Why I Will NEVER Wear These On My Dirt Bike Again

Knee braces won't save you from every dirt bike crash, so before investing your hard earned money, maybe try something like I use now👇🏻
Leatt Dual Axis: aomc.idevaffiliate.com/idevaf...
#dirtbike #enduro #injuryprevention

[@AdventureDaily]

Been getting a lot of comments assuming I am telling people not to wear knee braces. I am not a medical professional and everything I say in this video is just based on my experiences. They make braces for a reason and at the end of the day you just have to make an educated decision on what you are going to wear. This video was not intended to scare anyone away from wearing braces, it just goes to show that regardless of how much you protect your body things can still happen and if you are scared to get hurt then you shouldn't be on two wheels.

[@jorgem.sanchezgonzalez5903]

So, if you have a fall and have the bad luck of having your helmet bend in in a way which ie. Breaks your cheek bone and a few teeth (but probably has prevented of virtually exploding) and that it has happened to other people as well, would you say you will change it for a bicycle helmet from then on? Just curious…

[@htm8250]

I have always believed that those knee pads are designed for people who have serious knee stability problems, a knee pad designed for walking calmly. Using this type of protection, as our friend has seen is DANGEROUS, it is better to use "bauerfeind" knee pads that will give you the necessary reinforcement in the joint but without restricting movement and then put on an anti-impact knee pad, greetings from Spain.

[@machupikachu1085]

Great video! I had a vertical fracture with blown out ACL as well - so i feel your pain. I couldn't walk for a year lol! You may want to try this: for off road riding, I use those velco type medical knee braces with the aluminum on the sides, and then just put the knee guards on top. It seems to be a good compromise. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

[@BasedRanger]

​@@machupikachu1085 By "aluminum on the sides," do you mean a hinged brace?

[@machupikachu1085]

@@BasedRanger indeed. They have worked well for off roading thus far.

[@Pinionaire]

Not only do knee braces protect from hyper extension but I've noticed they also form a cage around the knee that protects it from lateral forces. Like the bike landing on it or impacting a rock. See, what happens with these braces is all the force of impact gets dispersed to different parts of the leg rather than all on one point. Sure maybe it can cause a different type of injury, but lord, i would hate to imagine how my knees would be without my braces. But you do you man.

[@TheOriginalBillyYO]

I agree.. I’m keeping them on

[@adventuresinparadise1522]

Agreed! Had my bike land on my leg on rocky terrain. Knee brace took the whole impact. I got up and continued to ride and was just fine. That’s happened more than once over the years. Thankful I had them on!

[@mint_au]

Plus they try to stop side to side movement like if your leg is elevated and the bike lands on it. it wont stop it from moving sideways but is way better then having no support and 100 plus kilos going crunch sideways on your knee and clearly tearing ligaments and fracturing something or potentially a huge break fi it hits it the wrong way. with my knee braces i have the lockout set so my leg cant fully extend so only way it can flex is the regular way which is the way it should be set unlike the guy in the video who says it locks out when his leg is fully flexed which is terrible.

[@whitetrashgarage8110]

Yep, that is what tore my knee up. Hitting a tree, I basically wrapped around it. It was all lateral movement that caused the damage. Being Canadian, I'm now afraid to walk on slippery surfaces without my brace... So I'm trapped 6 months of the year lol

[@NeroontheGoon]

“Yahooism”, a disease young riders suffer from where they think that structural assistance makes them a better rider. Being competitive and lacking talent is a recipe for underachievement.

[@kc117mx]

Correlation does not equal causation. I am a 50+ Expert, and have been riding for 40+ years. I tore my right ACL completely in half along with meniscus damage while racing in the mid-90s. I have wore knee braces since then. The ACL replacement surgery was difficult, but I endured and worked hard through therapy. I was riding again after three months and racing again by the time I was released from therapy - around the fourth month. I have used CTI2 braces and Asterisks, which I wore out, and now PODs with excellent results. I will not go back to standard knee pads. While I am currently not racing, I ride hard in the desert, mountains, and woods, and I am sure the braces have saved my knees on numerous occasions, as well as catching all of those cactus thorns. Every person has their own experiences and opinions, but I won't go back. Bones heal, ligaments have to be replaced.

[@kirillpovarintsev277]

If you think that traumatic hyperextension or lateral flexion (which your brace protects you from) is a good way to "absorb the impact", it's probably something to reconsider. In fact, a traumatic hyperextension itself is a common cause of a tibial plateau fracture! With fully extended leg a coaxial impact won't necessarily cause too much of a joint bending force anyway, but if your knee were to go into hyperextension after the initial coaxial impact, the result would probably still be TPF, plus more ligaments involved. I rarely leave comments on youtube, but in this case I personally think it's a dangerous advice you are giving. Again, the main point of disagreement is not the merits/demerits of a knee brace (though it seems to be a no brainer for me in MX application), but the strategy of absorbing an impact with hyperextension. I have a couple of ACL reconstructions under the belt myself, and currently nursing a fresh fibula + tibial plateau fracture, just in case anyone is wondering what's my sports injury background :D

[@jackjohnson291]

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s offering advice, just sharing what _he’s_ doing.

[@kirillpovarintsev277]

@@jackjohnson291 you are right technically. But you know how the internet works unfortunately - personal opinion expressed on a popular channel does have an influencing power. It's not his fault though.

[@greexa]

The lower fender was supposed to burst from the impact, it was designed for that, but the leg burst. The conclusion suggests itself.

[@jomacba]

I couldn't agree more. Most knee brace designs have an ability to adjust the lockout position as well. I've been lucky enough to not have any significant knee injuries, but I've had my fair share of neck and shoulder injuries. One of which was a stage 3 separation of my AC joint. To be honest, it's a joint that will never fully recover, and had the clavicle broken instead, I would likely have better use of my left arm today. I'd honestly be careful what you wish for, because the grass isn't alway greener. I respect the opinion, but I won't be riding without knee braces myself.

[@welovecheshirecats4557]

Yeah, ill take a bone break over a snapped ligament any day.

[@davechavis4275]

ive had the same injury, not wearing braces as have lots of others . braces are a great piece of equipment. learning to not ride above your skill level is great tool to learn.

