WO2021171228A1

WO2021171228A1 - Means of protection from direct trauma in contact sports

Info

Publication number: WO2021171228A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/051594
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cristian DI LEO
Original assignee: Di Leo Cristian
Priority date: 2020-02-27
Filing date: 2021-02-26
Publication date: 2021-09-02
Also published as: IT202000004054A1

Abstract

The invention provides for a device for the protection of direct trauma in contact sports with the ability to adapt to anatomical shapes, to the absorption of impact thanks to a three-dimensional padding material made from an elastically deformable and compressible layer (1) made of polymeric gel and provided with recesses or holes (101) in the same which are distributed on the surface of the said layer (1) and by a more rigid screen consisting of a layer (2) of flexible, expanded material which is also deformable and compressible elastically and which is applied to the face of the said padding layer (1) opposite to that of the layer (1) facing the limb to be protected.

Description

Means of protection from direct trauma in contact sports TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a protective device suitable for contact sports, in particular for example a shin guard applied to the front face of the tibia of a football player or anyone else who practices a contact sport where protection is required in this anatomical area.

The device according to the invention is made with the technology called FLEX-G XPro and which can be applied to different types of protective devices intended for the protection of different anatomical areas or limbs.

Football, being a very popular sport, is certainly a reference sport in this regard, therefore we will refer to it without it being a sport to which we refer exclusively.

On the website of the LND (National Amateur League), a member of the Italian Football Federation, the following is written:

"Fractured leg injuries (fracture of tibia, fibula or both bones) generally occur due to direct and contact trauma between two players. FIFA (World Football Federation) requires players to wear shin guards. " The main goal is certainly to protect the leg from harmful consequences following direct traumatic impacts. However, it is not entirely clear whether their function is carried out in full and in relation to which parts of the leg they can perform complete or partial protection. The analysis of the literature relating to this topic helps us only partially.

Today the shin guards are a mandatory and indispensable element for the protection of players, who cannot ignore them, but who at the same time perceive the impediment of bulk and weight. Rule 4 page 43 of "The Football Game Rules", relating to Shin Guards, is very generic, in fact it alone gives some general indications and that is: "they must be completely covered by socks; they must be of suitable material (rubber, plastic or similar materials); they must offer an adequate degree of protection ". What is meant by suitable material and adequate protection is in fact doubtful and generic.

In the literature there is no uniformity of views regarding the forces of impact on the limb that can cause fracturing events. In any case, leg fractures can occur either by contact, at the moment of kicking, or by a slipped tackle, worse if it is conducted from behind compared to the opponent. The only common vision regarding protection and therefore the prevention of fractures is that by wearing the shin guards, impact shock absorption and energy dissipation are achieved. It is clear, that the use of shin guards reduces damage to the soft tissues (skin and muscles) of the leg, especially the injuries that can result from the impact of the cleats with the leg. In fact, the cleats have changed over time in shape and length and constituent material, trying to obtain from them the best possible grip with the running surface (especially the grass surfaces, but in many cases increasing joint and/or ligament damage, anterior cruciate primarily) . Therefore, it was also necessary to adapt the shin guards in their shape, size and constituent material. To increase the absorption of the energy of direct trauma, the shin guards must be made of rigid or semi rigid material (plastic, Kevlar or carbon) on the outside and have a soft internal lining (even better if pneumatic and adaptable to the shape of the tibia constituting a sort of air bag), but this double structure increases the weight of the device.

