no experience of the brace, but please keep us updated ;-) I've been looking at the unloaders speculatively. same same, cartilage damage in L knee, off running for a couple of months now and climbing the walls..
40min of PT exercises every day instead, really isn't a replacement for running.
PT and my reading suggest at least 6 months 'at our age' to recover. If lucky.
'recover' here means the injury scars over so you can't feel it much. Cartilage doesn't heal so there isn't a true recovery, just a temporary stay of execution.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/...eatment/drc-20354823 "Many other tears that aren't associated with locking or a block to knee motion will become less painful over time, so they also don't require surgery."