Knee Braces and Football Injury Prevention

QUESTION: I like to play an occasional game of weekend football, but don't
want to take the chance of hurting my knees. Are knee braces any good to
prevent injury?
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ANSWER: The kind of prophylactic knee braces worn by athletes to prevent
injuries--not the kind that are used to protect injured knees or support weak
knees--may not only be ineffective, they may even be harmful.
A recent study showed four to five times more of certain types of
injuries among athletes who wore knee braces than among those who did not. It
appears that the stress is transmitted by the braced knee to injure the ankle
and foot. The braces also do not appear to be effective in preventing tears
of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the most common type of knee injury
among football players.
However, some experts believe that the braces do protect the knee from a
blow to the outside. And although there is disagreement about bracing normal
healthy knees, most sports physicians agree that it is important to brace an
injured or unstable knee.