Although the creation of an ideal and customized shin guard is desirable, the most effective structure and the best materials have not yet been defined by the studies carried out on this protective equipment. At the moment they all use stock shin guards. The choice of the same takes place without a careful evaluation of the size, shape and constituent materials. First of all, it must be said that, especially among amateurs, the use of shin guards is "suffered" as an annoying regulatory obligation and not as an important preventive means of leg trauma (of soft tissue and bone) . It is often seen on football pitches even simple cardboard shapes put under the socks, which visually reproduce the shape of the shin guards (and deceive the referee) but which obviously have no protective effect. Generally, the choice falls on the less bulky models. Instead, the size of the shin guards should be chosen in relation to the anthropometric characteristics of the player (not only the ankle-knee length, but also the calf circumference). The shin guards should be a couple of inches below the knee to just above the curve of the ankle when the foot is dorsiflexed. In this way they guarantee adequate protection and not only for the tibia. There are different types and models of shin guards, which are summarized below in:

• Simple shin guards

• Shin guards with integrated anklet (for the protection of the malleoli) · Shin guards with removable anklet that allows the use of only the shin guards or the shin + anklet depending on the practice.

Regardless of the type, the shin guards according to the state of the art, are designed to stay in place thanks to the elasticized tape with velcro end. The most basic models feature only the body. They are held in place by the same sock under which they are worn but most of the time they are fixed using a taping. The regulation prohibits taping of a different color from socks, so tapes of different colors have been placed on the market. The problem of taping, however, is given by the characteristics of the tape itself. In fact, the tape is often inelastic. It is worth mentioning that the shin guards have been designed and tested without this type of additional fixation. When the tape is inelastic it can represent a point of convergence and load of anomalous forces on the bone, especially during tackle phases in which the heel can remain fixed to the ground. This load of forces can represent a moment on the bone capable of overcoming the resistance capacity and instead become an etiological fracture event of the bone (especially for the tibia). Better to use shin guards with self-fixing capabilities and avoid fixation with taping.

Finally, the materials with which the shin guards are made (plastic, Kevlar or carbon) also deserve an evaluation. From the most recent studies in which tests of resistance to impact and absorption forces were carried out, the shin guards made of carbon have also given the best results in terms of protective effects with respect to high impact forces. However, even these do not guarantee complete prevention of the risk of fractures. In fact, the forces that can develop in a tackle may be higher than the forces tested in the studies carried out. However, standard shin guards are not able to protect against high impacts (276 Newton) as such a force is distributed on the tibia. In any case, the way to search for shin guards of weight, shape and materials suitable for guaranteeing protection as close as possible to total protection in the future remains open:

Francisco AC, Nightingale RW, Guilak F, Glisson RR, Garrett WE Jr: Comparison of soccer shin guards in preventing tibia fracture. Am J Sports Med. 2000 Mar- Apr; 28 (2): 227-33.

Boden BP, Lohnes JH, Nunley JA, Garrett WE Jr: Tibia and fibula fractures in soccer players. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 1999; 7 (4): 262-6.

Boden BP .: Leg injuries and shin guards. Clin Sports Med. 1998 Oct; 17 (4): 769-77, VII

Ankrah S. Mills N. J .: Performance of football shin guards for direct stud impacts. Sports Engineering 2003 pp 1-14

Tatar Y, Ramazanoglu N, Camliguney AF, Saygi EK, Cotuk HB .: The effectiveness of shin guards used by football players. J Sports Sci Med. 2014 Jan 20; 13

(1): 120-7.

The invention therefore refers to a device such as a shin guard, or a pair of shin guards, which are formed by two layers of material superimposed on each other and stably coupled, being a first internal layer facing the area anatomical and intended to come into contact with its surface, opposite to said anatomical zone, to the other second layer, and the said second layer being turned with its surface, opposite to that of said first layer towards the outside, while in combination they are provided means of attachment to the anatomical area to be protected.

The known types of protections against contact trauma such as for example the shin guards which have this structure are affected by the drawbacks described in detail above and therefore there is, in the state of the art, an unsatisfied need for a shin guards that overcomes the drawbacks of known shin guards and in particular that it is light in weight, easily adaptable to different anatomical conditions, i.e. flexible, and at the same time has improved shock absorption characteristics .

