Until the development of the Guardian Knee REHABILITATOR™ System, many patients lost strength when relying on a knee brace for support and protection. More importantly, no clinical evidence exists to suggest that current functional knee braces have the ability to strengthen the weakened leg during brace use. The REHABILITATOR™ System represents a significant advancement in knee bracing.
Guardian REHABILITATORS™ strengthen the affected leg during brace wear such that the affected leg is clinically strengthened, gait is restored, and significant clinical benefits carry over UNBRACED after just 90 days of brace wear. This system of knee braces is an alternative to functional knee braces and has significant prehabilitation and rehabilitation benefits dramatically improving patient outcomes in as little as 90 days.
With disease such as knee OA or injury / surgery of the knee the affected leg(s) may become weakened. Gait is negatively affected and the movement inside the knee joint can become altered causing an increase in joint wear and tear over time. Traditional functional unloaders or support braces do not address leg weakening or gait alterations and have been suspected of actually contributing to leg weakness.
Guardian Knee Braces are the only clinically proven braces to significantly delay the progression of knee OA, demonstrate significant improvements in patient leg strength, pain relief, and patient gait after only 90 days of brace wear. All improvements were measured UNBRACED. Use of the OA REHABILITATOR™ was found to be more effective than physical exercise programs alone in the conservative management of knee OA.

Strength and Functional Improvement Using Pneumatic Brace with Extension Assist for End Stage Knee Osteoarthritis : A Prospective Randomized trial

Gait and Clinical Improvements with a Novel Knee Brace for Knee OA

OCSI Rehabilitators Article

Pneumatic Bracing for the Non-operative Treatment of Grade 3-4 Knee Osteoarthritis