to brace or not to brace... (Read 384 times)

Ever since I've been running seriously, I've had some sort of knee issue. ITBS, runner's knee, tendonitis, you name it. I've been to podiatrists, orthopedists, sports trainers and the friendly sales people at RoadRunner who've offered some advice, but I still cannot run completely pain free. These experts agree that I have some very challenging bio-mechanics which are not conducive to efficient running. Currently I experience some knee pain (not sure whether runner's knee or tendonitis) which seems to develop around mile 6 or 7 of long runs. It's manageable and doesn't stop me from completing the run, but I'm in training for a marathon and I'm concerned about what it will feel like on mile 18 of a long training run. In the past I've used different knee braces with different amounts of success. I usually find that the sleeve type of brace will reduce or eliminate knee pain if I wear it all the time, but once I feel better and start running without it, the pain comes right back. However, I didn't like being dependent on the knee brace, and starting about 6 months ago decided to run without it, instead attempting to manage the problem with strength training (per the doctor's advice). But that approach has not worked so far, and I'm worried about entering marathon training with lingering knee pain. So is it a bad thing to wear knee braces all the time? What about just wearing knee braces for longer runs and races?