According to yet another aspect, the invention also aims to create a protective device, in particular a shin guards that does not require additional means to be held in position, but that can be kept in position by means such as a garment already used by the user. In the case of shin guards, for example these are held in place by the socks itself, in particular when integrated into the regulatory clothing required for football. According to a first more general embodiment, the invention solves the problem posed with a protection device such as for example a shin guard or a pair of shin guards, which is formed by two layers of material superimposed on each other and stably coupled, being a first internal layer facing the limb and intended to come into contact, with its opposite surface to the other second layer, with the said anatomical area to be protected and the said second layer being facing, with its opposite surface to that of said first layer, towards the outside, while in combination there are means for holding said device in position in which:

- said first layer is constituted by a material in the form of a polymeric gel and with an elasticity such as to return to the initial condition after a deformation following an impact;

- said second layer being made up of a flexible expanded material which is also deformable and elastically compressible.

According to a preferred embodiment, polymeric gel consists of a gel of thermoplastic material having a hardness of the order of magnitude of about 4 shore, for example a silicone gel.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the said first elastically deformable and compressible layer is provided with a plurality of recesses or through openings which have a predetermined size and which are distributed on the surface extension of the faces of the said first layer according to predetermined distribution patterns.

It is possible to provide different distribution patterns of said openings which can provide a uniform density over the entire extension of the surface of said first layer or the density can vary along said surface extension.

The size of the openings which have a diameter between 1 and 10mm can also be identical for all openings or different for groups of openings according to a predetermined distribution pattern which may also depend on the position of said openings relative to the surface extension of said first layer.

Still according to a further characteristic according to an embodiment, the said first layer has a thickness greater than 1mm, preferably between 1mm and lcm, especially between 3mm and 6mm.

According to a still further characteristic, the second external layer which constitutes the external screen is made of a foamed material with open cells, flexible so as to be able to be arched and/or folded according to one or more arching or folding axes.

A preferred embodiment provides that said foam material of said second layer consists of TPU.

According to an embodiment, the said second layer has a thickness of between 1mm and 10mm, in particular, maximum of 5mm.

For the realization of the polymeric gel and of the open cell expanded material it is possible to use any type of polymers, co-polymers or mixtures of polymers currently known and which can be subjected to gelation and/or expansion procedures according to any of the known techniques.

The aforesaid characteristics, when not in contrast with each other, can be provided in any combination or sub-combination.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, the device according to the present invention has on the external face of the first layer which is intended to adhere against the limb, or against the anatomical area to be protected, one or more areas with increased friction .

According to an embodiment, said areas are made at least for a part of them by elements of the same material as the layer, i.e. of polymeric gel and/or at least for a part of them of a plastic material which has a high coefficient of friction with the skin of the limb with which they come into contact, for example with silicone.

The said elements can be made in one piece and/or superimposed on the said face of the said first layer.

The said elements may have a thickness for which they protrude to a predetermined extent out from the surface of the face of the layer intended to come into contact with the limb to be protected.

In one embodiment, said elements can be housed and/or fixed in seats of substantially corresponding shape, which seats are constituted by depressions present in the thickness of said first layer and which depressions are open at the surface of the said face.

The said depressions have a plain shape substantially corresponding to that of the said elements and a depth which is identical or slightly less than the thickness of the said high friction elements, so that these elements protrudes for a certain measure out of the said depressions.

When subsequently applied to the first layer, the application of said high friction elements can take place by gluing or other type of chemical-physical adhesion . One embodiment provides that said high friction elements are overmolded on the face of said first layer.

According to yet another feature, the said high friction elements can have a knurled, toothed or lamellated or else corrugated surface structure so as to increase friction by generating a grip.

According to an embodiment, the invention provides for a combination of a garment intended to bandage the anatomical area by exerting a predetermined elastic circumferential tightening force with the said device, for example a combination of a pair of socks with a pair of shin guards, the said garment constituting the element of holding the device in position thanks to the interference between the user's skin with one or more high-friction elements provided on the face of the device intended to come into contact with the user's body.

