Riding with a (knee) brace?

*cross-post from the buzz-multiverse for the Point-Buzzers among us*

Friends, quick question for the audience.

I am taking a bunch of my college students to Cedar Point on Sunday. One of them is wearing what is known as a "T-Scope" knee brace (see pic below):

It's hinged at the knee, and she is not able to remove it. She is, of course, wondering if she can ride any/all of the bigger coasters. I have no experience with this.

Did I call the park? Of course. After 30 minutes on hold with guest services, I was told there is no way they can give me an answer over the phone, and that she would need to be seen in person at accessibility services (which doesn't help).

Just curious if anyone has any experience with such a brace. The accessibility guide is vague (it tosses casts and fixed-braces into the same category).

She's debating whether or not to go, and I'm sadly of little help, and the call to the park didn't get us anywhere.

Putting on my pessimist cap (as in situations like this it’s best to think of the worse case scenarios) I think she could be turned away from a lot of rides. First any lower body u-bar l-bar or t bar restraint (Magnum, CCMT, Blue Streak, Gemini, MF, SteVe, Pipe Scream) is likely to interact with the bar and potentially cause it not to fit snugly against your body as intended not to mention have the potential to damage the restraint or brace (Metal rubbing metal is not good)

Additionally, that brace is a potential heavy projectile if it were to be pulled off by ride forces, any ride that is inverted or has the feet not extend to the floor (Raptor, Gatekeeper, Skyhawk, Maxair, Valravn, TT2, Rougereau, Power Tower, Windseeker;) those rides restrict amputees from riding with their prosthetic and I imagine would have the same policy for a brace.

If she was able to remove the brace I imagine she would have no issues but since you said she can’t probably best not to go, unless she’s ok sticking to shows and haunts. That brace is not fixed, it is removable, and relies on Velcro and a plastic piece to keep a snug fit/stay closed. It’s probably not been tested or designed to maintain a proper fit in 2-3Gs.

I have been told when wearing a neoprene knee brace while wearing shorts that I couldn't ride Rougaru unless I took it off and stored it. Other rides were fine with it. If it could have been under a long pant I am sure nothing would have been said.

Not knowing the full situation, I would check to make sure she is OK to ride from a health perspective with the brace (i.e. doctor, etc.) as well as the park. Depending on her injury, I could potentially see the forces / vibrations of riding doing damage to her knee if this brace was the result of a "temporary" injury that is healing. However, from what you describe, that may not be the case. But whether her knee is up to the ride forces is a valid question. This info from the doctor might be necessary for the park to approve her riding.

From the parks standpoint, they may be very suspect of the situation from a liability standpoint. While I doubt the brace will come off on any of the rides (maybe excluding Raptor), the potential from a lawsuit if the person wearing a brace like this was injured further on the ride could be great. I suspect the ride operators would be trained to question a brace like this without appropriate documentation / approval.

The fact that you can not get an answer from CP customer service is bad, but I suspect their answer over the phone is really going to be "it depends on their documented condition", which I can not necessarily blame them, as they get a lawsuit if someone wearing a brace rides something they should not and gets injured, but they also can get a lawsuit if they are not accommodating s best as they can.

Thanks for the replies. I am, of course, going to leave it up to the student.

It just sucks for her because this wasn't just a "fun trip" to Cedar Point, but riding MF and TT2 were goals of hers that she has been working towards in class, and she was scheduled to be out of this brace 2 weeks ago. The fact that her doc wants the brace to stay on probably says a lot about not wanting to do anything that would further aggravate the underlying injury.

I do think she would find a way to enjoy the day regardless (she has never been to Cedar Point).