All Knee Savers on Wrong Straps?

[Screwball]

My informal poll is that about 50% of travel ball catchers wear knee savers, 99% of those have them on the bottom straps. I had heard here they should be on the top straps?

I hate the things, but...

How is it where you all live?

Isn't it worse to use them in the wrong manner? Any injuries or issues seen with this?

 

[shockcoach]

I'm not sure I am getting what you're typing. They should be on the bottom two straps, closest to their heels and far from their knees. If they are close to their knee, they work as a fulcrum to pull on the knee itself.

 

[Screwball]

How To Attach Knee Savers To Shin Guards | LIVESTRONG.COM
Easton Knee Saver - $29.99 - GearBuyer.com

http://images.buzzillions.com/images_customers/04/71/13325788_97415_full.jpg

I thought folks posted or said that they go higher; I would think some would want the knee to not to bend as much, so higher. Lower, you still get major bend. I am not in favor at all so not my thing.

Another (scroll down):

http://www.outdoorfunstores.com/sports/catcher.asp

Now that I look at pictures, not so sure what I saw. I just saw two players with it high, and many the other, low. Now not so sure. I will do some more looking. That is why I am asking.

It could be a height-age thing, baseball/softball.

 

[YOCOACH]

Three catchers on DD's TB team and all three wear them. Two are high and one wears them low. The tallest one is the one who wears them low. I think it might be where they're more comfortable for the girl as opposed to a right way or wrong way type of thing. Like you, it's not my thing so I really don't know either. I can just tell you about the catchers on DD's team.

 

[CCJR]

I thought folks posted or said that they go higher; I would think some would want the knee to not to bend as much, so higher. Lower, you still get major bend. I am not in favor at all so not my thing.

Now that I look at pictures, not so sure what I saw. I just saw two players with it high, and many the other, low. Now not so sure. I will do some more looking. That is why I am asking.

It could be a height-age thing, baseball/softball.

My father (Catching Coach - Aka Dave Weaver) covered this subject a while back after talking to the guy who sold the patent rights to the major sports equipment company. His name is Dr. Farrago from Maine.


"Running a camp for catchers as I do this is a very common question I am asked. My own 2 sons have never liked them, never wore them. Of the 105 catchers that were at my 2 weeks of summer camp more then 40 were wearing them.

The question that has always bothered me was what amount of research was done in the development of the knee savers regarding catchers, prolonged squatting, and eventual knee damage.

To get that answer I spoke at lengh with the doctor that designed them,patented them in 1991, and sold the rights to Easton. Dr Farrago is a doctor in Maine. What I learned was that there was no specific study done relating to catchers or sports at all. All of the research that was done, and conclusions drawn, from work done with coal miners. You know, 6 ft tall miners in a 4ft high caves, lotsa squatting going on there for sure.

The application for catchers was a spinoff from that research, and when it was applied to catchers it was initially applied to older MLB catchers with existing bad knees.

Dr Farrago was very clear that no studies were ever done regarding the preventitive value of wearing them as a youth catcher, (ages 9-12).

He also made it very clear that they MUST be worn on the lower strap settings to avoid putting pressure on the back side of the knee joint.

I then asked him whether it is the mere act of repeated squatting that causes this damage, seeing that the knee is designed to bend that way. My illustration was why are their entire Asian cultures that spend more time in a catchers squat position as a daily routine and never have knee problems? Elderly people in these cultures are in that position for hours a day, they do not seem to need Knee Savers. Dr Farrago has thought about that situation himself and does not have a medical reason why they do not suffer from this "catcher specific" problem. He questioned whether it may have to do with the fact that from childhood these people sit that way, but he was not sure.

So it is clear that many older adult catchers have been able to lengthen careers after knee injuries with Knee Savers, the rest is still up in the air for me."

I will also say that having spoken with a few orthopedic surgeons from the Boston area, one of the conclusions they have drawn for why those in Asian culture do not experience a significant increase in degenerative knee disorders is because a lot of the damage that is done to catcher's knees occurs because of the constant up-and-down motion, many times exploding out of that position. Not necessarily from just getting into those stances.

However, one of the things Dr. Farrago was adement about was NOT wearing the kneesavers in any other place than the lower straps. He mentioned that if they are positioned directly behind the knee, it is as if you took a tennis ball and duct-taped it to the back of your knee. Now go ahead and get into a crouch. Certainly more comfortable with a set of kneesavers, but the same result...You are pulling the knee joint apart from the back. The number of things that can go wrong here in youth knees is incredible.

 

[chinamigarden]

I have always been of the opinion that if they are on shin guards, then they are on the wrong straps.

 

[FPMark]

Knee savers, when worn properly in the lower straps, can help prevent knee problems. When catchers are in the correct stance as taught by the NECC (feet flat on the ground), they are not necessary and not used. However, between pitches watch what the catcher does. Between pitches they will come up on their toes. When on the toes, the butt is overhanging the ankles. The muscles on the back of the lower leg contact the muscles on the back of the upper leg and try to separate the knee, same as knee savers installed in the upper straps. Sometimes you will see some catchers go to their knees and 'bounce' to get back up on their toes. It works with little effort, but it's torture on the knees. Knee savers give another point for the weight to be distributed further down the lower leg and up the upper leg so less stress is put on the knee while squatting on the toes. I would not say they were useless.

 

[absdad]

Definitely should be on the lower straps. Putting them up high, pulls the knee apart, and that's not a good thing. I DO believe that new catchers should start off using them. They serve a purpose, to help support the weight of the catcher, if their leg muscles are not strong enough to support them. Catchers should be doing leg exercises to help prevent injuries, and to increase their leg strength. As soon as their leg strength is built up enough, the savers should be ditched. The catcher is more agile without them.

 

[FPMark]

Screwball, I looked at your links and see what you mean. The first link sounds like someone trying to explain how to use something he has no expirience with. The Easton ad shows them on shingaurds that appear to only have two straps. They are listed as adult size so maybe they are different than the ones I see used. They also look really big, not sure I like those. The ones in the Macgregor ad are shown the way I would recommend useing them.

I think alot of the confusion comes from the fact that they are not doing anything during the proper receiving stance of the catcher, so they move them up, which causes more harm than good. Seems like the original designer (Dr. Farrago) understood this, but it may not be understood by the marketing team at all the companies selling them.

 

[chazbz1]

We have tried knee savers and ultimately the dd decided against them. If the goal is to reduce stress to the knee itself, then the primary focus should be to utilize effective stances. Coach Weaver's multiple stances are a key factor in reducing stress to the knee, this plus using ergonomic methods of coming out the stance to throw or block are the catcher's best tools to combat stress to the knee joint. Knee savers will aid mostly in the catcher's comfort level and may reduce stress to some degree. They also tend to cause the catcher's shin guards to roll during blocking. Bottom line is that knee savers are not a substitute for proper stances.

If the goal is to maintain balance, we have seen knee savers aid some catchers with balance issues. Maintaining balance is mostly a temporary issue for young female athletes going through a "growth cycle." Their legs may be fully grown and the upper body still to grow, or the lower section of the legs may have grown while the upper leg section still to grow. (Or some combination thereof) Many young females nearly have to learn to walk all over again. Some of my catchers have used knee savers to assist their balance as they utilize proper stances.

Chaz @ Advanced Catching Concepts