[@jackmcandle6955]

I’m 65now and just had my other total knee reconstruction both now I’m pretty sure it was from riding moto trails from age 14to well into my 40’s maybe it was from poor suspension but anyways I don’t believe motorcycles were part of creators design scope so the risk we take is on us

[@ddrowdy7666]

@@jackmcandle6955 God rides dude, pretty sure he has passed me a couple times out on the trail.

[@bigskyproducers]

@@ddrowdy7666 amen

[@bizzidy]

I see tibial plateau fractures in the operating room often and none of them occurred because the patient was wearing a knee brace. Injuries happen in all sorts of scenarios from hiking to soccer to basketball to falling off a curb. I’m gonna continue wearing knee braces because ligament injuries occur with a lot less force than bone fractures and in my medical opinion are more likely than a bone fracture. Tough break you had but it’s all part of the risk of riding dirt bikes.

[@laryangel4082]

W

[@SD1Airsoft]

I just tore a ligament 5 weeks ago (no surgery required) and it's still painful if I don't change positions often. Pain is going down slowly though.

[@dirtymotovation]

This^ , well said. Im a nurse and i side with you.

[@bizzidy]

Was riding last weekend and my buddy tore his MCL. No knee braces. May have been avoided with the braces. One of his first rides of the season and now he’s off the bike for at least 6 wks. That’s a huge bummer.

[@karenh3389]

I had a tibial plateau fracture but not from riding my dirtbike. I got a CTI brace with a patella cup after my surgery which gave me the confidence to ride. This type of fracture can happen in various situations...any knee protection is not necessarily going to protect you from any injury....it just makes some injuries less likely. FYI the CTI brace that I purchased was awesome for side-to-side motion protection. However, if I was to ever seriously have another crash with the CTI knee brace on, my tibial shaft, femur, or hip would break. So, wear any brace you want. None of them will protect you from injury....but they will protect you from some injuries

[@RealSuburbanCowboy]

I had the same injury and I was NOT wearing knee braces. I think it is all just luck. Some good, some bad. As someone who had the same injury, I know what you went through for your recovery. The fact that you finished the race is unbelievable. That is honestly the most bad-ass thing I have ever heard. I ended up getting a Helicopter ride to the hospital which I am certain you would have preferred to the bumpy car ride. Props to you dude. That injury sucks and my knee will never be 100% again, but it is good enough to ride. FYI, at that time, I too was in the best shape of my life. Oh well.

[@laryangel4082]

Y

[@RealSuburbanCowboy]

@@laryangel4082 Y Heli ride? Remote riding area, no roads nearby. I didn't call the Heli. the rescue team did.

[@MOTO_DOSE]

Same tib fib plateau break with internal fixation here 6 months post surgery. I'm on my feet 10 hours a day at work no to minimal limp and still ride but I hurt at times.

[@ytctbik]

I had the same injury in 2020, no knee brace - and no idea when I actually did it (no crash, just the bike overbalancing at walking pace a few times on rutted lanes). Felt a bit stiff, told the lads to carry on without me when we got to a proper road and I rode about 20 miles home. Got home, put the foot of the broken leg down to get off the bike and couldn't hold the weight - fell over on my driveway, but managed to pick myself and the bike up and put it in the garage. Got similar metalwork in there now. Before the incident I'd been considering knee braces, afterwards was kicking myself for not getting them. Now I'm a bit easier with myself knowing they aren't a magic bullet and I may well have had the same injury even if I had been wearing them. Three years on, I can walk, ride and cycle, a bit stiff, but about to have the metalwork removed as it's uncomfortable.

[@tritondrift]

Hey Bro, i am 4 months post Tibial Plateau breakage on my left knee. Actually 4 days after this video cam out. My story goes, i just popped out for a quick ride one afternoon and didnt bother bracing up, just wearing my steel toe work boots also. Lost it around a corner, stuck my leg out as you do and away she went. The forks of the bike came down and inverted my knee and dislocated it. Turns out our knees only meant to bend one way. The doctor said it was a mixture between straight on force up my leg, a twist and then the weight of the bike. Busted all my ligaments in my knee, damaged nerves and broke the artery. I had to have amajor surgery to save my leg as there was no blood flow to my foot for many hours. My foot is still numb and doesnt move though i can walk around with a brace holding my foot up. I think if i was wearing knee braces, I would not have dislocated my knee and tore the artery. However, maybe the force would have had to go somewhere so a proper brake of the lower leg or Femur may have been the outcome. Dislocation isnt good either, busting everything in the knee is inevitable when this occurs. I think i will still wear a brace when i get back on. I need that knee to stay together. Any way mate, thats my story. Great video, enjoy. Troy

[@markjacobs3956]

I remember this same argument back in the 70s 80s and 90s about helmets causing more problems than they help. Broken necks from them etc. I never stopped wearing a helmet because of the one in 100,000 possible broken necks. Ride your ride and you do you.

[@foil666]

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. If you fixate on how something can lead to a negative outcome you often discard all the positives involved in any sort of protection. I'm actually a bit fearful that some people will use this as "proof" that braces are something that not only doesn't work, but causes even worse problems.

[@markjacobs3956]

@@foil666 Totally agree. At age 60 I snow ski with the same knee braces that I ride with. Maybe when they get older they may think differently

[@zip1233]

Lol there's some boomer in a local Facebook group that swears that helmets are more dangerous because it can break your neck lol, people will say whatever they need to justify their crazy positions.

[@SerratedPVP]

True this is always an argument, contrarians usually start it.

[@RickGreen_McNutt]

I wear Mobius knee braces and truly feel that they've saved my knees multiple times. I'd 'tweaked' my knee a few times before getting them, but never had any injuries since getting them. Everything I've read/been told is that bones heal up quickly and when they're healed, they're as good as they were originally, however, tendons and ligaments never properly heal, and take a long time to heal. I don't understand how the knee brace made the 'pogo' any worse? If your knee bends the wrong way (as it's more likely to without the braces), then you'd have had potentially a lot more (but maybe different) damage? I agree that knee braces aren't going to save you from any and all crashes/injuries, but I personally feel that they are well worth wearing, and that your injury was an outlier. Everybody needs to make their own choices about protection.

