Comparison of soccer shin guards in preventing tibia fracture

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a number of shi n guards in protecting against tibia fracture in soccer players. A secondar y purpose was to determine the relationship between the material and struct ural differences in shin guard design and the protection provided. Twenty-t hree commercially available shin guards were tested on a model leg containi ng a synthetic tibia that had been calibrated against human cadaver specime ns. Each guard was categorized into one of four material types. plastic (N = 9), fiberglass (N = 6), compressed air (N = 4), and Kevlar (N = 4). The m aximum combined force at the ends of the tibia, the principal strain on the posterior side of the tibia, and the contact time of the impact were measu red using a drop track impact simulation. Shin guards provided significant protection from tibia fracture at all drop heights. The average guard reduc ed force by 11% to 17% and strain by 45% to 51% compared with the unguarded leg. At the higher drop heights, material composition and structural chara cteristics of the shin guards showed significant differences in protective abilities. These findings indicate that all shin guards provide some measur e of protection against tibia fracture, although the level of protection ma y vary significantly among the different guards.