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.

My son used the DonJoy knee brace that his trainer loaned him during football season for a minor injury. It worked so well during the season that we ordered one for him to use at home as he trains for baseball season. Easy to put on, remove, offers stability while allowing free movement.

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 is a good brace. The best part is that it does not ride down the leg while in use (most of the time). The only time it does is when the velcro buckle which is pretty thick and durable grabs onto a pair of pants being put on over them and therefore unbuclkles the strap. I have gone through many braces and this one stays in place. I have also sent 3 others back before settling with this one. I do have to laugh at some reviews on braces about how they are too tigh or not supportive enough only to see a picture of a heavy set person wearing crocs or flip flops. If you are someone of significant size do yourself a big favor and wear proper foot wear. Your knees will thank you as well as your ankles. Those sandle designs are for kids.

A friend of mine that is a physical therapist recommended to get a Don Joy brace. I got this one. One on it is comfortable and very firm. It is about twice the thickness of a similar brace I purchased a while ago. I think the extra thickness contributes to the firmness and stability as well the comfort. I would easily get another one. My only positive that isn't positive is that it's a bit of pain to get on compared to other braces. I feel like I need another hand or someone else to do it. It is mostly the nature of the brace, but a bit the location of the velcro. But once it is one it is very comfortable and seems to protect the knee.

If you are on the upper end of the size chart for XL, DO NOT BUY. I measured as instructed, with my thigh measurement just at the upper end of the range. The calf Velcro & strap fit fine. However, I couldn’t get the thigh Velcro to meet. The strap can’t make up for the lost compression. Sending it back. Unrelated to the product, I knocked an extra star off because the packaging was dirty and torn near the opening. I’m guessing this was not its first time getting shipped…

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!

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.