[@fuellerr]

100% right Ligaments are never the same after injury or surgery

[@benlondon8467]

100%,

[@catmanflorida2839]

I wear the Mobius also, have them set, so no full extension. I like the full wrap around design. Im wondering if his accident would of been different if he had those instead. ??? So now he is completely against any type of knee protection.

[@moonzy11]

100%. As a matter of fact, the Mobius allows you to lock flexion out in a few different degrees of flexion.....theoretically by locking you out from full extension, you could potentially lower your possibility of a fracture like this. This is one of the reasons I wear mobius as well. They are also the best knee guards out there IMHO

[@DmitriyAdv]

I also wear Mobius and 100% agree with this. Ive fractured my tibial plateau before and had an ACL tear. Both suck. Plateau sucks worse, but IMO it’s a little bit harder to do that than to damage ligaments, especially if you’re doing a lot of slower technical riding. My tibia actually broke from hitting my knee into a tree in precisely the knee guards he’s describing. I actually feel that if I was wearing my current Mobius braces I would have possibly walked away from that injury as they have much better impact protection than most knee guards.

[@cooganbeggs4942]

I’m the most padded, braced, and protected guy on a bike. Ive had so many injuries over the years and am just now 12 months into recovery from a fractured shoulder that came with multiple ligament tears, nerve damage and god knows what else. The reality is you likely never know how bad an injury could have been if you weren’t wearing protective gear. Based on the location of your break I fail to see how the braces could have contributed to your injury. Maybe if you had snapped your femur above the brace you could argue it was the brace but no brace is going to stop what happened to your tib 🤷‍♂️ All that aside though my take on it is this …you NEVER want to be the guy that tries to convince others not to wear protective gear because you never know what the consequences could be for others or your own karma. Just look at Ryan Hughes. He banged on for years telling anyone and everyone not to wear neck braces and what happened? He broke his f#$king neck!

[@fallinginthed33p]

Different kind of gear, instead of not wearing gear. I'm more an ADV kind of person so I use knee pads integrated into pants. I was thinking of getting knee braces for rougher trails but now I'm not so sure.

[@TheGarettShowTV]

@@fallinginthed33p Same here, I own an adv bike and a 300L. I bought a Leatt z frame with leatt knee brace pants. I like the comfort and stability it gives to my knees. Chasis is not too rigid and I can do long walks. I sold it and now I'm thinking to upgrade to X frames, but after watching this video, I am also not sure how to proceed.

[@TheGarettShowTV]

@Hilts thanks for your comment. I bought the leatt x frames anyway.

[@supermalevitality8532]

As with anything, knee braces are a trade off. You protect your ligaments and tendons, but are more vulnerable to breaking your long bones.

[@SubPar_MX]

I do physical therapy and have had a major knee injury as well (patellar tendon rupture) and I would say from my experience and research it all depends on which direction the force was exerted on the knee and which position it was in. Do you remember if you were sitting or standing when your foot slipped off the peg? If standing, it’s unlikely that you were going to avoid a plateau fracture unless somehow you bent your knee more before contacting the ground. If sitting, there’s a chance you could have escaped with less severe injury (PCL and other soft tissue damage). Don’t listen to people who talk about how bones heal better, the tibial plateau supports half of the body’s weight on a very small surface and if that isn’t right it changes everything. If you had blown out all ligaments, you would’ve had a much more complex rehab as far as stability goes, but much less pain. Something to weigh when deciding on braces. Hope this helps!

[@jemirandav]

I clearly remember the videos about the race and your injury, it worried me very much. It's good to see you now, still enthusiast and fine. As always, I wish. you all the best.

[@MacawAviculture]

So sorry this happened! I have practiced sports chiropractic for 40+ years, and worked with many different knee injuries, and after moving to a remote desert area of CO in 2004, I left 750cc and 1000cc sportbikes forever. My current bike is a 2023 KTM 350 EXC-F. I use Klim Baja pants in all riding situations. I hope your rehab from the injury was successful and you are still enjoying your off-road adventures! Thank you for sharing your injury and your solution to prevent future similar injures!

[@dirtfreek]

Thanks for the video and your opinions on knee braces. I commented back when you first broke your knee and I'm pumped you are doing so well. I'm much older than you and still kicking it the best I can with my garbage knee. Looking forward to meeting my new Doc next week to see what my next steps are, but for now I'll keep trying to kick start my old CR because it's just so much dang fun to ride. Left leg kick starts aren't that difficult most of the time haha.

[@DuncanJimmy]

Thanks for warning us of the hazards. Everything has pros and cons, so it's good to know well-researched gear can avoid some serious injuries down the road. Great to hear you're fighting fit again.

[@CHUNKYNUGGET666]

Wearing my downhill knee guards, I predicted this issue and you cemented it, cheers👍

[@Randy_Cox]

I agree dude. I have not broken my legs with or without braces, but have seen a couple people destroy there legs/knees while wearing braces. I wore an amazing amount of body armor and padding at the start of last years racing season as the year before I had crashed and wanted to be protected. But slowly over the year all the armor came off because I couldn't move, couldn't flex the way my body is supposed too. Now I just have cheap knee pads, chest protector, boots and helmet and feel I can move and flex much better, which improves my riding and thus makes crashes less likely.

[@amyandreleblanc3673]

I also broke my Tibia plateau. I was riding a CRF450 but no knee protection. I think the injury depends on the type and direction of impact. I don't think my injury would be different even if I would have been wearing a knee brace. Thanks for the videos. Keep'em coming.👍

[@kevvyspliff1309]

Coming from a compound fracture on my fib and tib due to a motorcycle accident, u completely hit the hammer on the nail on every topic that I can relate to. Keep these videos going and wishing u nothing but the best

[@mmaaddict78]

I had a tib/fib spiral beak this past August on my dirt bike. Had to have a rod and pins put in. I was wearing Alpinestars boots at the time and all they did was cause more pain in the ER when the boot needed to be cut off lol. Maybe it could have been worse without the boots? I doubt it, because the boots don't really stop your lower leg from rotating 180 degrees the wrong way. Hope your leg healed up well.

