Effectiveness of shin guards in preventing injuries in

Effectiveness of shin guards in preventing injuries in soccer players Maggie Saenz Ruiz

Do you remember them?

Do you recognize them?

Have you seen him?

Are you a soccer fan?

Well…I am a soccer player and fan

ITY P R A L U OP PO PU LA RI TY

However, what about injury prevention?

Engineering design Materials selection Biomechanics of motion and injuries Efficiency of shin guards in preventing injuries

Although many authors conclude that shin guards may reduce the number of minor injuries such as contusions, it is still uncertain whether they can prevent more serious injuries such as tibia fractures (Frankhauser, Seibert, Boldin, Schatz, & Lamm, 2004)

Common Soccer injuries 20% contusions (bruises) 13% lower leg

Tibia

üFoam layer v. Elasticity v. Resistance üBending stiffness

Ankrah and Mills Study Ankrah, S. , & Mills, N. J. (2003). Performance of football shin guards for direct stud impacts. Journal of Sports Engineering, 6 (4), 207 -219. Cross-linked, zotefoams, closed cell, and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer foam

Initial stress and strain to prove the compressive stress in the shin guard generated by a direct stud impact

Different kinds of guard shell geometries + Bending stiffness (longitudinal and transverse)

Adidas Basic Adidas Segmented Adidas Shelter Adidas Venom Nike OSi Grays Anatomic Umbro Armadillo

Smooth shell loaded in transverse test Ridged shell loaded in longitudinal test

Falling striker impact test

d u t S im t c pa

Compressive stress generated by stud impact

Results ü Viscoelasticity in the foam v Attenuates central and direct stud impacts in the tibia v Absorbs energy from impact force ü Transverse and longitudinal bending stiffness ü Shin guards on the market differ significantly in their capacity to distribute load, and none of them provide a high level of protection against stud impacts.

Bir et al Study Bir, C. A. , Cassatta, S. J. , & Janda, D. H. (1995). An analysis and comparison of soccer shin guards. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 5 (2), 95 -99. § § Modification of kinematic energy of striker Shin guards reduced the impact force in 70%

Francisco et al Study Francisco, A. C. , Nightingale, R. W. , Guilak, F. , Glisson, R. R. , & Garrett, W. E. (2000). Comparison of soccer shin guards in preventing tibia fracture. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 28 (2), 227 -233. v. Test rig with a foam muscle simulant v. Shin guards reduced the impact force in 17% v. Fiberglass shells better kind of protective material v. Use of airbladders lessened impact forces v. Increased foam thickness more important than guard length

Boden and Garrett Study Boden, B. P. , Lohnes, J. H. , Nunley, J. A. , & Garrett, W. E. (1999). Tibia and fibula fractures in soccer players. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy, 7 (4), 282266. 79% of the tibia injuries were slightly displaced fractures deriving from the later side of the tibia

Boden Study Evaluation Boden, B. P. (1998). Leg injuries and shin guards. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 17 (4), 769 -777. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy, 7 (4), 282 -266. 1. In the first study of 100 players with tibia fractures, shin guards were worn 84% of the time. 2. In another research of 28 players with tibia fractures, shin guards were worn 87% of the time and the most common cause of injury was the slide tackle (70%). 3. In both of these studies, all fractures caused by impact were located predominantly at the middle of the tibia 4. Most of tibia fractures occurred while wearing shin guards

To conclude… Ø All shin guards provide a specific level of protection against injuries; specifically, tibia fracture Ø Material design + physical characteristics + thickness + shell structure + foam + transverse and longitudinal bending stiffness + compliance § Resistance, attenuation, and absorption of impact forces § Increased protection Ø Distribution of impact forces across the guard Ø Direction of the force of the impact

Shin guards protect, but are not the most effective mechanisms of injury prevention

Thank you

References Ankrah, S. , & Mills, N. J. (2003). Performance of football shin guards for direct stud impacts. Journal of Sports Engineering, 6 (4), 207 -219. Bir, C. A. , Cassatta, S. J. , & Janda, D. H. (1995). An analysis and comparison of soccer shin guards. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 5 (2), 95 -99. Boden, B. P. (1998). Leg injuries and shin guards. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 17 (4), 769 -777. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy, 7 (4), 282 -266. Boden, B. P. , Lohnes, J. H. , Nunley, J. A. , & Garrett, W. E. (1999). Tibia and fibula fractures in soccer players. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy, 7 (4), 282 -266. Francisco, A. C. , Nightingale, R. W. , Guilak, F. , Glisson, R. R. , & Garrett, W. E. (2000). Comparison of soccer shin guards in preventing tibia fracture. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 28 (2), 227 -233. Frankhauser, F. , Seibert, F. J. , Boldin, C. , Schatz, B. , & Lamm, B. (2004). The unreamed intramedullary tibial nail in tibial shaft fractures of soccer players: a prospective study. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy, 12 (3), 254 -258 Lees, A. , & Nolan, L. (1998). The biomechanics of soccer: a review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 16 (3), 211 -234. Schmidt-Olsen, S. , Bünemann, L. , Lade, V. , & Brassøe, J. (1985). Soccer injuries of youth. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 19 (3), 161 -164.