The said device in the said combination can be provide with one or more features of any of the different embodiments disclosed above and in any combination or sub-combination of the said characteristics and embodiments described above.

Still according to a further feature, the said elements with a high friction action can alternatively be provided only on the external face of the second layer, i.e. on the face intended to come into contact with the garment, or they can be provided at the same time on said face of said second layer and on the face of said first layer.

Still according to a further feature, which can be provided in combination with one or more of the previous embodiments or executive variants, between the material of the first layer and the material of the second layer there is provided a layer of adhesive material or of compatibilizing material for each of the said two layers as regards to the chemical/physical adhesion between said intermediate layer and each of said first and second layers.

Still according to a further characteristic, only the first layer or only the second layer or both layers and. at least partially or completely, can be coated with a film or a finishing coating.

An embodiment provides that said device consists of two shin guards of a pair of shin guards symmetrical to each other with respect to the sagittal central plane of the human body, since said shin guards are made according to one or a combination or sub combination of the executive forms and the executive variants or characteristics of the protection device described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of some executive examples illustrated in the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view on the external or front face of a pair of shin guards according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the rear face of the first layer of a pair of shin guards, that is the face intended to come into contact with the skin of the anatomical area of the embodiment according to Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 respectively illustrate a further perspective view of the shin guards according to the embodiment of the previous figures according to different view directions.

Figures 5 and 6 show two enlarged views of a cross section of the shin guard according to a further embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

Figure 7 shows an enlarged view of the detail of a further embodiment relating to the high friction elements applied to the front or external face of the first layer of the shin guards according to the examples of the previous figures.

Figure 8 shows a cross section of a detail of a further embodiment of the present invention, which detail relates to one of the high friction areas.

Figure 9 shows, similarly to Figure 8, a further executive variant.

Figure 10 shows a plan view of an embodiment in which the face of the layer 1 facing the limb to be protected and adhering to the user's skin has a plurality of recesses or holes 101, 101'open at the surface of said face and the elements that form the zones 3 inserted inside depressions 201 according to what is described above.

DETAILLED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the detailed description refers, in particular, to a single example relating to a pair of shin guards, this example is not intended as a limitation of the protective scope, but only an example relating to a specific field of application. The expert in the field is able to appreciate and identify, without any need to perform inventive actions, the forms and fields of application other than the one illustrated. The shin guard illustrated in the figures is composed of a pair of layers 1 and 2 coupled together along their mutual adhesion faces. The coupling can be obtained by chemical/physical adhesion, such as gluing, casting, welding and/or other fixing techniques.

The first layer 1 of material is the one intended to come into contact with the user's body and consists of a polymeric gel. It is possible to provide any type of polymer, co-polymer or brand of different polymers or co-polymers or other plastics that are able to gel.

The first layer indicated with 1 in the figures, has a thickness of the order of magnitude of about 2 to 5 mm.

The gel from which the said layer 1 is made is preferably a polymeric gel of thermoplastic material having a hardness of the order of magnitude of about 4 shore, for example a silicone gel.

Among the various materials, said material in one embodiment can be constituted by a gel but with sufficient consistency to maintain the shape determined in the production thereof.

In the embodiments, said first layer can be of solid material or can be provided with a plurality of recesses or through holes 101. These holes have a diameter of a few millimeters and of the order of magnitude of the thickness of the material, but it is possible to provide also embodiments in which the holes have a smaller or larger size.

In the embodiment, by way of non-limiting example, the holes 101 are uniformly distributed on the surface of layer 1. Furthermore, in the illustrated example the holes are all of identical dimensions. Obviously it is possible to provide executive variants in which groups of holes have different dimensions and/or the distributions of said holes are not uniform along the surface of the layer 1. The dimensions of the holes 101 can also vary according to their position with reference to the surface of the layer 1 and therefore with reference to the tibia.

