I'm turning to the TexAgs experts....

TLDR Background - Lifetime athlete, in good shape, major knee surgery, new to distance running, need appropriate knee brace recs.

Background:
In February 2020, I had surgery to repair an ACL tear (Patellar tendon graft) and near full meniscus tear. I spent most of the year rehabbing and I returned to 100% around October/November. I'll be turning 37 in September and I'm in the best shape of my life which says something since I've been extremely active in sports and strength/conditioning since I was a kid.

I've never been a distance runner (football/baseball player) and have basically stuck with weightlifting and cross training. However, over some HH margaritas a month or so ago some friends convinced me to try a half marathon in Oct. so I thought why not. It's something new for me to try. Truthfully, I could probably get out and run a slow half marathon with minimal to no training, but my competitive spirit wants me to kill it since it'll likely be my only one.

Have any of you come back from a major knee surgery and continued your long distance running?

Have you had any nagging issues?

Do you use any type of knee support? I'm not concerned about my ACL, but the meniscus obviously takes a beating on the pavement and then my patellar tendon was grafted so it's not as strong as it once was.

Have had two ACL/meniscus repairs and run full time. It did take some time to get my confidence back to to fully trusting my leg (this was for soccer rather than long distance) so I wore a knee brace with support for lateral movement for about a year post op.

I run a couple of marathons a year + many shorter races and don't wear any support currently. I will say that I'm pretty careful in managing miles and do a decent amount of strength training to help support the joint. If I feel some tightness in the patellar tendon (I get tendonitis there sometimes), I'll usually take a few days off and bike.

I know some people like the knee sleeves but, they don't normally stay on for me.

I didn't use a brace, but mine was ACL only and I had an allograft. Might be a good idea, at least early on while you build confidence in running longer distances. I have no pain, but am resigned to the fact that the knee will never feel normal. Still, I'm able to do what I want to do and running more than ever. Good luck with your training!

Tore ACL, MCL, PCL. Had surgery in June with patellar graft, ran a half in December. I was running consistently prior to though. I had some patellar tendonitis which was greatly helped by KT Tape. I think you'll be fine.

What are you wearing for weight lifting?

If you focus on your run form you likely won't need a brace. Quick short cadence 170ish steps per min with midfoot strike under your body and there isn't much stress on the knees. You may benefit from almost a shuffle until you get the mileage up. Focus on quick short steps and not allowing your body to bounce too much.

I used to wear braces when I ran track and played football, but have retired them. I used to not be able to run more than 5 miles without knee pain. Changing my form has greatly helped. No more pain

Max06 said:

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Tore ACL, MCL, PCL. Had surgery in June with patellar graft, ran a half in December. I was running consistently prior to though. I had some patellar tendonitis which was greatly helped by KT Tape. I think you'll be fine.

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KT tape is really great. I used it too when I had similar issues, and I loved it!