Shock Doctor Knee Brace Quartet Review

We all know knee injuries can take their toll. If you haven’t experienced one personally you probably know several people who have. The knee is a pretty important and sturdy structure but there are many things that can go wrong with it. Just check out the article I wrote about knee injuries! Being familiar with knee injuries myself I’ve set off to find out what braces are the better ones on the market. So far I’ve gone over four of the braces Mueller has to offer, now it is time to see if Shock Doctor has what it takes to make a good knee brace! I’ll go over the purpose of each brace, how they last through a game, and how they compare to their Mueller brace counter parts.

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1. Knee/ Patella Support Strap

Assists with petellar tracking, ideal relief from tendonitis or jumpers knee

I never had an issue with the strap sliding down during play. The way it fastens around the knee ensures that it stays where you want it and it serves its purpose throughout play. My jumpers knee was acting up pretty badly when I go it into testing and it really helped alleviate the pain and sped up the healing process a bit. It does pinch a bit where it fastens around but it is a minor irritation.

Compared to the Mueller knee strap it performs much better. I was able to get it as tight as I wanted it and had no issue with it sliding down. In this case the Shock Doc strap wins out!

Retails for $17.99 on the Shock Doctor website

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2. Knee Compression Wrap

Compresses knee joint to amplify support, added stability, alignment and therapeutic warmth speed recovery 

This is something I wore before, during and after the game to get the maximum benefits. It really does warm up the joint and the strap set up ensures that it stays in place unlike compression sleeves which tend to roll up or slip down. I never ran into that issue with the wrap and I was able to not worry about adjusting it. I was also able to wear it with the Patellar Strap under it for an extra level of support. It doesn’t really feel like it is securing the knee however but that isn’t really the purpose of this brace. This would be good for those who want to speed up recovery of minor knee injuries and get minor preventative properties.

Compared to the Mueller elastic knee support it didn’t give me any issues with rolling up so it is already ahead in that regard. However I felt the same amount of support from both of them as well as the therapeutic/recover benefits. The simple fact that it doesn’t have to be fussed with puts it ahead of Muellers compression sleeve.

Retails for $24.99 on the Shock Doctor website

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3. Knee Compression Sleeve With Open Patella

Stabilizing compression around the patella and knee joint, supplies therapeutic warmth. 

I definitely felt a decent amount of support form this one. Knee pain was very minimal after wearing it through a game and wearing it after pretty much eliminated it. Unfortunately I ran into the same issue that I am used to with the Mueller stabilizing knee brace where it would slide down. However because of the silicon grips around the top lip of the brace it didn’t slide down too far or fast and the pull tabs made it easy to adjust whenever I found time to realign it.

I’m comparing it to the Mueller stabilizer knee brace because it gave similar support to the joint. They are also similar in the fact that the slide down. The area that sets the braces apart is in fact how far they slide down, the Mueller brace slid down around my shin while the Shock Doc sleeve would always hang out around knee height where it was supposed to be. Once again Shock Docs surpass Mueller.

Retails for $19.99 on the Shock Doctor website

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4. Ultra Knee Support with Bilateral Hinges.

As it says on the Shock Doctor site

Our most advanced and protective Knee Support. The 875 Ultra Knee Support features bilateral support hinges and tempered aluminum stays for knee stability, protection and increased performance. You can be confident going into any workout, practice or game knowing that past knee injuries won’t hold you back.

This brace is crazy. I felt like I had a new knee with this bad boy on. Impact was reduced, there was pretty much no stress on the joint, and it was exceptionally comfortable. However there was a break in period, I had to run around in it for at least 30 minutes in order for it to really get used to moving with my knee. Before it was game ready it would make my muscles feel a bit fatigued. However it was well worth the break in period and I am very confident using it! This would be great with those with easily injured knees, injured knees, or those who don’t want an injured knee. I highly suggest picking one up!

Compared to the Mueller Hinged knee brace, the Bilateral hinge brace embarrasses. There is honestly no competition, the Mueller hinge brace doesn’t feel like it can withstand the rigors of the game and supply the support. I even had one of the hinges pop out of the Mueller brace! The Bilateral hinge brace felt like it was giving me support 100% of the time and it takes a beating. However where it looses points to the Mueller brace is simply how bulky it feels and the break in period.

Retails for $69.99 on the Shock Doctor website