[@terrydietzler4096]

@@mmaaddict78 June 30/2022 I rotated my left foot to the 7:00 position and had a displaced spiral fracture of tib & fib. Tech 7 boots. No way they were going to cut them off at the hospital. My son helped open them up real well, wasn't too bad. How are you doing now?

[@mmaaddict78]

@@terrydietzler4096 The leg has healed up well. I had some instability in the ankle of that leg when I first started to walk unassisted, but the limp is gone now and the doctor has cleared me for any activity I can tolerate. Hope yours has healed up well.

[@JoaquimGonsalves]

Glad to hear you were able to finish the race and great to hear about long but well endured recovery. Keep taking care of yourself and thank you so much for sharing this. I don't do any adventure riding yet and am just getting back into motorcycling, will be my first time in a new location where I haven't done so in nearly a decade but I've been at it off and on. However, since I've been doing my gear research (always was an atgatt guy), this is the first time I've seen about such an accident and I'm shocked to see this. Will have to look up knee braces.. While I certainly don't want to rely just on my regular CE1 knee pads in my touring pants, especially after being reminded of just how delicate and complex that joint is, I think I should watch your other videos about protection gear. Ride safe and have fun bro! God bless.

[@hardworkingamerican8847]

Sorry about that , damn that sounded rough . Glad you're back and your knee is better . I haven't even been able to ride in months and it isn't because of an injury but a family issue . Forward is the way for sure as yesterday is right where it belongs .

[@RCoperator]

Dang! I’ve been watching your channel for a long time and I have never heard the story of what happened to your knee. Thanks for the video. I think I’m going to pick up some of those knee guards you mentioned in the end. Do you recommend any type of chest protector for Enduro riding?

[@AdventureDaily]

KZbin is weird on what they actually show my subscribers haha. I love the Dual Axis so far they are the perfect middle ground. I have been wearing the Leatt Hydra for about 3 years now and it is one of my all time favorite pieces of gear. aomc.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=105&url=3

[@SketchyXC]

I use the Alpinestar A10, very comfortable and great coverage.

[@RCoperator]

@@AdventureDaily thank you! I’ll go check those out! I appreciate your reply 🤘🏻

[@irishflyer6377]

I think this is a difficult subject because every fall is different. I’ve broken 7 bones and damaged 2 ligaments over multiple accidents. This has included complex joints like knee and shoulder. I’ve had ligament break away bone instead of snapping itself (like you describe) this is far easier to heal than ripped ligament (which I’ve had fixed with surgery and carbon fibre strips). In my view best to worst is broken bones, ripped ligament and damaged nerves. No matter how much protection we have on we can still do serious damage and I agrees that sometimes we suffer worse because of transferring the impact to another location BUT I think overall knee braces help more than harm. In the end we each decide and live with the outcome. Thank you for the video.

[@cmbkawi]

I had the same fracture in 2009 wear custom braces. My doc said with the forces we crash at,no brace is going to fully protect the knee. 😕

[@mx75david12]

I own the same knee braces that were worn during this injury so I'm interested about this type of knee injury. What was not very clear to me with this clip was how the knee braces were instrumental to cause or increase the injury. Hope you have a complete recovery!

[@calsportsclub]

because as he said he had it set so his own knee could fully extend to max and the brace was set to stop there, Thats the mistake and should be set to stop just before full extension - oops.

[@connorallen5150]

Hey man, feel how you will about knee braces, but I think I'm going to invest in a pair once im recovered from similar injuries as you. I pogo'ed my leg just like you two months ago. Tibial spine fracture, fibula fracture, and miniscus tear. I was wearing zero knee protection at the time, and that has led me to have the opposite thoughts as you. Would I have been okay if I just put on my braces? Who knows, but I think I'll wear them from now on.

[@kimnenninger7226]

Thank you!!! I am old and I just a dirt bike. I too purchased some knee guards. I couldn't get them adjusted properly so I never got around to wearing them. You may have saved my riding fun.

[@jamesmartens7273]

Broke my tibia plateau on my bike, too. Surgery X-rays looks almost identical to yours. 8 screws and plate. Can’t say for sure my knee brace was or was not responsible, but the rehab was intense. Glad you’re doing better. Confidence definitely comes back with time.

[@richardconnoly]

There is great wisdom in the words to: "Never belittle anyone on a topic that they never had the opportunity to learn." However, these words of wisdom are very difficult to practice as there is always someone chirping off and telling you that you are doing everything wrong on a topic they never took the opportunity to learn (anything) about. Good video, keep up the good work!

[@christopherjohnchilds805]

Ouch, sounds like bad luck fella glad to hear your well into the recovery process with more knowledge learned the hard way from that experience. Yes I prefer to wear knee guards when possible especially riding off-road with others as it’s great protection from airbourne rocks from rear wheels plus they have saved my knees countless times when I have come off from rock rash. Pretty sure the knee guards won’t protect against all types of impacts as you already now know but the way you described how the injury took place sounds very similar to a mate I was riding with many years ago. He was leading and I was behind and saw it all unfold, we were at pace going along a fire trail and every so often there were erosion mounds made across the road to control water runoff making perfect jumps. Anyway he got airborne on this particular one and as he came down to land right at the last second his foot was off the peg hitting the ground the same time the bike was. It didn’t look like that much I thought he was all good expecting to see him powering off but NO he was in extreme pain. He had done serious damage like you to his knee area not sure of the doctor names of body parts but a nice vacation in hospital. Still remember the expression on his face when I went to visit him about a week later in hospital after his knee surgery and during his rehab, he had truly had enough definitely wanting me to get him out of the hospital and he had one leg strapped into this machine that just kept moving his knee back and forth all day long to keep it moving in the proper way. The way you described the pain is very similar to how my mate also described the pain factor, it sounds terrible. If I were to guess I would say it’s all about how the injury takes place so having gear that protects in some areas is beneficial for me , but hearing of your injury and seeing a mate do his knee in is scary stuff but I guess it’s the risks we take to enjoy doing what we do. Pretty sure you can’t go wrong using the poverty pack type knee guards with the Velcro straps for gravel rash protection but those fancy knee guards that do this and that might be either over engineered or need to be set up a certain way perhaps. Hope you have a 100% recovery it takes time , keep smiling

[@kirkul1]

Thank you for sharing the info, i started smiling right away when u said that u will be wearing LEATT DUAL AXXIS, because i bought the same one a few months ago

[@tjmumu]

Appreciated for you sharing the painful story. You will be back to track in no time, and be stronger. Cheers

[@bricenoalejandro]

I also had a TPF seven years ago and not wearing knee braces. Not really sure if wearing them would have actually help as in my case it was a side impact that broke my tibia. Hey, kuddos to you for finishing a raise after that! Impressive. Hope you are back to 100%, I agree it's also the worse fracture I have experienced and the recovery takes years to gain back confidence, that if you are lucky to get full range of motion after. Keep on riding

[@72PSI]

Hope you're fully recovered bro, thanks for sharing.

