The effects and use of training aids such as sleeves, belts, and wraps are highly debated amongst athletes and coaches. Are they a crutch or an aid? Or, could they be both? Experts have examined knee sleeves and wraps under a variety of conditions to determine exactly if and how they aid performance and what the benefits and drawbacks might be.
Both the proponents and detractors of training aids point to hearsay, anecdotes, and some research to support each side of their argument. With children, the question is the same. Will using aids result in stunted growth or other problems later in life? There is no current research to suggest this. The best we can do is answer arguments with research on knee sleeves and performance, and apply that to a growing individual.
Strength Development and Knee Sleeves
This is a good place to start. There has been a longstanding general belief that if a person uses a knee sleeve or wrap, they will not develop adequate strength in their knees in the long term. The knee joint itself does not have muscles within it, but rather the quadriceps and hamstring muscles cross over this joint, flexing and extending it as they contract. Wrapping the knee places some tension on these muscles but does not have any effect on contractile force within the muscle fibers.
The knee does have several tendons, proprioceptors, and five ligaments passing along it and within it that keep it balanced and restrict excessive movement, sending positional information to the brain.
The knee sleeve gives the impression of a more secure joint because the tightness applied to the joint gives the athlete a better positional sense. This is called proprioception, which sends the lifter information about where the knee is in space, the angle of the joint, and the tracking of the joint (1). This is well documented in scientific studies and is generally accepted in the field.
If an athlete is squatting, for example, a sleeve or wrap helps the joint send more accurate information to the brain about how they are performing and if the knees are tracking correctly or caving in, by up to 28% compared to no sleeves.
So, it stands to reason knee sleeves will help to provide adequate support for youth athletes while they train but will not hamper their strength development.
Pain and Knee Sleeves
The most common reason for athletes to try sleeves, wraps, or braces on their knees is to manage pain. The first argument is a knee sleeve helps to reduce pain by offering structural support, and the second is people suffering from arthritic pain can benefit from the support. While arthritic pain doesn’t typically affect children, the evidence shows braces and exercise do alleviate knee pain caused by arthritis better than medication alone (2).
An extension to both these arguments is that the extra heat produced and maintained by having an additional layer over the knee alleviates pain. For children, this may be true, as with many children who experience knee pain and are diagnosed with patellofemoral pain. One study on adults found there is no difference in the relief of symptoms of patellofemoral syndrome when compared to bracing, exercising, or a combination of both, but that all improved fairly equally (3).
This suggests although it might not be the added heat that reduces pain, knee sleeves can indeed help with discomfort.
Performance Enhancement
There is a good performance argument to be made with wraps or sleeves that are quite tight. There is no doubt a mechanism that assists in the lockout and rebounding toward lockout is offering stability to the athlete. When an athlete experiences fatigue, the sleeve offers a large degree of assistance to the joint.
This is not to say an athlete, regardless of age, should always be using training aids, but having them nearby for those days when fatigue sets in or when a high-intensity performance is required is absolutely beneficial to performance.
The takeaway: going by the available research, young athletes stand to enjoy the benefits of knee sleeves much like adults. While proper technique and strength-building should always take priority, sleeves can help give athletes a little extra boost when lifts are feeling heavy.
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References
- Herrington, L., Simmonds, C., Hatcher, J. The Effect of a Neoprene Sleeve on Knee Joint Position Sense. p.37-46 | Received 10 Sep 2004, Accepted 20 Nov 2004, Published online: 01 Feb 2007
- Bryk, F., et al. Immediate effect of the elastic knee sleeve use on individuals with osteoarthritis. Revista Brasileira De Reumatologia. 51(5):440-446, 2011
- Lun, V., et al. Effectiveness of patellar bracing for treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. 15(4):235-240, 2005.
