The Swede-O OA Knee Brace is an off-the-shelf product that effectively unloads the affected compartment of the knee to relieve pain plus helps to rehabilitate the quadraceps that have atrophied as the disease progresses. The ability to increase quad strength is accomplished by correcting the abnormal gait of the patient with routine use of the brace. By re-strengthening the quads, the brace assists in delaying the progression of Osteoarthritis (OA).

Clinical studies show a link between OA progression and abnormal OA gait. As OA progresses, the patient incrementally changes the way he walks to avoid pain in the affected compartment of the knee. This change in gait alters the firing of the quadricep muscles resulting in reduced quad strength and muscle mass in the affected leg over time. Loss of quad strength reduces the dynamic support of the knee joint, leading to more force on the affected compartment of the knee and a progression of OA.

The Swede-O OA air unloading system provides an adjustable, corrective force to allow the patient to quickly and easily adjust depending on the level of patient activity. The patent-pending, swing-assist mechanism encourages heel-to-toe gait which is necessary to maintain or improve quad strength. This feature, over time, helps to improve muscle-firing-sequence memory to assist in normalizing gait. After wearing the brace several months, many patients report increased leg strength, improved gait, and significantly reduced pain when walking without the brace.

Other knee braces that unload the knee and provide corrective force to improve joint space balance can lead the patient to become dependent on the knee brace for pain relief. By correcting gait with heel-to-toe facilitated gait, increasing the recruitment of the quadriceps, and normalizing muscle firing sequences, the Swede-O OA Knee Brace provides rehabilitative benefits not found with standard OA unloading knee braces. The Swede-O OA Knee Brace provides an alternative to injections and imminent total knee replacement surgery to manage OA of the knee.