Athletic Injuries
Athletic Equipment
1. Design
a. To prevent injury
b. To protect injured parts from further injury
2. Proper fit
3. Proper selection
Protective Equipment
● Simple to fit, durable/reliable, not extremely expensive
● Minimal functional interference
● 4 principles:
○ Deflection: turning aside (or off course) an object
■ Hard, rounded, smooth, rigid
○ Dissipation: to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish
■ Disperse focal force over a large surface area
■ Various materials, Layered
○ Deformation: alteration of form or shape
■ Change in shape or Structure (cantilever pad)
■ May blow apart at high force (bike helmet)
○ Absorption: receive without recoils or echo
■ Materials
● Felt
○ Wool fibres
○ Less tendency to shift on skin
○ Absorbs fluids (making it heavier when wet)
○ Not very resilient
○ Should be replaced daily
● Foam
○ Open cell (like sponges for comfort, not really protection)
■ Low resilience/low density (doesn’t bounce back)
■ Used to pad Bony prominence
■ Protects skin under hard edges of protective
equipment
○ Closed Cell
■ Primarily for protection (air cannot pass from one to
another
■ High resilience material = rebounds quickly
● Less cushioning at low level impact
● Not as comfoose To the skin
● Air
● Fluid
■ CLOSED CELL FOAM: Increased density = greater resistance at high
force
, ■ OPEN CELL FOAM: Decreased density = more absorption @ lower force
Fitting equipment
● Mold to body part
● Allow function
● Allow for quick removal in emergency
● Helmets
○ 1-2 finger widths above eyebrow (if it slides it won’t cut/break nose)
○ Covers entire skull and protect the occiput
○ Masks should be 2-3 finger widths from nose for good vision
○ Strap sung to chin (2 point: doesn’t help with moving helmet back and forth vs 4
point)
● Can be altered by:
○ Temperature
○ Hair length
○ Deterioration of internal padding
○ Loss of Air (air bladder helmet)
● Shoulder Pads
○ Inner padding should cover shoulder (cup deltoid and cover AC joint)
○ Neck unrestrictive, Lacing snug but unrestrictive
● Modifying equipment
○ Modification should only be done based on manufacture specifications (should
alter original fit)
○ No slicing, cutting, drilling (does not increase stress or damage to original
material)
● What are we protecting against?
○ People: High Mass/low velocity
○ Projectiles: low mass/high velocity
Football Equipment
● Helmet (high mass/low velocity protection against other people)
○ Hard smooth outer shell with absorbing inner lines (air/closed cell foam material)
- or plastic/polycarbonate
■ Masks can change between positions
○ 2 (lots of forward and back rocking) or 4 point chin strap (can limit fwd/back tilting
■ The narrower the straps = less rocking
● Shoulder Pads
○ Protect shoulder and limit force to lateral acromion
○ Shell of hard smooth plastic (deflection)
○ Layers of soft padding under outer shell (held away from AC like a cantilever)
■ Dissipation, deformation, absorption
Hockey Equipment
● Helmet
○ Protect against people and object (puck)
■ Hard shell with combination of open and closed cell foam combination
○ Goalie Mask
, ■ Protect mostly against the puck and minimal low protection for people
■ Hard shell with ridges (deflection) with open and closed cell foam
combination (absorption)
● Shoulder Pads
○ Designed with overlapping cup to protect clavicle and deltoid from lateral contact
(dissipation)
○ Chest portion usually felt/nylon/foam (absorption)
● Neck Protection
○ Usually soft cloth with Kevlar or plastic insert
○ Prevents throat laceration (protect against skate)
■ Minimal padding against low mass high velocity projectiles
Hockey/Baseball Shin Pads
● Molded plastic to cover knees and shins (deflection/deformation)
● Some articulation around knee = allows greater freedom
● Layered nylon/foam or felt lining (absorption)
Baseball
● Helmet: hard round plastic for deflection
○ Ear protection
○ Prevents focal impact (dissipate and absorb force)
○ Some face shield for little league as they cannot react on time
● Chest Protector: soft foam - should be form fitting with no gaps
○ Heart guard with extra layers
○ Dissipation & absorption
● Catchers Mask
○ Protection from ball and bat splinters
○ Poor vision and jaw padding with minimal ridges (not great absorption if the ball
attacks a flat area)
○ Some switch to hockey style with better vision and protection (deflection)
■ Sometimes it get too hot, too heavy, hard to flip off
Lacrosse
● Helmet
○ Similar protective principles as Hockey helmet
○ High velocity/ low mass and low velocity/ high mass
■ Sits off crown of head
■ Mask farther from face for increased visibility
■ Visor peak for sun
● Shoulder Pads: Similar to hockey - lower AC protection, increased arm range available
for stick work
● Arm Pads: protect length of arm from slash
● Gloves: often open palms less wrist padding for greater movement = greater risk of
injury
Bike/In-line Skating
● Helmet
○ Outer designed for one massive impact at high velocity
, ○ Foam inner lining - absorption / comfort
○ Peaked front and back to protect face and occiput
○ FOOSH: fall on outstretched hand
● Wrist Guards
○ Rigid plastic over open cell foam
○ Deflects impact of fall on outstretched hand (absorption)
○ Knee pads: soft open cell foam
covered hard plastic
Footwear Basic
LASTS: external last (shape) is the form in
which the the shoe is constructed (straight vs
curved)
● Curved Last: neutral = more stability
(people with rigid foot)
○ Medial deviation of the forefoot
○ Hollowed out medial longitudinal
arch
● Straight Last: people with flat feet
○ Stability = motion control
○ Solid plantar surface
○ Extended midsole in medial
longitudinal arch
○ Increased base of support
Internal Lasts (construction) is the interface between foot and midsole
● Slip Lasting (stitching down the Center): high arch with rigid feet
○ Increased flexibility
○ Neutral or any shoe which allows flexibility
● Board Lasting
○ Solid board stitched to upper part of shoe
■ Increased torsional resistance to pronation
■ Better inter for orthotics
Upper of the shoe
● All components above a midsole with differin
○ Contains midfoot control technology
○ Conforms to bony abnormalities
Midsole
● Between upper and outsole
● Shock absorption vs motion control
○ Densities depend on sport and foot type
● Absence of midsole in some shoes that require better feel or ball control
○ Material
■ Polyurethane (PU), EVA, and compressed EVA
● PU controls heavier runners (feet which may roll)
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