The layer of polymeric gel can remain uncovered and therefore come directly into contact with the user's skin or be coated towards the outside with a coating film.

A possible embodiment variant can also provide holes in the covering layer.

A further embodiment variant may provide that the layer 1 has a solid section, that is, without holes.

Thanks to the holes 101 in the aforementioned embodiment of the first layer 1, this layer has a three- dimensional behavior, that is, it transmits and therefore absorbs the impact force on a larger area than the point of impact, thanks to the mechanical deformation of the holes. In fact, when compressed by impact, the material not only behaves by reducing its thickness in the direction of the vector of the damaging force but widens by closing the hole. Therefore, it can be said that the padding material has a three-dimensional behavior.

The first layer 1 is coupled to a second layer 2 which is constituted by a semi-rigid plastic material, for example an expanded plastic material, preferably with open cells.

The second layer 2 also has a thickness of the order of about 2 or 3 mm, in particular less than 5mm. Having the part of the screen in semi-rigid material allows a better adaptation of the device to the shape of the subject's tibia.

The second layer 2 can also be coated with a film or a skin both for aesthetic purposes and for purposes of protecting the foam material.

Depending on the type of material from which the first and second layers are made, they can be coupled directly to each other by means of different techniques which are chosen depending on the materials as chemical/physical adhesion techniques.

In the embodiment of figures 5 and 6, layer 1 is coupled to layer 2 by means of a layer of adhesive material indicated with 4. This layer is chemically compatible for adhesion with layer 1 and layer 2.

The internal padding material, i. e. the first layer 1, has a high friction with the skin.

According to an embodiment, it can optionally be equipped with one or more zones 3 which increase the anti-slip action along the face with which said first layer 1 is in contact or prevent the protection from slipping from the tibia by adhering perfectly to it and being anti-slip even in wet conditions due to sweat.

According to an embodiment, these areas 3 can be made of the same material as the layer 1 and integrally with it.

According to one characteristic, said zones 3 are structured three-dimensionally as regards the contact surface with the skin.

These areas are provided in the central area and in the corner areas of the shin guards in which they have an L shape and/or a cross or X shape. The said L-shape has the two branches preferably, respectively oriented in the lateral-lateral direction of the tibia and in the longitudinal direction of the tibia so as to exert a holding action in a position that is oriented according to the two directions of the branches of the "L" shape.

According to a further characteristic in the central zone of the face of the layer 1 the said zones 3 have a shape in which the said zones form arms or branches 103 which are oriented according to two directions which cross each other and which are oriented substantially approximately along the diagonals of a quadrilateral that approximates the perimeter shape of the shin guard.

In one embodiment, at least some of the zones 3 can be made of a different material, such as for example a high friction silicone material with which they are made in predetermined points of the face of the layer 1 intended to adhere to the tibia.

The said zones 3 can be made up at least in part of the same material as the layer 1.

In this case, said elements, which form said zones, can be either made in one piece or subsequently applied to the face of the layer 1.

In one embodiment, at least some of said zones 3 are made of elements of a material different from that of the layer 1.

The high friction elements that form the zones 3 can be applied in various ways, by means of chemical/physical adhesion, such as gluing, welding, and the like, or these are made in one piece when the material of the layer 1 and of the zones 3 is identical. Still according to a characteristic, the elements that form the said zones 3, regardless of the material they are made of and/or how they are fixed to the layer

1, are inserted in a recess or depression of a corresponding shape and which has an identical depth or slightly less than the thickness of the corresponding high friction element.

In a preferred embodiment, the gel layer 1 consists of a polymeric gel.

A polymeric gel having a good coefficient of friction towards the human skin can be, for example, a silicone gel.

In combination, in one embodiment, the expanded layer 2 consists of a TPU, i. e. a thermoplastic polyurethane .

