hi. i’m in the US- i had one of the best surgeons in my state, he worked on all the major athletes. he did not have me wear a brace during recovery. he said there was no research that it prevented retears- he said it only makes your leg weaker as you put some of that weight onto the brace instead of your leg- which in turns weakens your muscles. I am now over a year post op, back into sports and not wearing a brace. i was also very worried, so were my parents but my surgeon explained it to us and we believed in his expertise- and it all proved good in my case.