[@marktarascio4766]

I was 25 years old at the time and was racing 1/4 & 1/2 semi- pro FlatTrack. I was going about 80 miles an hour into a turn sideways put my foot down and hit a rock . I felt my foot hit me in the left side of my back. I had the same injury that you had .I took 3 years to heal enough to ride again I can say that I feel your pain man take care !

[@DmitriyAdv]

How fast do you think you were going? The forces involved involved when riding at 20+ mph start looking similar to jumping off of a roof, which means something is going to break if you try to stop yourself with your legs. Either way, sorry to hear about your injury and glad you’ve made a recovery. I have very similar looking hardware in my leg. Definitely not fun!

[@victorcardona8027]

Glad to hear you’re feeling better.

[@FlashFlash-tb6vf]

Glad you recovered - keep going!

[@martinfoster5163]

Love your content, mate. I'm 59 years old and do 95% off-road riding on grassy mountain slopes littered with embedded rocks. Never racing. I'm happy NOT to have knee braces. I think they are overkill but I do wear Leatt dual-axis knee guards. My only complaint with them is that the bottom edge digs into my shin. I'm willing to modify my gear so I'll try some extra foam in that area. I also wear a Leatt 5.5 body protector which I need to fix - the chest "impact" foam is in the wrong place - my stomach. I also have a Leatt 7.5 v22 helmet which is perfect. I'm not a 100% Leatt fan boy by any means - I've got other stuff from Fox, Fly Racing and RST - but I do like Leatt's PPE but need to modify it occasionally to be perfect for me.

[@herrtrojanischespferd1063]

Something to keep in mind, so thanks for that. Definitely a lot of variables at play and to consider here. Personally, I think knee braces are way overkill for casual trail riding and knee pads will do just fine; as far as semi hard to hard enduro is concerned I'd probably go with the brace instead. Dunno... kind of hard to gage sometimes. I think psychology definitely plays a role in the choice you end up making as well, probably negatively too since you can become too lax as far as being mindful of what you do with your legs while pelting through the woods is concerned, because, you know, I'm braced up like Megatron, so what could possibly go wrong! In my personal experience there isn't much of a leap from confidence to carelessness, so you have to be careful to keep yourself mindful of what you do on the bike, tons of protection or not. Hell, maybe ride like you would when you don't have any protection, despite being armoured to the gills, but then again that probably swings the pendulum too far to the other side. Find a balance between protection and your mental state perhaps? Haha... Anyway... thanks for the info. Take care.

[@scrapmanindustries]

There were studies of college hockey players and a big debate about face masks. They called it the gladiator effect where people with a mask would put them selves in riskier situations then if they did not have a mask. Example, harder checks, stopping shots, ect.

[@MilkBugs]

Thanks for sharing I am buying my first set of gear and this is so helpful!

[@willghormley221]

Thanks for this video! I"m 64 and returning to motorcycles after 30 years raising eight kids. Because I enjoy exploring back roads, lumber and mine roads and trails, I got the KLR650 Adventure. I've been trying to figure out what the best knee protection would be. I was a Paratrooper and had a complete knee replacement after running on an injured knee for over thirty years. Worse than that, I was riding my bicycle and a lady on her cell phone took me out. My back was broken at the L-1. My pelvis was cracked. My left femur was shattered into eight pieces with three inches completely missing (needed three reconstructive surgeries, two different sets of titanium hardware, and bone grafts). My left forearm was broken in three places. My left shoulder dislocated. And on top of a concussion, I had all manner of road rash! I wasn't supposed to ever walk again without a walker or cane. But after over two years of physical therapy I can jog four miles in less than an hour, and ride a motorcycle! Needless to say, protecting myself and my knees specifically, it a top priority. I never want to be that busted up again! Your video has kept me from making a YUGE mistake! Also, I see you've posted a video on ADV Boots. Perfect! I'll be watching that next. I ride in combat boots. Where I go I may have to hike back out if things go sideways. I can't imagine the "protection" you get from ADV Boots make it a good hiking boot. I'll be very interested to see what you had to say about ADV Boots. Thanks again for posting this video!

[@robd9819]

Completely agree! About six years ago I was wearing Pods knee braces and when I went down my tibia plateau snapped completely, and through the skin. Also broke my tibia and fibula in several other places. Eight days in the hospital, a couple surgeries for a rod and plate, a blood transfusion and then wheelchair bound for months.. It took 8 months and endless rehab to recover and I still have some numbness in my foot. I'm 100% convinced this was a result of the knee braces. I always thought I was invincible wearing braces, but boy I was mistaken!

[@olliechristopher467]

It was not the brace. Without the brace your injury more than likely would have been worse.

[@robd9819]

@@olliechristopher467 That's a stupid and ignorant reply considering that you weren't there and have no idea what type of fall I had and how brace played it's part in destroying my leg.

[@olliechristopher467]

@@robd9819 " I always thought I was invincible wearing braces" This is why you were injured. It was not the braces fault. That's as ignorant as someone claiming full wrap hand guards broke their wrist going over the bars. Motorcycling is a dangerous sport. It's the rider, not the protective gear that is responsible for injuries. When you swing a leg over the bike it's the chance you take.....

[@Pinionaire]

The only way you can say 100% is if you tested the same accident without a brace. You have no idea what could have really happened had the brace not been in place.

