What is Reddit's opinion of Rehband 7mm Knee Sleeve (Large (36-39cm))?

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Y'all got any opinions on knee sleeves to pick up? Doing the google around perusing and these look good but need to bother actual people for opinions because I am indecisive.

!ping DYEL

I just made a post about this in the Major-Junior thread, but I've been doing a lot of powerlifting routines lately. (Currently doing the Texas Method).

Let me preface this with some information about me. I'm 25 years old now, and hurt my knee back in 2012, pretty severely. I had an extreme case of patellar tendonitis, and it affected me so badly that at one point I was reliant on a cane to walk. I've had three knee surgeries with the first two being unsuccessful as the cause of the problem went undiagnosed. The third surgery found the issue with my patella having extra connective tissue which was throwing it off track and putting extreme stress on my patellar tendon.

I had that third surgery in July, and started to play college club hockey ~2-3 months later. I just hit new PRs today for 315 for 5 on squats, and 375 for 5 on deadlift. My knee still isn't 100%, and if I don't do enough it becomes incredibly difficult to push off that leg when skating/going up stairs.

The best advice I have is this:

• Get yourself a couple sets of knee sleeves. I use two different sets: 7mm thick Rehband sleeves for the weightroom, and 5mm thick Rehband sleeves for skating. Err on the side of smaller, so if you're on the border for a size, order the next smallest pair. (Those sleeves are sold as single units, not a pair).
• Listen to your knees, but don't let them dictate what you do. I don't push myself to the point where I can't walk, but if I don't work out when my knee hurts it only gets worse.
• WARM UP. It is incredibly important for you to warm up your legs, especially if you're wearing a brace. The knee sleeves work by heating up the joint along with giving it a some compression and a bit of "spring." I usually put on my knee sleeve before I head to the rink to let my body heat it up. Once I step on the ice I do a couple warmup laps and then do an extensive stretching routine, hitting every major muscle group in my legs. I then skate progressively faster until my knee feels like it should.

The stronger I get, the less my knee hurts. Don't confuse complex leg workouts with effective ones. Once you get knee wraps or knee sleeves, start doing a good strength-training program. Starting strength works, and other simple workouts where it consists of mainly basic movements are incredibly effective. Avoid running if you want to skate well. Stadium/stairs are fine to run, as they are much lower impact than just hitting the pavement.