There's nothing like the feeling of having your arm bone yanked from its socket. I got another chance to enjoy a firsthand experience when I ate it hard while out practicing with MXracer contributor Jason Webb. I think my favorite part of this shoulder dislocation experience came when I noticed the doctor who was about to snap me back together was wearing Honda wings on his nametag. It turns out he spends his spare time roosting around on a CR450, so I was relieved I wasn't going to get a physician's lecture that would be more painful than the actual injury.
Ask anyone who has had a shoulder injury, and he'll tell you it's almost impossible to recover from the loose feeling in the joint without surgery. It feels like your arm bone is always on the verge of popping out, and if you apply too much pressure at the wrong angle, it will come apart with no warning. So I was pretty excited when I talked to the guys at EVS, they seemed genuinely confident their brace would get me back on the bike. They were right, as soon as I pulled the brace up and over I immediately felt more sure about my arm. The neoprene sleeve sucks tight around the whole joint, making it feel like you have a protective exoskeleton on your body. The brace also comes with a leash system that attaches from the arm to the body, so the shoulder can be restricted to a limited range of motion. This is key, because many of us have that not-so-sweet spot where the joint falls apart if the arm is extended the wrong way.
Now I have a great appreciation for EVS and its products. Anything that can get me back on the bike is worth every penny. When I'm packing my gear bag, I check to make sure I have my brace at least four times. I don't think I would ride if I got to the track and realized I'd left it at home with my helmet