[@robd9819]

@@Pinionaire The orthopedic surgeon examined the brace and based on the injury he felt pretty certain the brace caused the fractures.

[@1001CP]

Yepz, I am a sponsored rider, a competitor of LEATT with years of protective gear development in industries plus motorcycles ( and I even have a LEATT helmet- so NOT a gear snob). I have MANY years of experience with braces/guards I have torn my ACLs, broke my tib right above my mx boot on a hard dab on a rock slab that really had that pinch hurt for a long time-a compression fracture-and the SUC. Knee braces are awesome for the right reasons but I also prefer knee guards as they do let your leg/joint flex more naturally but any riding is risky and we try to manage that. What happened to you could have happened to anyone AND if your leg had been on just a bit more of an angle almost any way the brace would have helped greatly. Thank you for sharing your story and sorry about any uninformed hate directed your way as you faced a long recoup. I went on a trip with my wife right after mine as I thought it was just a compression ouch. We walked all over beautiful Boston until I pretty much stopped in the middle of the park and said I give up. My bone doc said you did what?? I told her Im an old guy that hurts everywhere anyway and she got me fixed- but it takes a while to heal. Im getting back to riding again and have different types of guards depending on what terrain I expect. Hinged/full length for those FUN days in mud/rocks/hills for max protection to multi strap full length fixed guards for trail riding and then the slip on type for comfort and low speed type practice and fun. Not that they can not cross into each others terrain- just have enough pad between you and the type of earth you try to stick a knee in or limb or kicked up rock does not leave a mark on your shin bone. A really great video my friend and it came across to me that you advised to wear what is good for that person and expected terrain. I advise people to try their guards before use, Slowly kneel onto uneven ground feeling the padding- then keep dropping faster on to rougher material to see how good the protection is for you You should not feel anything really. The guard should give you a bit of suspension above the ground. Some you can feel exactly what is on the other side of the plastic- you may want to try others. Thank you allowing my old two cents from decades of riding off road, Keep the great content and info my friend and I cant wait for the next. Stay safe out there my friend !!

[@ja-p]

I broke my tibia and fibula in the 1970’s during an enduro race…back then there was almost no protective gear in existence, regardless i always felt lucky because it could have been worse (ie: hit that big oak tree that was only 2 feet from me when i fell, or my leg go through the rear wheel, etc…) my point is that any injuries are bad and you tried to prevent it by wearing protective equipment, however those piece of equipment cannot prevent an injury for all scenarios that happen in a blink of an eye… although that i really sympathize with you, console yourself that you did the best you could, it could have been worse, like breaking your spine . Thanks for your video, it is teaching us that using safety equipment is not necessary full proof and gives us a false sense of security as you pointed out. I am glad that you are still riding and so am I 😎

[@abyields7831]

You are the man, during my career I’ve seen this type of injury, no matter what you do out in the field, the patient is still uncomfortable. Glad you’re doing well and don’t pay attention to keyboard cowboys.

[@jamesgeorgevellavella1961]

we can make our own decisions. You are a true warrior & don't listen to anyone saying different! (Chin up bro) I couldn't handle the rehab you have done. I couldn't handle being off my feet (again so I know the nightmare well). Well done brother keep the vids coming. Your advice has helped me over the years. Hopefully you & lex are all well

[@rimshot223]

I would say keeping your braces adjusted to keep the knee from going to full extension would help this. If your knee is allowed to go to the lock position this would have happened with, or without a brace. If it’s kept from full extension it probably would have bent to absorb the impact which would have kept the fracture from occurring. Just my 2 cents. I’ll keep wearing my mobius braces. They have saved me too many times.

[@Sergeant898]

I agree. I'm betting he doesn't know how to properly set up the braces and is looking for something to blame. The knee should not be able to lock straight without significant resistance. MX racers have a knee bend when cornering in ruts for a reason.

[@mint_au]

Exactly mate, it makes no sense to have it setup like the way he did. I have mine so my knee is unable to fully extend even when I try and kick like a ball or something, feels awkward to walk around but rather that than be like this muppet who doesn't know how to setup his knee braces correctly then blame the knee braces even though, "he spent hours adjusting them" yeah right mate, if you spent the time to adjust them properly and read up about them you wouldn't have had that bad of an injury.

[@twosencefromcleveland6084]

@@mint_au You made a good comment, but why be so insulting to the guy. It's not helpful to anyone and karma can be cruel...

[@vadimosipov6461]

Ouch... I just got the Leatt X-Frame, not a cheap purchase. Coming out of same Leatt knee pad/guard that you showed last, thought that it would be an improvement... Now you've got me thinking.

[@pepejuan781]

😬🙄🤔🤔

[@gavincarrico7126]

Hey man do the leat knee braces that you linked come with one or two? I’m definitely gonna get some. Just need to know if I need two orders or just one

[@jarthur6267]

The dual axis were the ones I had on when I had my tibial plateau fracture this past September. They did the same thing and didn't allow my knee to hyper extend which I think is part of what caused it to snap like it did. They definitely saved me from road rash on my legs but idk if I'll wear them again either

[@micaiahgrimshaw1347]

Hey thanks for sharing that video I really appreciate it. Nobody wants to go through what you did!! I am sharing it with my riding buddies I have the same knee and shin guards you recommended they are great for the money.

[@ne-adv]

I wear that exact brace. I'm glad you have finally nearly healed. I'm riding a DL1000XAL8 where it's not really designed to go, but at nowhere near your difficulty skill set nor at your speeds. Where I am, I rarely exceed 20MPH and do a lot of 10MPH, just because I need a line that the bike can take. You think I should get away from those Leatt's?

[@simDIY1981]

Feel your pain buddy. Thanks for the video and being honest. Wish you the best!! Have 3 bolts in my ankle and a broken fibula. After 9 days off touring in dense heat, not eating and resting enough and enjoying the life I ended up In a ditch. At a slow 25km/h because I was daydreaming... The bike of 270kg straight on the leg and done. I am 42 and always been an athlete and never broken anything. This injury is changing how am thinking about all this.

[@doobielawson702]

Appreciate info man. I have stayed away from the braces, mostly because of Ryan Hughes. Good to hear your input as you've been thru the fire. Like you used to wear, I have the traditional two velcro strap guards. They work great for me. Hope your leg is getting better man.

