Performance of Prophylactic Knee Brace

Abstract

Female athletes are more likely to incur a knee injury compared to men when competing in the same sport. The increased risk is due to anatomical, biomechanical and hormonal differences between males and females. Women anatomically, have wider hips and this creates a greater quadriceps angle, which is the angle measured between the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), and a line that passes through the tibia trubercle and the middle of the patella (kneecap). Consequently, when landing after a jump, or making sudden movement, women tend to turn their feet inwards to compensate for a greater bending moment and this can result in knee injuries. This work involved using a prophylactic brace to retrain the muscle memory of the leg and thereby promote correct landing technique. The brace geometry was based on data collected from 20 previous women athletes and was 3D printed using ABS to allow some basic customization. However, even though the results were somewhat promising, they were statistically inconclusive due to unforeseen braced design issues. Consequently, a new brace will be redesigned using the feedback from the participants and a new study will be undertaken.