Braces and Supports, Fitted After Assessment

Often yes, and we will say so plainly when that is the right call. A simple elastic knee sleeve, a wrist support for a mild strain or a compression ankle sleeve for end-of-day puffiness are sold over the counter at Dis-Chem, Clicks and Takealot, and buying one yourself is sensible. Come to us when the problem is bigger than the product: the joint gives way, there is nerve pain or numbness, the limb is a shape the shelf sizes will not fit, you are recovering from surgery, or you already have a drawer of supports that did nothing. We fit at the Morningside rooms by appointment, and at home or at the hospital bedside where travelling is the obstacle.

Prices run from inexpensive elastic sleeves to hinged and post-operative devices that cost a great deal more, so we quote you before anything is ordered. Medical aid cover varies by scheme and by plan. Discovery Health Medical Scheme, as one published example, lists orthotics under its External Medical Items Benefit for 2026, funded at 100% of the Discovery Health Rate up to an annual limit that depends on your plan, and paid from your Medical Savings Account and Above Threshold Benefit. Other schemes structure it differently, so check yours. We supply the clinical motivation and coding your scheme asks for.

An off-the-shelf brace is manufactured in standard sizes and then fitted and adjusted to you, while a custom device is built from a cast, a set of measurements or a scan of your own limb. Ready-made is the right answer far more often than people expect. For most sprains, strains, mild instability and short-term post-operative support, a well-chosen stock brace does the same job, costs less and goes on the same day. Custom becomes necessary when the limb shape is unusual, when the skin cannot tolerate pressure in the wrong place, when correction has to be built into the device, or when nothing off the shelf actually holds.

Probably not, and we would rather tell you that than sell you one. The NICE guideline on low back pain and sciatica in over 16s says plainly: do not offer belts or corsets for managing low back pain with or without sciatica. The same guideline advises against foot orthotics and rocker sole shoes for back pain too. Movement, exercise and getting back to normal activity do more. There are real exceptions, including certain spinal fractures, post-operative bracing on a surgeon's instruction and some scoliosis management, and those are prescribed for a specific reason. If your back pain comes with leg weakness, numbness or bladder changes, see a doctor rather than buying a belt.

Not routinely, and that is the guideline position rather than our opinion. NICE guidance on osteoarthritis says not to offer insoles, braces, tape, splints or supports unless there is joint instability or abnormal loading, therapeutic exercise alone is not working or is unsuitable, and the device is likely to improve your movement and function. Exercise, weight management and a walking stick where it helps come first. A brace is worth assessing when the knee genuinely buckles or gives way under you. Fit matters more than brand here, because the same guidance flags blistering and other pressure damage as a real risk from badly fitted devices.

A night wrist splint is a reasonable first step for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, and it is one of the few supports you can sensibly buy for yourself. It holds the wrist near neutral so it cannot curl while you sleep, which is why the symptoms wake you. Be realistic about what it does. Studies suggest symptoms improve within a few weeks, but the effect is often only temporary, and in some people splinting does not help at all. Get the diagnosis confirmed first: numbness in the hand also comes from the neck and the elbow, and a splint on the wrong problem wastes weeks.

Usually not. Clinical guidance on whiplash discourages rest, immobilisation and soft collars, and encourages early movement and an early return to usual activities instead. Collars do not shorten neck pain in the first two weeks and can prolong recovery. Normal activity may be uncomfortable at first, and that discomfort is not a sign of ongoing damage. Rigid collars are a separate matter: they are used after specific fractures and spinal surgery, on a doctor's instruction, and are not something to buy for a sore neck. If you have arm weakness, numbness or severe pain after a crash, get assessed properly.

A brace after an ankle sprain is there to let you move safely, not to keep the ankle still, and it is worn while you rebuild strength rather than indefinitely. The evidence favours functional treatment, meaning support plus early movement, over immobilisation: better range of motion, less stiffness, better joint stability and an earlier return to work and sport. That is also the answer to the weakening worry, because a brace used alongside proper rehabilitation does not do the muscles' job for them. If you have sprained the same ankle before, ankle taping or a brace has good evidence for preventing the next one, particularly during sport.

Yes. Farida Cajee-Botes is a private orthotic and prosthetic practice, and we do not bill medical schemes directly. Accounts are settled in full at the time of your assessment or on collection of your device, and we give you a detailed invoice with the appropriate codes so you can submit the claim to your medical aid and be reimbursed directly by them. Where it helps your claim, we prepare the itemised quotation, clinical motivation and pre-authorisation paperwork before anything is ordered. What your scheme pays back depends on your plan and available benefits, and that decision rests with the scheme, so any amount they do not cover remains payable by you.