Review on DonJoy Performance Bionic Support Brace by David Estevez

This brace has decent support and is well made. The reason for my 3 stars is as follows. If this is not a problem for you then I am sure that this brace will serve you well. I have a complete posterior cruciate ligament tear from a roller derby injury 5 years ago. Since I was retiring anyway, expensive surgery to close the gap made no sense as it didn't limit day-to-day mobility. However, I now play a lot with racquets and occasionally do kickboxing and have found that I need the stability and support of a corset for these activities. The disadvantages of this orthosis for me were: • Closure at the back. I needed a butterfly clasp; I have wide hips and my suspenders don't fit. It's a clasp closure, but it closes at the back. It's difficult to do a good job and get the alignment right when you have to bend all the way down, pull hard, and attach flaps you can't see • Velcro gets caught on clothing. As I wear these on my right knee and as they are not knee specific, the wraparound Velcro straps end up (after closing the back flaps) between my thighs (top). Straps are not inconspicuous; Instead, they end up with a big, thick tongue that constantly rubs against my left foot, causing the tongue to open and stick to my left foot (the sticky side of the Velcro is on the thick tongue). I have to adjust and re-insert game several times over the course of an hour. • For the above reasons, it often seems to me that the bracket is not positioned correctly. I end up twisting it so that the tab doesn't open constantly and this causes the bracket to be misaligned. • Stabilizer strips are not as strong/thick as my old brace. The strips running vertically down the sides of the leg (from the hinges) feel much more flexible than my old brace (worn so many times the sleeve fell apart). It's probably fine for most people, but for me it feels a little too "soft" with my injury and the activities I use it for.