The season hadn't even really started when it was already over. A crooked landing, knee out and - bang! Cruciate ligament rupture, surgery, no sport for 6 months. At least. Bummer! A mate from the motocross scene, to whom I complained about my suffering, gave me the tip: "Try one of those high-tech orthoses. They're great, you can do anything with them!" Ortema specialises in sports orthoses and enjoys a first-class reputation in our region thanks to its excellent neck braces. The Swabians offer a carbon orthosis with titanium joints in two sizes for a whopping 1000 euros.
Officially only intended as precautionary protection to prevent anything from happening in the first place, I first used the thing without the cruciate ligament before the operation and with a fragile replacement ligament after the operation. The "V8 Pro" weighs less than 500 grams and when properly strapped down, the knee sits as securely as in a knight's armour: the joint is guided precisely, is torsion-proof and, thanks to the integrated knee protection, is also fully suitable for off-road use. I survived an entire weekend of downhill testing in Portes du Soleil with it (before the operation) and then even completed two enduro races after a rest period of just 6 weeks. Crashes included.
Of course, the experts are beating their hands over their heads, but I am 100 per cent convinced of the carbon rail and its function. Only the plastic tabs on the straps broke twice and were quickly replaced with key rings. The orthosis is also available for half the price in fibreglass-reinforced plastic and flashy blue metallic.
Conclusion: A torn cruciate ligament is bad. Thanks to the "V8 Pro", I was back on the road faster than the doctors would have liked. The orthosis worked well both before and after the operation. A high-tech product - almost perfect.
PLUS Fit, function / stability, feeling of safety
MINUS really expensive, plastic belt loops fragile
Weight 457 grammes
Price 985 Euro
Info www.ortema.de
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