A preferred embodiment provides a TPU obtained by condensation of isocyanate in a polyol with a ratio of 58/100 parts by weight isocyanate/polyol.

With reference to Figure 8, this shows a detail in cross section of an embodiment of the shin guard in the region of a high friction zone 3.

The figure uses identical reference numbers as the previous figures for parts having the same or identical function.

The layer 2 is fixed to the layer 1 by means of a layer of adhesive material 4, for example an adhesive film or a thermoplastic film having physical/chemical compatibility with the materials of the layers 1 and

2. In the layer 1, two relative variants are shown for the holes 101. The variant indicated by 101 provides for a through hole, while the variant indicated by 101' provides that the hole does not extend for the entire thickness of the layer 1 and that it ends blind, i.e. with a bottom wall in correspondence of the side of layer 1 facing layer 2.

A depression 201 in the thickness of the layer 1 houses inside it an element intended to form a zone 3 with high friction and which is in the form of a strip or band of material. This element has a thickness greater than the depth of the hollow 201 so that it protrudes for a predetermined measure out beyond the face of layer 1.

In figure 9, a variant is shown in which the element that forms the area 3 is simply applied to the outer face of the layer 1.

Also in this figure the two variants 101, 101 'of the holes provided in the layer 1 are shown.

Figure 10 shows a plan view of an embodiment in which the face of the layer 1 facing the limb to be protected and adhering to the user's skin has a plurality of recesses or holes 101, 101' open at the surface of said face and has the elements that form the zones 3 inserted inside depressions 201 according to what is described above. Therefore, the holes 101 or 101' are visible from the outside, differently from the embodiment of the previous figures and in particular the figures 1 to 4 and 7. In these figures or layer 1 can be without the holes or the recesses 101, 101', or it can be covered with a skin made of plastic material, as described, for example, for the visible face of the layer 2, that is the face of the layer 2 intended to make contact against the sock or other means of attachment to the user's body.

With particular reference to figures 5 and 6, these show the realization of the polymeric gel layer 1 provided with holes and intended to be coated on the face facing the limb to be protected with a skin.

As regards the adhesion layer 4 of layer 1 to layer 2, this is shown in Figures 5 and 6, but this is without limitation to the fact that said layer can be present in any of the embodiments illustrated and described.

Figure 7 shows the enlarged detail of some areas 3 with high friction, the elements of which have a corrugated, wavy, knurled or similar three-dimensional surface structure, in order to increase the friction effect against the skin or against other contact surfaces of the said zones 3.

Figure 7 shows this surface conformation of the zones 3 for the central elements, however this surface conformation can also be envisaged for the L-shaped elements.

With reference to the variant of figure 7, it should also be noted that the illustrated characteristics relating to the surface conformation of the zones 3 can be provided in combination or sub combination of characteristics of one or more any of the variants and embodiments described, as well as only some parts of said zones 3, that is of the elements which form the same and/or some of said elements, can have such a surface configuration.

Such a corrugated, wavy, knurled or similar three- dimensional surface structure can be provided also on the surface of the layer 1 and/or of the layer 2 at least in some areas of the said surface and optionally having also different structure forma in different areas of the said surface. In use and as illustrated, the invention provides for a pair of shin guards that are symmetrical to each other with respect to the user's median sagittal plane. In addition, the shape has been designed to be right or left and to cover most athletes with different anthropometric shapes.

Thanks to the invention, the shin guard can simply be placed between the sock and the tibia and is effectively held in position by the tightening force of the sock alone and by the high friction elements.

According to another embodiment variant, it is possible to provide that elements with high friction are also present on the visible, external face of the second layer, i.e. the face against which the sock adheres.

It is important to note here that the structure of the shin guard can also be adapted to create different protective screens of other anatomical areas for protection from direct contact trauma.

The comparative Impact performance level test according to EN 1621-1: 2013, ref. 5.4 are reported below.

