i have very bad knees, probably almost bone on bone (no official dx or x-rays) and really aggravated them when i increased the weight on my squats so i had to stop for awhile and even cardio walking was difficult.

everything has since calmed down and i usually only have minor knee pain while walking but i was recommended patella straps which i got and used last night. i could tell that esp one of my knees track differently as it had kind of a weird painful (but not in a bad way) sensation while wearing the strap although i couldn't tell if they actually helped or not, i'll keep wearing them...anyone else use these?

I have had issues with my IT Band, and have worn an IT Band Strap on both knees. Same philosophy I guess, just a different part of the knee. They worked miraculously for me!

ooohh IT band strap? i need to google that, didn't know there was one, is it different from a patella strap? (sorry if that's a stupid Q!)

They look pretty much the same to me - the patella strap might be smaller because it's worn below rather then above the knee?

I'm not really a huge fan of straps just because I don't like the way they feel, and if you're really doing heavyyy squats or a ton of squating and you have knee problems, it make sense to support the whole joint/muscle system IMO. I know a lot of people who have great results using flossing straps to wrap their knees, but really it's kind of time consuming, requires a good knowledge of the workings of your knee, and you can't do much else once you have it on - however it is by far the most supportive thing you can do for the knee.

PERSONALLY I have started using Rehband Knee Sleeves. They offer just the right amount of support, and the best thing abou them is you can do everything else in them that might come into play (running, jumping, etc). While I'm pretty new to them, I have loved them so far and they are very popular within the fitness community I am involved in. Even with a previous patellar tendon injury, these offer plenty of support for me.

Funny, it didn't bother me to wear the strap at all - I didn't even notice it was there.

I do lots of squats - for me it was specifically the IT Band. It was a miracle - allowed me to run while I was rehabbing the band. KNOCK ON WOOD - I haven't needed to wear it in a few months!