Bauerfeind’s knee braces and active supports provide stability, gentle massage and medical-grade compression to help support and heal the knee from injury. The German-engineered technology of Bauerfeind braces maximizes proprioceptive feedback and the body’s natural regenerative systems to protect the knee and speed recovery. To learn more about Bauerfeind braces, visit our Knee Braces page.

This depends on which type of knee brace you need. In most cases, you can purchase the right knee brace for your condition directly, without a prescription. Knee braces like the GenuTrain, GenuTrain P3, GenuTrain A3 and GenuTrain S are all available through Bauerfeind.com. If you have a more advanced injury or condition, especially one requiring surgery, you might need a more restrictive knee brace that’s only available by a physician’s prescription. If you receive a prescription you may be eligible for a free or reduced-cost knee brace through your insurance company. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider to develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.

We strongly recommend that you do not wear a knee support over your clothing. For one thing, doing so will prevent the proprioceptive properties from taking effect and also inhibit the activation/training of the sensorimotor system. In addition, clothing absorbs nearly all of the positive effects of the individual functional elements. For example, instead of experiencing a slight massaging effect in certain areas and pressure application or relief in others, your clothing will press against your painful knee in a more or less uncontrolled manner. This is not only inefficient; it can also be painful and lead to chafing (skin irritation).

Because you should wear your knee brace directly against your skin, it will inevitably come into contact with the sweat and grime from your body. For this reason choosing a washable knee brace is very important. All Bauerfeind knee braces and supports are machine washable and easy to care for. In fact, Bauerfeind recommends regular washing to maintain the shape and compression of the knitted fabric. For products with Velcro straps, pads or inserts, remove them if possible, or fasten them securely at the place provided on the brace. Machine wash your brace in cold water using the gentle or delicate cycle. Wash separately using a laundry detergent with no additives (do not use fabric softener or Woolite). Lay your support flat and let it air-dry; do not put it in the dryer. Proper washing and drying helps your knit support maintain its elasticity and original fit.

Knee braces and supports from Bauerfeind are also sometimes known as “active supports“ – i.e. they make it easier for those who wear them to move around. It’s actually this movement that enables the supports to have their positive effect on the body and the healing process. The massage function and the intermittent compression cannot be activated when you’re immobile, however. For this reason, wearing the support at night is not effective. It’s better if you wear the knee support during the day when you’re active and then let your knee relax at night.