The tests were performed on samples of shin guards according to the state of the art and made according to two technologies called "classic" and "carbon fiber" and on shin guards according to the present invention called FLEX-GPRO.

The tests were performed by the Omega S.r.l. of Tortona, Italy and are identified by the code GEARXP 20203003 rev.3 dated 01/04/2020.

The table summarizes the test results extracted from the official test result report which indicate the values of the force transmission peak for two predetermined areas indicated with area A and area B and C and the average values of the peak on the total of said areas.

As is evident, the effect of force absorption by the protection is greater for the shin guards according to the present invention in comparison to samples of the shin guards produced according to the technologies of the state of the art described at the beginning and currently available in the market.

Claims

1. Device for the protection of direct trauma in contact sports with the ability to adapt to anatomical shapes, to the absorption of impact thanks to a three- dimensional padding material made from an elastically deformable and compressible layer (1) made of polymeric gel and provided with recesses or holes (101) in the same which are distributed on the surface of the said layer (1) and by a more rigid screen consisting of a layer (2) of flexible, expanded material which is also deformable and compressible elastically and which is applied to the face of the said padding layer (1) opposite to that of the layer (1) facing the limb to be protected.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the layer destined to adhere to the user's limb (1) is constituted with a polymeric gel of hot thermoplastic material with shore hardness around 4.

3. Protective device according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two layers of material (1, 2) superimposed on each other and stably coupled, being a first internal layer (1) facing the limb and intended to come into contact with its opposite surface to the other second layer (2), with said anatomical zone to be protected and the said second layer (2) facing with its surface opposite to that of said first layer (1) towards the outside, while in combination means are provided for retaining said device in position. . Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said first layer has a thickness greater than 1mm, preferably between 1mm and lcm, especially between 3mm and 6mm. 5. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which said second layer has a thickness of between 1mm and 10mm, in particular of a maximum of 5mm.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims characterized in that it has on the external face of the first layer (1) intended to adhere against the limb, or against the anatomical area to be protected, and/or optionally of the external face of layer (2) opposite to the said limb, one or more areas (3) with increased friction, said areas (3) being constituted by one or more elements, said elements can have a thickness for which they protrude to a predetermined extent out from the surface of the face of the layer (1) intended to come into contact with the limb to be protected.

7. Device according to claim 6, in which said elements which form the zones (3) are housed in seats of substantially corresponding shape, which seats consist of depressions present in the face of said first layer (1) and which depressions have a plan shape, substantially corresponding to that of the said elements and a depth identical to or slightly less than the thickness of the said high friction elements.

8. Device according to claim 7, wherein said areas (3) are made at least for a part or entirely of elements of the same material as the layer (1), i. e. of polymeric gel and/or at least for part or entirely of a plastic material which has a high coefficient of friction with the skin of the limb with which it comes into contact, for example silicone.

9. Device according to one or more of claims 6 to 8, in which said areas (3) are provided in the central area and/or in the corner areas of the shin guard and can have a plan shape according to one of the shapes of the following list comprising: an L-shape in which the two branches are preferably oriented in the lateral-lateral direction of the tibia and in the longitudinal direction of the tibia so as to exert a holding action in a position that is oriented according to the two directions of the branches of the "L" shape; a form in which said areas form arms or branches (103) which are oriented according to two directions which cross each other and which are oriented substantially approximately along the diagonals of a quadrilateral which approximates the perimeter shape of the shin guard, or combinations of said forms.

10. Combination of a garment intended to bind the anatomical area by exerting a predetermined elastic circumferential tightening force and of said device according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 9, said garment constituting the element for retaining the device in position thanks to the interference between the user's skin with one or more high-friction elements provided on the face of the device intended to come into contact with the user's body.

11. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it consists of a pair of shin guards pads symmetrical to each other with respect to the sagittal central plane of the human body, the shin guards pads being made according to one or more of the previous claims and optionally provided in combination with a pair of socks.