Abstract: A knee brace for supporting and stabilizing a knee. The knee brace includes an upper frame member, a lower frame member, a plurality of pivoting brackets, each pivoting bracket pivotably linking the upper frame member to the lower frame member, at least one retention strap, each retention strap holding the knee brace on the knee, a tightening mechanism for controlling the rigidity of the knee brace and the circular compression around the knee, and a receptacle for receiving the tightening mechanism. The receptacle is integrated directly into the lower frame member.