What your brace doesn't do.

Talking Rehab with Dr. Fred Bagares

Welcome to another episode of the Talking Rehab Podcast! I’m Dr. Fred Bagares, a board-certified sports and spine medicine physician based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Over the last decade of practice, I’ve been fascinated by how people move and how we can help them overcome pain and injury. This episode is inspired by an observation I make often as a people watcher on my neighborhood bike path: the journey from running pain-free to needing a brace and eventually, disappearing from the trail altogether.

Here’s a guide to this episode:

• [00:00] What is rehab or rehabilitation? Setting the stage for today’s conversation.
• [01:04] Observing movement patterns on the bike path: Why I often see runners transitioning to braces and eventually stopping altogether.
• [01:56] What is a counterforce brace? A deep dive into its mechanics and effectiveness for conditions like runner’s knee or tennis elbow.
• [02:52] The anatomy of tension: Understanding how tendons handle force differently than muscles and bones.
• [04:11] The three limitations of braces: Exploring how braces impact volume, recovery, and movement mechanics—and why they’re not a cure-all.
• [06:36] Mechanics matter: Why bracing can’t replace proper movement patterns and the importance of intentional rehabilitation.
• [08:52] The goal of using a brace: How to frame bracing as an opportunity for recovery and better movement, rather than a long-term solution.

Whether you're a clinician, athlete, or someone on a personal rehabilitation journey, this episode offers practical insights on how to use bracing effectively without neglecting the bigger picture: recovery and movement quality.

Thank you for tuning in! If this episode resonated with you, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. Together, we can challenge conventional approaches to rehab and find better ways to move pain-free.

Support the show