ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- “For me, they are a part of my life,” said George Hudson, a U.S. Army veteran from Albemarle County.

Hudson came back from his military service with knee pain, and no knee brace could relieve his pain. 

“Going through physical therapy for my knees, they told me to exercise, but because I had nothing to support them, they would ache and so I just altogether stopped,” he said.

As his pain progressed over the years, Hudson was missing out on activities others take for granted. 

With the help of Icarus, a company that focuses on building knee braces to prevent surgery, Hudson was back to normal in no time. 

“My doctor told me that when my knees first went bad, I’d have to get them replaced in five years, and it’s been eight now, and I’ve had this brace for about three. And I’m nowhere near needing a knee replacement so far,” said Hudson.

Icarus aims to connect with the community, especially the veterans. 

“Knee injuries are the No. 1 reason servicemen and women leave the military. And so, this is our way of connecting and being able to support the men and women who have served,” said Rachel Guelzo, the communications director for Icarus Medical Innovations.

Icarus provides knee braces to veterans at no cost, and it hosts a special event for veterans to see exactly what these braces can do. 

“Every Tuesday before noon, between 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., we invite vets in our community. We’ll show you around, you get to see the 3-D printers, how we create and design these, and even try them on,” said Guelzo.

These braces and Icarus hope to continue helping veterans, like Hudson, get back to activity in a safe and quick way. 

“I can just basically enjoy life a whole lot better instead of staying at home because my knees hurt,” Hudson said.

But Hudson has one more goal he wants to accomplish, rather than just his road to recovery.

“My goal is to actually, with these knee braces on, put back on my class A uniform and it fit really well, like when I came out of the military,” he said.