[@brutus6328]

I love Ryan Hughes, but I don't know if I'd heed his advice regarding what he says when it comes to knee braces. He's also against wearing neck braces as well. FYI...I worked as a Chiropractor for 20 years, retired but wanted to stay in healthcare so I currently work as a medic in Austin Texas. Off the ambulance and I now work in the ER as a tech and as someone above who works in an ER mentioned, I've seen a number of tibial plateau fractures and not one was wearing a knee brace. IMO the argument is the same as when someone gets that rare injury because they were wearing their seatbelt and then from that day on they don't wear a seatbelt.

[@jeroekoe]

thanks for sharing man.. i was almost into buying those kind of knee braces

[@morkys2410]

Good video. Glad I came across this. I have a torn acl and I ride motorcycles on and off road and mountain bike. Now I know NOT to get a knee brace like you describe. Thanks.

[@endurotruckererniedesjardins]

I've seen injuries like this a few times at our local mx track. Knee braces and neck braces seem to of resulted in major injuries. One lil kid 9 years old on a 65 , rocking the neck brace broke his back where the brace digs in about 3 or 4 inches below his shoulders. Poor kid ... Awesome to see you back on the trail. The crf250fs look like great trail machines. Once n a while Jessica and I rock the xr100 and klx140g for fun. But they will never replace the yz250 and kx100 enduro weapons.

[@SketchyXC]

The TP199's are awesome guards. Super comfy.

[@iancavanaugh9898]

I wear the the dual axis, have for 2 years and love them. Last September I blew my ACL while riding with those guards. Currently I’m 16 weeks post ACL surgery and have had lots of lengthy conversations with my doctor and PT, both of which have known me through several other knee rehabs. Their opinions, which I greatly respect as they have always got me back to my old ways asap, have said the same thing. Don’t wear knee braces. While this was my first knee injury while riding, 4th overall, I was considering wearing one for the first few months after my initial injury as many of my friends currently do. But after all of our talks I think I’ll just stick to my dual axle guards and ride on. Thanks for the vid! Ride on!

[@Robbe1912]

I saw a video from ARiemann1 going over POD Active knee braces. They seemed to be designed with this in mind. They have a replaceable part in the sides that acts like extra ligament and with enough force you can break those and go into hyperextension. They basically take the brunt force of the accident, break and the rest is handled by the leg. If the accident has enough force to snap the strongest bone in the body it would break the bone one way or the other.

[@64maxpower]

Glad to hear someone validate what i feel. Except it tragic that you got hurt badly

[@engineeredstrength4102]

That looks pretty gnarly, lots of displacement for a tibeal plateu fracture. I agree on the bone pain. I had a similar injury but with compression fractures in the femoral condyles instead of the tibia - along with an ACL tear. Not good times!

[@SmokinZen]

I watched this video before this happened to me, so I had to look for it again. I crashed doing a stupid wheelie that I couldn't control because my foot slipped off the brake peg. Anyway I ended up hitting my knee hard it tore my Fox pants at the knee cap, I was wearing knee guards, but the back off my tibia fractured not as bad as yours but it cracked in the back of knee, no torn ligaments thank God. But now I am in the recovery faze with physical therapy it has been hell, because I also tore my rotator cup tendons. The knee guards did their job protecting the front of my knee but not sure how the back fractured, maybe the force of the impact caused it. Now I am wondering if I should stick to what I have as far as knee protection.

[@jeroenmenting3878]

Sorry for the stupid question but the ones that you put up the link for are the ones you are using and advising now? I need new ones so I might as well take advantage of your video... TIA!

[@beverlyboys73]

I blew my knee out just getting up from kneeling down. After surgery and rehab, I picked up the same type of knee braces. I wore them for the first few months back riding. Now I feel like it's overkill with more potential for injury. I am most likely gonna leave them in the gear bag from now on. Thank you for your video.

[@robertscarisbrick7245]

I suffered a tibial plateau fracture caused by my acl pulling the top off my tibia , also damaged the meniscus and had a good go at uprooting the medial ligament !! 5 days in hospital , 7 weeks in full plaster and a month in a leg brace !! 3 1/2 months since my fall from a Honda monkey bike !! Very low speed accident, fell backwards with leg twisted underneath me !! One thing I totally agree with you on is how painfull and disruptive a bad knee injury can be !! Iv wondered since my accident wether knee braces would have prevented my injury ?? One thing Iv learned from my crash is wet tarmac and knobbys even on a low power mini bike can catch you out badly !! Was good hearing your thought on braces though !! Just shows every crash is different !!

[@edwardvanwormer6993]

Ryan Hughes has multiple videos about the issues with knee and neck braces.He makes a great case I'm glad to hear you are doing better.

[@00wolf82]

Where did you get that amsoil jacket it looks great?

[@TheDirtyBirchTrails]

I'm due for my second knee replacement surgery, and my first knee replacement has to be re-done. I know knee pain well, just wow at your injury, must've hurt like hell if it's anything like I've been thru !

[@yzr7854]

Tore my acl 10 years ago, and finally just started riding more again and I dabbed my "good" leg today on the yz250 quick and hyperextended it a bit. I think I partially tore something but I can still get around and go to work tomorrow hopefully. I ended up here after searching which knee braces to buy as I can't sell the bike. I have heard this information before and stopped wearing my donjoy brace on my reconstructed knee for just a regular knee pad a long time ago. I am so torn with what to do. Can't afford to get seriously hurt at 28 but can't afford to stop riding either.

[@user-ci6fi4se6i]

Sorry older video but man...injuries suck! Glad you're healing up good. I switched to the Leatt guards almost 2 years ago and love'm. Watch those rivets on the pivot joints. Like a helmet, after any tumble check the equipment. I have broken a couple pivot points (rivet, washer) but came out injury free. I replaced the guards and same thing happened in an enduro race few months later (again no injury). At $100 a pair, totally worth it🤙 Hope you didn't get "forever" turned-off to racing.

