Posted November 6, 2002 (two postings)
http://www.factotem.org/cgi-bin/kneebbs.pl/read/180786
Note: Essentially same question, posted in two different postings (October 30 and November 5/02)
CTI2 brace question
Posted By: christina <tinacian@hotmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, 30 October 2002, at 6:25 p.m.
I just picked up my CTI2 custom fit knee brace. I plan on using it for skiing. I took my ski boots in and was wearing them when I was fitted for the brace. The bottom of the brace touches the top tongue of my ski boot. The person who fit it said that it was made this way, but if it bothers me they can change it. Does anyone out there have a CTI2 brace? Do you ski with it? does the bottom of the brace hit the tongue of the boot? Please let me know if this is normal, if not, I'll have them fit it.
Thanks!!!!!!
Responses To This Message
Re: CTI2 brace question (views: 14) -- audra -- Wednesday, 30 October 2002, at 6:32 p.m.
Re: CTI2 brace question
Posted By: audra <aduncombe@prismsulphur.com>
Date: Wednesday, 30 October 2002, at 6:32 p.m.
In Response To: CTI2 brace question (christina)
You can go to Innovation Sports website and send them an email. They make the CTi2 so they would definitely know.
www.isports.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Re: CTI2 brace question
Posted By: Ron <rsrigneycpa@aol.com>
Date: Thursday, 31 October 2002, at 1:03 a.m.
In Response To: CTI2 brace question (christina)
That is a custom fit brace, so they can make it however you need. I turned down another brace because it did that. In my unprofessional opinion, I think that you need to have the brace not touch the boot at the maximum amount of knee bend that you can do. That is how I am going to have my brace built. Let us know what Innovation's response is. Best to you.
Ron
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Re: CTi2 brace question — Brace length for alpine skiers…
Dear Christina,
I do have the CTi2 brace (actually, one for each knee), although because I no longer partake in alpine skiing, I don’t have personal-use experience with this brace in this particular sport. (I do cross-country ski, and I participate in many other sports as well. I am, however, acquainted with a number of people who use the brace in alpine skiing.)
The hotlink below leads to my response to your November 5 posting, regarding brace length.
Yours truly, Michael Frind.
http://www.factotem.org/cgi-bin/kneebbs.pl/read/181146
Previous posting regarding length of CTi2 knee brace…
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
http://www.factotem.org/cgi-bin/kneebbs.pl/read/181038
Michael,
I just purchased a CTI2, partially based on your articles. I have a question for you. Does the bottom of your brace touch the top of your ski boot (the tongue) in the front. Mine does and I'm not sure if it is supposed to. The person who fitted me said to try it and if I don't like it they will fix it at no cost. I got the brace specifically for skiing. What is your experience with this?
Thanks!
Christina
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Re: Brace recommendations for skiing — Length of Innovation Sports CTi2 brace…
Dear Christina,
I called the Technical Department at Innovation Sports. Indeed, there should be a small amount (a quarter inch is sufficient) of clearance from the distal edge of the brace’s lower shell to the tongue of the ski boot. It seems that your brace is slightly too long.
There are two ways to remedy a too-long brace. The first entails simply truncating the lower shell of the orthosis—that is, cutting off a small part of the distal portion. It is best if this cutting is done by Innovation Sports, as the refinishing and repainting of the cut surface are best done at the factory.
The second solution entails having Innovation Sports re-make the entire lower shell of the brace. This would be necessary in cases where the location (relative to the distal end of the orthosis) of the brace’s lower lateral arm is such that further shortening of the lower shell would result in cutting of the lower lateral arm.
So, I suggest visiting your clinician/orthotist and donning both the brace and the ski boot. Have this person use a ruler (avoid estimating) to measure the appropriate distance by which the brace’s lower shell is to be shortened. (Make certain that the ruler is read directly from the front, so as to avoid parallax error.) Have the clinician/orthotist measure this distance at various knee-flexion angles, ranging from full extension to the classic racing-style tuck position. (As with nearly all braces, the CTi2’s lower shell is to be more tightly strapped to the leg than the upper shell. Thus the lower shell should not move as the knee is flexed. However, as you change position, the ski-boot tongue will move very slightly with respect to the lower shell of the brace. The clinician/orthotist should take this into account when deciding by how much to have the brace truncated.)
Please keep in mind that brace length correlates with protection against hyperextension. Although the loss of protection resulting from the cutting of a quarter- or half-inch from the end of the tibial shell would be very minimal, it is wise to ensure that the amount by which the brace is shortened is the minimum required.
The clinician/orthotist should take care of all the shipping for you. You might also wish to include a snapshot of the brace (with the ski boot) on your leg.
Yours truly, Michael Frind.
P.S.: I remember earlier (September 17, posting 178619) you indicated that you are petite. The CTi2 knee brace’s optional ski-boot attachment is only suitable for people who have a minimum of about seven inches of distance between the distal (lowermost) edge of the patella and the top of the ski boot. (The twist-inhibiting ski-boot attachment is a veritable boon for alpine skiers, as it enables the brace to dependably protect the knee against twisting-type injuries. It can be added to any CTi2 brace at or after fabrication. Incidentally, similar devices could be fabricated for other full-shell braces, for example the Townsend Air.) The distal border of the patella is most easily felt when the knee is at 90 degrees. Ski boots vary significantly in design (and hence in height), and so it is possible to be petite and yet still meet the aforementioned requirement for use of the ski-boot attachment. (I am aware that your brace doesn’t have the attachment.) How many inches are there from the distal border of your patella to the top of your ski-boot tongue?