or the misalignment of putting it on would end up letting my knee lock. On top of that when the knee locked out and then if the brace hinge was not perfectly aligned to the knees hinge point it was harder than normal to initiate bending. This didn't happen all the time only when tolerances of putting it on and it's movement when riding stacked up just wrong. I found that having the brace limit early kept this from happening. I qualified and raced ISDE with them no issues there.
I did my worst injury while wearing braces and they did contribute to the location of the injury. I got hit midair at a motocross and came down under the frame of a bike. The frame tube was on top of my boot on top of the brace on my lower leg just before the end of the brace. Snapped my tibia and fibula. Maybe it would not have snapped without brace, maybe my knee would have been screwed. I didn't have to have the bones set. Just had to wait to heal...a long time. Would have tib-fib broken than a mangled knee.
I would while hearted agree that a brace could make a specific crash worse. I would further say that settings and mounting misalignment or shifts during riding does make a larger range of crashes worse.
Definitely a catch 22. Can a good brace setup save a knee. I would say yes. Are there more chances for equipment failure when adding a brace to your equipment, yes.
All that said. I don't think I would ever use a single sided brace. Doesn't pass my engineering background.
Ryan Hughes has multiple videos about the issues with knee and neck braces.He makes a great case I'm glad to hear you are doing better.
I feel that I am on the opposite spectrum. I am still a pretty new rider but I bought knee guards pretty early. Overkill? Likely. Last year I went to ADV fest and started going on some actually difficult trails. It was a lot of fun, but I quickly got in over my skill level. I fell over several times, falling directly onto my knees from the side. I feel if I had not been wearing my knee braces I would have ended my trip on any one of them. Instead, I was just a little sore. Finally, after having a proper crash that ended with me sliding across the gravel road while my bike ended up upside down against a tree, where the only injury I got was a light sprain, and no knee injuries, I am convinced that knee braces are always worth the time and money.
Just out of interest, what knee braces are you wearing
Man sorry for your crash and the injury. Know that section of LBJ well which is more HS speed than gnarly enduro so seen a few major crashes in there since riders are tired and perhaps a little distracted by then. I wear standard knee guards and Gaerne SG-10 boots which have saved me more times than can count. Not a fan of knee braces as they are an attempt to transfer load upward which the leg and hip are not designed to take . No need to wear out hip joint faster than rough riding already does so will take a pass on knee braces unless its the only way can ride standing up .
I had the same fracture in 2009 wear custom braces. My doc said with the forces we crash at,no brace is going to fully protect the knee. 😕
He didn't crash, and I didn't' crash, I hooked my foot on a stump and snapped it sideways, if I had a brace on at the time, it would have prevented that. And I know this because I have done it many times since, and it just sweeps my leg off the bike for a moment.
@@Oldguynotbald braces will help for tweaks for sure but big impacts, no. My braces helped me for sure but not on a couple crashes
I’m just back to riding again. I rode a lot when I was a kid with no gear except the helmet quite a few injuries, but I’m 48 years old now I’m just getting back into it last year. I got myself a Yamaha WR 250 F fully uncorked got the competition ECU for it With the CCU and really that’s all I changed on the bike but today I wear pretty much all the gear. I still don’t have chest protector and shoulders or neck brace. I won’t wear one. I’ll wear a chest protector back protector shoulder protector combo in one for the knee Guards when I first started riding again, I had a bad habit of having my feet angled on the pegs and going through one time the front tire grabbed got traction jumped out of the rut and tossed me right into twist. My right foot backwards wasn’t going fast. I was able to jump up and move And fall because it wasn’t that big of a 2 1/2 inches a branch but it was anyway I was there for about a half an hour. I could not get up on my freaking leg. It hurts so bad so I got myself some knee braces they’re not expensive ones but they’re more for making me keep my feet in the position they’re supposed to be in , so the knee braces I have allow for hyper extension. I can bend them a little bit sideways, but not very much but the padding on them is good. I forgot the brand of them.evs that’s what they are. I bought them at Royal distributing in Canada, but I hear you vote the injuries. I’ve had my share of injuries and I won’t take too many chances on the bike anymore. I do slow. I’ve been doing a lot of balance and collection throttle control, and wheel learning to ride like Jarvis, but not hitting the obstacles he does. lol respect nice video, man
I had a chest protector that kinda just had one contact point on my sternum… I whiskey throttled a step up, tried to ride out the down hill landing, but ultimately slammed my chest into the bars in the banked turn at bottom of hill… major screw up by me, but all that force in one spot broke my sternum and basically crushed my heart… almost killed me, but still here… beware of protective equipment focusing the force of impact!!!
I was wearing the original Pod braces released back in 2008 , inflexible old things , had an awkward fall in 2011 on a greasy downhill , stretched my MCL pretty bad , took about 4 months to heal completely , saw a knee specialist as I was concerned about miniscus damage, was ok , specialist told me in no uncertain terms without the braces I would have done an ACL and probably more.
I wont ride without braces these days, can see the argument for only wearing guards, tryed just guards , not for me, feel naked ...lol
I blew out 4 ACL's while wearing the guards you Switched to...after the 4th surgery i bought mobius braces, now im reconsidering 🤔
Just going by what you have explained at the point of injury (POI) it would seem to me that the brace most likely had nothing to do with your injury, that is to say you most likely would have received the injury with or without it. When you say 'my foot slipped off the peg' with forward momentum and the bike all sorts of loose (in the video). I assume your boot made contact with the ground and most likely gripped a bit. Forward bike momentum + Foot on ground + Axial loading (sharp/extreme downward weight force) will fracture a tibial plateau relatively easily. Braces do not protect you from extreme axial loading of your knee and tibia, nothing does! 30+ years rider & rider instructor and Intensive Care Paramedic.
I’ve broken my tibia platoue in pretty much the same manner without the knee brace riding my four wheeler standing on one peg with one knee in the seat . I was flung from my four wheeler and landed awkwardly and it fractured.
Sorry to hear you were getting flack mate when you injured yourself!
Thanks for the great video! Knee guards for me it is!
✌🏻 🙏🏻
I broke mine while having no knee protection, funny thing was it never hurt! I do wear knee guards and have had several similar offs to the one that broke my tibia plateau, the guards have saved further injury. I tend to agree that the braces may be too rigid and transfer forces that a knee guard does not.
I am 64 and still race. In fact the Baha 1000. I use to have knee pain after riding, but not anymore. I have the Pod carbon braces and I give them 5 stars . I can hammer the woops much harder with no pain afterwards. 4 time Baha 1000 Finisher.
Riding only with braces, some good quality ones like CTi's. They save a lot of time on PT after surgeries. But every rider picks his equipment so wear anything you feel safe and comfortable.