Should You Wear Athletic Braces for Mountain Biking?

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Mountain biking is a popular sport. Depending on where you live, it could be one you can enjoy year-round. Whether you’re an experienced rider or someone looking to get involved in the sport, you need to support and protect your joints. You can do this by gradually building strength as you increase the difficulty of your rides. You can take time to stretch your limbs, trying yoga workouts on the days you don’t ride. You can also wear braces or arm and knee compression sleeves.

There are mixed opinions on wearing braces or sleeves while riding, but it’s up to you and a medical professional to determine if it’s the right choice for you. In the meantime, you can consider the benefits of braces and sleeves to uncover how they may impact your rides.

 Your Body While You Mountain Bike

You work a lot of muscles in your body while you mountain bike. Not only are you cycling, but you are using your core and your upper body to stabilize yourself and maneuver the bike over rough terrain. If you’re a beginner, you might find yourself putting pressure on your ankles and wrists as you discover your strengths and weaknesses. As a result, you can also feel the effects of a rigorous bike ride in your joints.

Additionally, the seat of a mountain bike is different from road bikes and cruisers, and you’ll be able to feel this difference, especially after a long ride. After mountain biking, you might feel sore in your arms, shoulders, abdominals, quads, glutes, and calves.

 The Benefits of Sports Bracing

Joints, ligaments, tendons, and even muscles can benefit from a brace or sleeve. Braces and sleeves help stabilize your joints, distribute weight, warm your muscles, and help protect your body. There are a variety of braces and sleeves to choose from, so you don’t have to settle for a brace that doesn’t match your concern, lifestyle, or bike trail.

During a bike ride, you are constantly moving your legs. You should adjust the gears to the least resistance and continue to pedal even as you go downhill. That said, a bulky wrap or hinge brace may inhibit movement during your ride. As an alternative, a compression sleeve can help you put gentle pressure on a joint like a knee joint to help it stay stable.

 Common Mountain Biking Injuries

Mountain biking isn’t a high-contact sport. In fact, if all goes well, you’ll stay upright on your bike for your entire ride. Yet there are many injuries associated with mountain biking, including bone fractures, lower back pain, knee injuries, and skin abrasions. Of course, it’s important to always wear a helmet to reduce your risk of concussions and traumatic head injuries.

Other areas of your body, including your ankles, knees, arms, and lower back, may benefit from wearing a brace or sleeve. An ankle brace may reduce your risk of strains on rough terrain, depending on the rigidity and support of the brace. The same could be said of a knee brace and back brace, but you’d likely want a flexible option, like a neoprene brace or sleeve, that can move with your body while pedaling.

 Recovery Tips for Mountain Bikers

If you do experience an injury while riding, seek medical attention to rule out more serious injuries and help you create a recovery plan. Recovery plans can involve many steps or could be fairly simple if the injury or discomfort you experience is mild. Injuries can mean wearing a brace during everyday activities and recovery exercises, like knee running support if you walk, run, or practice yoga as cross-training to support your biking goals.

Mountain biking is an exciting sport that keeps you active in a way that’s totally different from everyday exercise and organized sports. It can also put a unique strain on your body. It’s important to protect and stabilize your joints while you ride. Ask a medical professional for their recommendations to help prevent injury or optimize recovery.

About DonJoy®

 Being active and protecting your body requires targeted support, and DonJoy® can provide the sports braces and rehabilitation tools you need to maintain and improve your performance. Their trusted arm, knee, shoulder, back, and leg brace selection is medically recommended. Among their versatile collection of products, you can find options from DonJoy, Compex, Chattanooga, AirCast®, and other premium brands manufactured by Enovis. DonJoy was founded by a professional offensive lineman in 1978, so they know what it takes to support every active lifestyle, from the weekend warriors to the top athletes in the world. Their passion is evident in every product, blog post, and informative guide. No matter your sport or what level you play at, DonJoy provides the solutions you need to protect and support your body.

 Learn more about different ways to support and protect your body at https://www.donjoystore.com/

Location: 5919 Sea Otter Pl Ste 200, Carlsbad, CA 92010, USA

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