A Contemporary Review on Knee
Injuries and Protective Pads
K. Anirudh and Shivraj Narayan Yeole
Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a medical condition that affects the knee joint of
humans primarily in the age group of 55–60 years. It specifically triggers cartilage
breakdown due to aging. However, injury, obesity, inactivity, genetics, inflammation, diabetes, and other medical reasons may also lead to osteoarthritis in lesser age
groups. Some of the symptoms used for detecting osteoarthritis are muscular pain, a
decrease in range of motion at joint, difficulty in joint mobilization, and mild swelling
around the joint. Orthopaedic practitioners analyze this condition using the Kellgren
Lawrence grading system based on X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging. Diagnosis involves suggesting regular exercises for increasing muscle strength, losing
weight, and putting less effort into the affected joint. Knee braces, knee caps, knee
protective pads, and knee sleeves are recommended for use depending on the grade of
cartilage wear. As a measure of precaution, many people in the aforementioned age
group as well as sportspersons are moving towards using personal protective devices
as prevention is better than treatment to the injury. Personal protective device is a
patient-specific device used to decrease risk factors associated with the injury. One
such device is a knee protective pad which safeguards the knee and provides comfort.
This paper presents a critical review and detailed analysis of the latest trends in the
development and use of conventional and unconventional knee protective pads.
Keywords Osteoarthritis · Knee protective pads · Protective devices
1 Introduction to Knee
Knee joint is responsible for body support and movement. It consists of bones,
ligaments, tendons, and meniscus [1]. The femur, tibia, and patella structure are the
bones present in knee. The knee bones are connected with ligaments. Tendon is soft
K. Anirudh · S. N. Yeole (B)
VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana 500090,
India
e-mail: shivrajyeole@vnrvjiet.in
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_54
493
Injuries and Protective Pads
K. Anirudh and Shivraj Narayan Yeole
Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a medical condition that affects the knee joint of
humans primarily in the age group of 55–60 years. It specifically triggers cartilage
breakdown due to aging. However, injury, obesity, inactivity, genetics, inflammation, diabetes, and other medical reasons may also lead to osteoarthritis in lesser age
groups. Some of the symptoms used for detecting osteoarthritis are muscular pain, a
decrease in range of motion at joint, difficulty in joint mobilization, and mild swelling
around the joint. Orthopaedic practitioners analyze this condition using the Kellgren
Lawrence grading system based on X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging. Diagnosis involves suggesting regular exercises for increasing muscle strength, losing
weight, and putting less effort into the affected joint. Knee braces, knee caps, knee
protective pads, and knee sleeves are recommended for use depending on the grade of
cartilage wear. As a measure of precaution, many people in the aforementioned age
group as well as sportspersons are moving towards using personal protective devices
as prevention is better than treatment to the injury. Personal protective device is a
patient-specific device used to decrease risk factors associated with the injury. One
such device is a knee protective pad which safeguards the knee and provides comfort.
This paper presents a critical review and detailed analysis of the latest trends in the
development and use of conventional and unconventional knee protective pads.
Keywords Osteoarthritis · Knee protective pads · Protective devices
1 Introduction to Knee
Knee joint is responsible for body support and movement. It consists of bones,
ligaments, tendons, and meniscus [1]. The femur, tibia, and patella structure are the
bones present in knee. The knee bones are connected with ligaments. Tendon is soft
K. Anirudh · S. N. Yeole (B)
VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana 500090,
India
e-mail: shivrajyeole@vnrvjiet.in
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_54
493