3M Futuro Braces, Supports and Compression Wear

The story of the Futuro brand of braces, bandages, wraps and compression hosiery is almost a full century old. Like many great innovations, the Futuro brand has humble beginnings being yet another example of the American success story. This brand of therapeutics had its start with George Jung Jr. back in 1917 in Cincinnati, Ohio. An avid football player, Jung injured his foot and jury-rigged a foot wrap with adhesive tape so he could keep playing. It must have worked, because this led to Jung developing the Jung Arch Brace which debuted in 1919 and was finalized as a patent for a foot brace in 1921. Jung continued his innovation with more patents over the next few years with patents for surgical devices, arch supports and braces, then, by 1930 he had branded his efforts under the company name of Futuro. Futuro was acquired by Beiersdorf company famous for Nivea skin-care in 1996. In 2008, Futuro was acquired by 3M and continues to be a major presence wherever therapeutic bandages are sold.

For the past century, the Futuro brand has grown with technology and to provide support to most parts of your entire body and today a team of medical experts continues to invent and finetune Futuro products. When working properly and in the right circumstances your body and its parts support themselves. Where the Futuro products come in is to provide support to your body after an injury or just with the effects of age. Futuro’s main product offerings fall into one of two main categories. Compression legwear and braces & supports. You can use their product selector to help you choose the right one before ordering from us, and remember using the right brace in addition to some tips and tricks will help you heal more quickly.

In normal situations, your leg muscles provide a certain amount of pressure on your veins helping your heart in normal blood flow. Unfortunately, when sitting for long periods your leg muscles are asleep at the wheel and not helping your veins get blood back to the heart. When this happens, the blood stays down in your feet and ankles and causes swelling and in some cases blood clots. This is where the compression legwear comes into play. Futuro’s compression legwear applies the most compression at the ankle and decreases the pressure going up the leg making up for the pressure normally provided by one’s leg muscles. By providing this pressure, your veins receive the pressure they need to keep blood flowing from your feet and legs. Futuro makes a variety of compression socks for men and women and we carry several types which you may find with a brief search.

The braces and support work in a similar manner. At their most basic level, the Futuro compression braces apply pressure to the joint and soft tissue surrounding an injury which adds support to muscles weakened by injury. Futuro supports treat issues knees have with:  the meniscus, ligaments, cartilage damage and patellofemoral pain. Wrist issues such as bone fractures, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel and tenosynovitis. Braces for ankles can be used for treating ligament injuries and helping correct problem anatomy. Elbow issues like tennis and golfer’s elbow can be treated with targeted support of the elbow joints with the right brace. All of these joints can cause pain when afflicted by various issues and much of that pain can be managed easily with the right brace. If you have questions about which brace or compression treatment might be right for you, be sure to check with your doctor or healthcare provider.  

Futuro does also make braces for two parts of the human body that not only affect a large amount of people, but when there is a problem with these parts it is utterly incapacitating. Problems with the back and neck can sometimes be treated with Futuro braces too. It’s said that up to 75% of all people deal with back pain in some form or another and when it flares up you can’t do much else. Futuro braces can help treat back and neck pain caused by anatomy, pain syndromes and herniated discs. When these braces are used in conjunction with proper treatment by a competent chiropractor, doctor or massage/physical therapist they can help your body correct itself with the right amount of pressure to the right spots.

Because good hygiene is important, Futuro has a recommended method for cleaning most of their products. Essentially, remove all of the metal clips, fasteners and other metal pieces, close non-removable straps, handwash the brace/support with soap in lukewarm water, rinse and air dry. It’s pretty much that simple. It should be noted that washing self-adhering bandages will reduce their ability to stick. Compression legwear can be machine washed on gentle and then air dried. With proper care and cleaning your Futuro product will last much longer.

Whatever pain you’re dealing with, or if you’re using the compression wear, Futuro is a great way to treat the issue with your body’s tissue and prevent it from getting worse. Futuro’s products provide support and pressure in the right spots to take the load off of your injury and promote healing. You can view all of the Futuro braces in our health section and choose the best one for your needs. If you don’t see the one you’re looking for, let us know and we’ll help you out.