SEATTLE, Wash. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Like countless other runners, a Washington woman hurt her knee training for a marathon. But after looking for a good brace to help her keep running, she got fed up … and invented her own.
Stacia Pache loves to sweat. If she’s not running … she’s kickboxing. After hurting hurt her knee several years ago, she tried several different braces, but nothing worked.
“I was out running on a rainy Seattle afternoon doing a run and the band I was wearing fell off. And as I scooped it out of a puddle I thought I can do a better band than this.” Pache explained.
So Stacia created It Bandz which she says help lift, support and stabilize the knee. Fellow athlete Kirsten Smith is a big fan.
“Started to wear it both when I’m doing kickboxing and when I do taekwondo and it has allowed me to continue my training and both of those things at a time when I thought maybe I might have to stop doing them.” Smith stated.
Physical therapist Emily Solie recommends them to several of her clients.
“So this band is a little bit different than the other bands out on the market right now it’s thicker and the neoprene makes it a little bit more adjustable to go around the knee so it conforms more to knee shapes and smaller knees better and provides a bit more pressure where we need it.” Solie told Ivanhoe.
Stacia sold 2,200 her first year … more than 17,000 her second … and expects sales to top 100,000 bands this year!
“It’s so important that we all stay in motion and keep moving and whether you’re 15 and struggling in your sport or your 70 and you want to go walk with your friends or you’re somewhere in the middle and hike or run or walk to be able to do that pain-free as a gift.” Pache stated.
Stacia originally designed It Bandz for women but found that a lot of men were wearing them. She is currently creating more gender neutral bands. They are available nationwide on amazon as a prime item for $19.99.
Contributors to this news report include: Nicole Sanchez, Producer; Tony D’astoli, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
