When coming back from a serious knee injury, physical therapy, strengthening exercises, and time will get you back on the bike, but there is nothing like genuine knee support to add the security and mental confidence necessary for a safe return. Össur’s CTi OTS knee brace has your back, or should I say your knee.
My surgeon assured me my replacement ACL was good to go for street riding, but I still had some concerns. Unexpected things can happen when riding, and if I put my leg down awkwardly, I might twist it. Would there be a tendency to favor it, to the detriment of safe riding? Is the knee truly up to supporting me when everything doesn’t go to plan?
Instead of letting these niggling worries keep me off two wheels for another few months, the CTi OTS (off the shelf) ligament knee brace — which can be personalized to fit your knee for stability and support — came to the rescue.
The carbon frame acts as an exoskeleton, allowing natural movement, while restricting hyperextension, along with sideways or twisting motions. It takes some time to properly fit the brace to your leg the first time, as there are various adjustment points with trimmable straps, cushioned pads, and padded shims in several thicknesses. Once set, it goes on easily.
As the fit is personalized, the CTi OTS is comfortable when riding. This is exactly where I mentally wanted to be when back in the saddle — riding as if nothing had ever happened to my knee and with no distracting concerns. With the brace on, I was able to use my leg naturally in motion, at stoplights, and walking while taking a break.
In fact, my knee felt so secure and protected, I added the optional patella cup and headed out to ride in the dirt. I was happy to find that, after some initial confidence building, I did not hesitate to put my foot out in corners, or to stand on the pegs over mild whoops—such was the trust I had in the CTi brace.
Although the anatomically designed brace fits snugly on my leg, none of my riding jeans would pull on over the brace. Fortunately, I had no problem sliding a pair of Firstgear textile riding pants over the Össur CTi OTS for street riding, and Fly Racing Kinetic Girl’s boot cut pants for off-road riding. Ahhh, the incalculable value of peace of mind.
