Knee and kneecap

Important information about knee pain, cruciate ligament tears, and related injuries and conditions.

Dear readers,

A sudden sharp pain in the knee that comes out of nowhere, a wrong move – knee pain can be caused by many different things. On the pages that follow, we provide you with valuable information about how to keep your knees healthy, describe the most common knee conditions such as gonarthrosis, unhappy triad, and typical cruciate ligament tears, and offer important advice on the topic of the “knee and the kneecap”. After all, “Motion is Life” is not only our motto; it’s also a philosophy that we practice ourselves, which is why we promote physical activity and vitality wherever possible – and for your benefit. Indeed, what could be worse than being unable to move? With that in mind, we hope that you stay fit, agile, and healthy – and enjoy reading our Knee Dossier!

Best regards, Your team of experts at Bauerfeind AG

The most common knee injuries and knee conditions

Knee pain, or pain in the knees

Whether it’s related to wear or excessive strain, there are many causes of knee pain.

Cruciate ligament tear / cruciate ligament rupture

The nightmare of every athlete: When a cruciate ligament tear brings you to your knees.

Irritation in the patellar tendon

Painful and long-lasting. What you can do to treat irritation in the patellar tendon.

Osteoarthritis of the knee / gonarthrosis

Stiff legs, problems with walking? Gonarthrosis is often detected when it’s too late, but it can be treated.

Unhappy Triad

A particularly unfortunate chain of events results in this triple injury. What can be done about it?

Pain in the knee cap

Sharp pain and pressure with every step; are even short distances becoming a problem? Kneecap problems are quite common

Frequently Asked Questions / FAQs

A knee support is not a stylish accessory but rather a medical product that can relieve pain, support the healing process, or be used as a preventive measure. To get the most out of a knee support, you need to make sure it fits as perfectly as possible – and not only because that makes it comfortable to wear. Most modern supports deliver a range of effects – knee supports, for example, have an overall compressive effect, but also provide support, relieve pressure, and massage specific areas of the knee. If the knee support doesn’t fit properly, such active effects can only be partially achieved, or not achieved at all.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you consult an expert at your local medical supply retailer and have your knee area measured there before you purchase a knee support. The expert will select from the large range of knee supports for various conditions exactly the right support for your symptoms and build. This ensures that you’ll quickly achieve maximum success with your knee support.

A knee support can be purchased in a retail store (medical supply retailer, pharmacy) even without a prescription or an instruction issued by a physician. However, it makes sense in most cases to consult a physician first if a medical indication exists. If your physician issues a prescription for a knee support, you will be reimbursed by your health insurance company for most of the cost. If you don’t have a prescription, you will have to pay the full price for your knee support.

If a physician issues a prescription for a knee support, your health insurance company will cover nearly the entire cost – your copayment will be minimal. The amount of your copayment will depend on the given situation (e.g. the reason for the prescription, the urgency of your condition, your most recent reimbursement for a medical aid). You can also purchase a knee support at any medical supply retailer without a prescription, of course, as there are no legal restrictions on the purchase of such medical products. However, in that case you will not be reimbursed by your health insurance company. In addition, you may in fact have to purchase a knee support on your own if you’ve been reimbursed for such a support in the last two years. If you’re not sure, you should contact your health insurance company.

Your physician is primarily responsible for determining whether a knee support or a knee orthosis is the better solution for treating your condition. You can find more information about the difference between a knee support and a knee orthosis here.

We strongly recommend that you do not wear a knee support over your clothing. For one thing, doing so will prevent the proprioceptive properties from taking effect and also inhibit the activation/training of the sensorimotor system. In addition, clothing absorbs nearly all of the positive effects of the individual functional elements. For example, instead of experiencing a slight massaging effect in certain areas and pressure application or relief in others, your clothing will press against your painful knee in a more or less uncontrolled manner. This is not only inefficient; it can also be painful and lead to chafing (skin irritation).

Knee supports from Bauerfeind are also sometimes known as “active supports“ – i.e. they make it easier for those who wear them to move around. It’s actually this movement that enables the supports to have their positive effect on the body and the healing process. The massage function and the intermittent compression cannot be activated when you’re immobile, however. For this reason, wearing the support at night is not effective. It’s better if you wear the knee support during the day when you’re active and then let your knee relax at night.