To Brace or not to Brace?

Hi all-

This summer I was working at a ranch and while I was riding my horse slipped and fell (we were going a fairly fast pace) and I landed basically on my right knee and right elbow. The knee took the majority of the fall. Add to that the surface I landed on was packed dirt or a rock, I am not quite sure. Immediatley afterwards it was painful and swollen on the inside, becomingly impressively bruised and more swollen two days later. I iced and wrapped it as best as my job would allow me. It stayed swollen and bruised for about 2 weeks, and still had some fluid in it 6 weeks later. This all happen early September.

So now I am starting my training, and for the first three weeks my knee felt fine. I am not a runner and was incorporating running in slowly, a few minutes at a time at a slow jog and now doing 10 or 15 minutes at a time at 5.5 mph. It all was feeling very good until last Friday when suddenly my knee started hurting again. It felt odd in spinning and popped a couple times during the ride, but nothing out of the ordinary or extra painful. So I hopped on the treadmill and did my two miles and felt fine. The next day it was slightly swollen. It remains stiff and sore, but not sharp.

I have been icing it thee to four times a day, taking advil, and taking it easy on the running. It is not a muscular thing (I think), more like it feels like the bone is bruised.

My question is, should I brace it while I workout? I have been bracing it after I ice it which seems to help, but I don't know how often and for how long I should keep it on, or if that is making it worse.

Thanks.