I am still baffled that the NFL doesn't have braces for all of the players to reduce knee injuries. Now that 3-D printing is a thing, they can make them much cheaper and better custom fitting.
[video=twitter;634374692829270017]https://twitter.com/AdamHBeasley/status/634374692829270017[/video] [video=twitter;634375904307871744]https://twitter.com/AdamHBeasley/status/634375904307871744[/video]
I reported months ago that there was grumbling among the players that Louis Delmas and Will Davis were pressured directly by Joe Philbin into coming back to full practice early, being told that their jobs and roster spots were at stake. I don't just make this sh-t up. If Delmas' career is over, I would expect some sort of grievance.
I think it depends on your doctor, some recommend a brace others say it doesn't serve much purpose. I tore my ACL and Meniscus about 3 years ago and opted for no brace when returning to sports activity. It can come down to personal preference, I think it is more of a mental thing where you feel more secure with it on.
Just realized that even despite this injury, there's a fair chance we make the playoffs and thus they aren't as compelled as they should be to fire Philbin. Wouldn't that be so perfectly the Dolphins; to go 10-6 despite Philbin, not fire him, and go 8-8 the next year?
Hopefully this same type of pressure isn't being put on Albert to return too quickly from his injury. His knee damage was worse than Delmas and I am just concerned that if he tries to come back before it is fully healed, he could go down and be gone for the entire season, just like Delmas. I thought last year Pouncey was forced to play before he had fully recovered from his surgery and I think that had more to do with his poor play last year than the fact he was playing guard instead of center.
Is there any science to back up the claims that knee braces can prevent or reduce the risk of ligament tears? A common sense approach would suggest it does, but I've heard conflicting anecdotal reports. After TB12 tore his ACL in 2008, he decided to keep wearing his brace despite no longer needing it. TB12 cited extra stability and injury prevention as his reasoning. On the other hand, Sam Bradford who tore his left knee ACL, recently decided to remove his knee brace after back to back ACL tears. Bradford said he didn't feel the knee brace actually provided extra stability and certainly not injury prevention/reduction, as he tore his ACL for the 2nd year in a row, while wearing it.
Yup, I wore my brace after being cleared to full go without it. It took me like a year and a half or so after surgery before I was mentally secure enough to stop.
I'm pretty sure they're made to help prevent tears of the non-contact variety. If a 300lb guy falls on you and drags you down or into your knee, I'm not sure the brace will do all it is meant to.
I have been concerned with him returning too soon ever since it was described how serious his knee injury was. The easier part of the Dolphins schedule is their first six games. I would much rather see Albert miss those games and come back closer to full strength for those last 10 games of the season. Unfortunately LT is not an area of strength beyond Albert and I just fear he will be pushed to return before his knee is strong enough to handle the wear and tear of a sixteen game regular season. If he does return for the beginning of the season, I just hope his knee holds up better than Delmas's did.
