As an ultra runner, your son very likely has weak or imbalanced hips and needs to do hip strength training exercises (clam shells, pistol squats, etc).

Tape and bands are masking the underlying problem.

Patella straps did nothing for my son. We tried a few different kinds. Kinesio tape was better, but even that has it's limits.

I had different pts suggest different ways of applying the McConnell (sp?) tape one really alleviated the pain but was kind of complex. That’s why I suggested a pt. McConnell tape is different from the tape they sell at Dicks.

Anonymous wrote:Straps and braces are all kind of a scam as it’s almost impossible for them to hold anything in place. The tape physical therapists use is a game changer but you need to pt to figure out how the tape should be placed to help. I can believe drs are pushing bands.

I realize that doing your own medical work via the internet is generally a bad idea, but there are a ton of great videos on YouTube on how to use the tape for various scenarios. That's what we did, and it immediately erased the pain because of the support/stability it provides. But somebody could certainly go to PT to get a real diagnosis and learn how to apply the tape from a live professional as well. Totally agreed that tape is in a completely different league than straps (which we initially tried and failed with as well...)

Straps and braces are all kind of a scam as it’s almost impossible for them to hold anything in place. The tape physical therapists use is a game changer but you need to pt to figure out how the tape should be placed to help. I can believe drs are pushing bands.

We've had a lot of luck using KT tape and learning how to apply it for the patella. It's actually pretty amazing. I can't imagine a strap is going to stay tight or in place in a game like soccer.

Agreed - there are way too many on amazon - how to distinguish?! I will say - I wanted one for my daughter right away so I actually went old school/brick and mortar/to CVS and bought this one:
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-knee-support-strap-prodid-1660059

Does it work?? That I can't say. What I do know is my daughter has been using it for about ten days and hasn't had any pain in her knee for a week. But is that because of the knee brace or because the pain otherwise resolved/was going to resolve on own . . . . ? All I know is I told her to keep using it

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1158085.page

Recent thread regarding this topic.

OP here. I should have mentioned that the doc recommends he wear straps because he has been having a lot of pain (knee and below the knee). he didn't actually diagnosis him with Osgood-Schlatters but sounds like it's close to being it. Beyond straps, my son was told to ice his knees after every practice/game, do quad stretched every day, 3-4 times a day, and take an anti-inflammatories for pain.

My 14 year old son's sports medicine doctor recommends that he wear patella knee straps and said we can find all sorts on Amazon. He wasn't kidding. There are soooo many to choose from. Can anyone recommend a particular brand or model of a patella strap that worked well? My son is 5'11". His legs are pretty skinny. Thanks.