Lateral Knee Braces in Football: Do They Prevent Injury?

In brief: Lateral knee braces are being used in increasing numbers by football teams attempting to decrease the number of valgum knee injuries. There has been little proof to date that these braces are effective. In this paper we review the results of three recently presented clinical studies as well as an in-depth biomechanical study, all of which raise serious doubts about the efficacy of preventive knee braces that are currently available.