i dont think some people understand the importance of braces and supports, especially with physically disabled people.
i personally have many braces and supports. i have four braces right now and will be getting more in the future. i have two support wraps, as well.
out of my six mobility aids, i have one that i use the most: my knee brace. but every time i wear it, i get hurtful comments such as, "do you really need that?" or "why do you wear that all of the time?" and many more. they mainly come from my parents, but i hear them from other people, too.
im tired of hearing these things all of the fucking time. im tired of being told to use my braces when i "truly need" them, specifically when it comes to my knee brace.
i will always "truly need" my knee brace. every day, i need it. can i wear it every day? no, because people are fucking ableists and it pisses me off when my parents give me shit about using something that makes my life significantly better.
people seem to think that im wearing it because i have an injury, or that im still wearing it years after the accident that disabled my knee because im "refusing to let it heal." that is simply not the case. you dont have my knee. you dont experience the debilitating things my knee experiences on the daily.
my knee used to be perfect. it was one of the best joints in my body. it was healthy and it wasn't impacted by whatever thing i have that results in my chronic pain.
my knee is now permanently disabled. there is damage in the muscle tissue and ligaments. there is scar tissue embedded on my bones, resulting in deformation and weakened movement ability. my kneecap dislocates itself and snaps back into place whenever i move it. (yes, im serious.)
my knee cannot be fixed. a lot of knee injuries that occur from how i received the damage in my knee can be fixed with physical therapy and/or a knee replacement. that is not possible for me. if i were to have my knee permanently fixed, it would probably have to be an over-the-knee amputation of my leg.
even though my knee cannot be fixed, it can be supported to make living with it a little less painful and excruciatingly annoying. that's why i use my brace. my brace keeps my kneecap in place and offers stability that i no longer have.
to all of the abled-bodied people out there, dont tell a disabled person that they dont need or should stop using their aids. it doesn't matter if its a brace, a support, a cane, a pair of crutches, a wheelchair, or anything else. if they're using it, they need it. so fuck off.