Posts Tagged ‘DonJoy’
I picked up my ACL brace last Friday and put it to the test over the weekend. I’m happy to say that for the most part the wait and frustration was definitely…sort of…worth it. I mean, it’s a knee brace, right? It’s not exactly comfortable.
For the most part, the brace fits fairly well being of the off the shelf variety. The one real worry I have in this department is the eventual increase in size of the affected quad. It’s smaller than my right leg at the moment, and the difference is quite visible. I expect it to increase considerably here in the next three months, and I hope the brace will continue to fit comfortably.
I’m a little stunned by the final cost of this thing, as billed by the supplier. The brace was about $916. I looked online, prior to seeing that figure, and was shocked by the list price of $550; to see what the supplier was charging really got me thinking about how these folks are charging for their services. They clearly need to make money to survive, but wow, what a markup.
The one real comfort complaint I have at this point has to do with how the brace straps onto my lower leg; essentially the straps run across the lower front of my knee where the scar is from the patellar tendon harvest. That area is still tender, apparently, because when I’m using the brace it tends to tighten up when my calf muscles tighten up and that causes it some real discomfort. I noticed this happening on the down stroke of pedaling while riding a bike.
Other than that, it’s just fantastic.
…was not what was ordered for me at the medical supplier. Instead, they ordered the Armor. NOT what I wanted at all. The first guy I saw didn’t seem to be very helpful (the one who ordered it up for me). He seemed to assume I wanted something other than what I wanted.
This whole process is starting to get under my skin. I should have been working with this brace already, but will now be two weeks short of where I should be. I’m ANNOYED. But, other than that bit of inconvenience, the insurance company is paying for the brace 100% so that’s good. Plus, the person I saw today was very helpful.
Just wanted to get that off my chest, but it didn’t help. I’m still annoyed. On the progress front, the doc says everything is looking good and I won’t see him until September, which should be near the end of my rehab. Fantastic.