[@jw8556]

Yeah lv been running the old Shin and knee guard with the two straps for over twenty years and had no bad issues and before them l never had any guard's what so ever and as you said shit happens but l do like you unbiased opinion about your thoughts on the injury and it is food for thought hope your back on the bike cheers

[@PaulCsomething]

Never thought of this. what about setting the brace to allow some hyperinflation. I think the leatte will allow 5 or 10% past parallel.

[@joeputz4559]

Bro finished the race got my respect

[@stlskybob]

as any engineer will tell you, stiffen one area is to transfer the force to another area.

[@yt310yt]

I used to wear the same Leatt C-Frame and had a similar experience. I know wear their hybrid knee pads which gets away with the rigid frame and still provides a lot of protection.

[@jimblessinger]

I have the exact same X-Ray. 2" of bone was vacuumed out and replaced with bone putty. Mine was because I didn't wear a brace. That was at age 50 (Desert Racer). I was bed ridden for 6 months and 1.5 years later I had the bug again and after research, knee brace would be the only way to ride again. I've been riding since and I'm 68 years old.

[@Captain250FX]

I’ll never wear a brace, I use the TP199’s and that’s what I’ll stick with. Great video and great channel! 🤙🏽

[@tylermadl2088]

199 Travis Pastrana has the most knee injuries of anyone I can think of. Does he wear knee braces or pads?

[@MoaiHeadEmoji]

I still have a torn acl but I’m glad to hear if I want the surgery it isn’t that bad

[@twowheelgeriatric]

I still don't know. What if the knee brace did allow a few millimeters flex in the hyperextension direction. Isn't it possible that someone's impact would exceed that flex and still come away with a broken bone? It really is a dilemma and probably goes to how far a rider is pushing. I currently wear the knee pads, but I'm still considering the braces. However, I'm no longer pushing to anything extreme. Glad you're mended up.

[@EnduroWithAlex]

Interesting video and topic! I tore my MCL with those Leatt Dual Axis pads. It was my first time on a MX track in a long while and I had my leg out during a corner. Front end washed out and my leg hit the side of the turn. The pads were not strong enough to hold my leg straight. Since then I've ridden with braces only. I went through a couple of Leatt C-frames (they both broke from the frame) and now recently the X-frame braces. Nothing bad to say about braces in general and I haven't had any issues with my knees after surgeries. Yet 😅

[@sujaymallesh]

I tore MCL 6 months back with the Knee brace on Leatt by the way got away without a surgery... When my leg started streatching i could feel the barce stopping it from streatching more if i didnt had the braces on 100% it would have been worse... just gave a break for 2 weeks and started riding with brace on still have mild pain feel it when i do streaching... I completly support wearing knee brace

[@thenorthwoodz]

Good information. Thanks for sharing

[@middleagedshred]

dude..finishing the race after that is legendary

[@pasci0057]

My wife has the same injury skiing, it never hurt initially. This injury led the doctors to do a bone scan and found she had osteopenia very young. Which then sent us down a rabbit hole as to why. Her thyroid was hyperactive.

[@andrewkapaldo5131]

I have this same exact injury. No brace 😪Did you end up getting the hardware removed from your leg after healing up?

[@erwinvb70]

Got tibia plateau fracture early 2020 myself, even without that fancy knee protection. What I assume happened is that my knee hit the asphalt and was then struck with my gas tank and weight of the motorcycle. My hands hurt quite bad, but then I noticed I couldn’t put any weight on my leg. The pain intensified when the swelling started and I ended up with quite a similar plate and lots of screws. I still feel it, but it took a very very long time before the pain mostly went away. Now it’s mostly stiffness in the joint after sitting a while and it’s painful when my bike takes multiple times to kickstart. Walking gave me the biggest improvements over time.

[@scottmiller4516]

Thank you for sharing your story

[@no_special_person]

srry that happened bro, much love. subed i like how u present info

[@Bieggaoaivi]

So the leatt dual axis is safer to use?

[@tysonheater7506]

I had a similar experience, only the exact opposite of yours. I ride track, and I was using the Leatt knee guards you just got and dabbed my foot in a corner without failing and tore my ACL, miniscus fractured the Tib/ Femur plateau and stained some other ligaments. I did a lot of research and decided on the POD K4. Since they are poly and not carbon, they have more flex and give a little more. I was always anti knee brace, and now I wear them every ride. 😅

[@dirtbike-adventures]

Thanks for sharing. Glad you're still riding. My 35+ years of dirtbikes have been sprinkled with broken bones and torn ligaments. Ignore all the internet experts. Only you are responsible for yourself and others that hear your opinion are also free to make their own decisions... no matter the outcome. Freedom really is the ultimate expression of personal responsibility. If you find yourself in Utah let's ride

[@tomcrnkovich1661]

Wow...your video popped up right as I'm making this decision myself...I'm 43, been riding for a long time...took 10 years off of dirt bikes after injuring my right knee in 2007, got my left in 2021: 2007 - EVS knee brace (lower level version) - Tib/Fib Plateau and spiral fracture, plate and 9 screws very similar to your injury. 6 months before I could walk again without crutches. Took 10 years or so off of dirt bikes after that, rode street bikes in the interim Started riding and racing again in 2017...bought Pod K4 knee braces 2021 - 15 seconds in to a 24 hour endurance race, rear wheel spun up, caught myself with my left knee and POP...ACL avulsion fracture (like yours) and ANOTHER (minor) tib/fib plateau break! So I've gotten BOTH of my knees on the tib/fib with braces and the ACL on one side. I"m strongly considering trying pads only again for the first time in decades. It's a little scary, as I've damaged both knees and there definitely is a little security blanky feel to those braces...but after two major knee injuries with the braces I think I'm going to try again without them. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the video, I quite literally have felt your pain.

[@gersonhay984]

I had the same break On a WR 500. When you go down you go down . The leg is traped underneath when you land hard it breaks. I had 5 screws with 4 breaks. You are right about the guards. Make it as light as possible. Then you might tuck and roll. Get away from the monster. At least I didn't break my knee cap. Keep riding,

[@mattbarrois8675]

About time someone actually comes out and says this about these things

[@MudholHound]

Do you have a recommendation on knee gaurds?

[@js6004]

OUCH! Good info , well done. Thank you. Best wishes.