Protective Equipment in Sports Medicine Flashcards
What materials are commonly found in protective equipment?
- Neoprene
- Closed- or open-cell foam
- Plastic
- Metal
- Casting material or any combination of these
What is NOCSAE?
- National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
With Protective Equipment, what voids the liability to the manufacturer?
- Modifications to that equipment
- Can include painting it or removing and cutting pads
- If a sports PT modifies a piece of equipment and it results in injury to the athlete, the clinician can be found liable.
What should be done to allow a player wearing a cast to play in a football game?
- Padding must be applied to protect other players from
harm when coming into contact with the cast.
What is the difference between stock and custom protective equipment?
- Stock items are prefabricated and come ready to use
- Custom items are constructed specifically for an individual athlete to protect a body part
When would you use resilient or non-resilient protective equipment?
- Resiliency is the ability to regain shape quickly after impact
- Highly resilient materials are used when protection
from repeated impacts is required. - Non-resilient materials can be used when one-time or occasional impact is expected, although the protective equipment may be ruined by that impact.
Give example of non-resilient material used in protective equipment
- Polystyrene in a bicycle helmet
- After impact, is likely ruined and helmet should be replaced
What are the two main types of foam?
- Open Cell
- Closed Cell
Describe Open Cell Foams and Uses
- Low-density materials; cells are connected to allow air passage from cell to cell
- Have the capacity to absorb fluids and are commonly used to pad bony prominences or hard edges of protective equipment and custom-fabricated pads
- Generally do not have good shock-absorbing
qualities because they deform quickly under stress.
Describe Closed Cell Foams and Uses
- Preferred because of its superior shock-absorbing abilities, and its resilience to absorption of fluid such as perspiration
- Should also rebound quickly after being compressed to maintain protection
What is Dual Density Foam?
- Consists of high- and low-density foam that has been glued together by the manufacturer. This can be useful when creating a pad quickly on the field
What are Air Management Pads?
- Constructed of various open- and closed-cell foam pads encased in polyurethane or a nylon material.
- This encasement is airtight, which prevents quick deformation of the foam so that the energy is dissipated over a broad area
- Frequently used in Football Shoulder pads
Primary use of Gel Protective Material?
- Absorb Shock
- Can be cut into different shapes and conform to areas of the body (AC Joint, Horseshoe after ankle sprain)
What is Sorbothane?
- Gel Padding
- Self-adhesive viscoelastic polymer padding that dissipates and absorbs impact forces. This material is available in sheets or in prefabricated pads that can be placed in ball gloves, shoes, or splints
Describe the uses of felt in protective equipment
- Durable, maintains shape well
- Used in Arch supports and horseshoes frequently
- Used to reduce friction in high pressure areas like the heels
What are uses of thermomoldable plastics
- Gives Rigid Support
- Relieve impact at an area when used in conjunction with a softer, more shock-absorbing material such as foam.
What are the two categories of thermo-moldable plastics
- Plastics
- Rubber
Describe plastic category of thermo-moldable plastics
- More conforming than the rubber-type materials.
- Therefore, plastic is more appropriate for small splints, such as on the hand
- Include materials such as Aquaplast, Bluestripe, Orfit, Multiform I and II, and Orthoplast II
What are some rubberlike thermo-moldable plastics
- Ultraform Traditions, Orthoplast, Aquaplast Greenstripe, and Synergy
What are working temperatures of most thermo-moldable plastics?
- 150 degrees to 180 degrees F
- 65.5 degrees to 82.2 degrees C