| 摘要 |
A limb protector comprising outer shell knee and/or shin elements that are conto ured to the underlying leg and which maybe pivotally coupled to one another. Padding is positioned between the leg and the outer shell(s) and may be formed of a shock absorbent fo am, a plurality of interconnected fluid filled cushions, or a combination thereof. The padding m ay be coupled to the outer shell shin element so as to create a gap between itself and the outer shell shin element. Alternatively, the padding may positioned on the lateral and medial sides of the outer shell knee element to cradle the underlying leg. The outer shell shin element comprises a r aised groove element protruding outward from the shin to form a shin-knee transition cavity l ocated between the shin-knee transition of the leg and the outer shell shin element. The outer shell knee element comprises a centrally positioned domed element protruding outward from the knee generally overlying the patella and may also overlie the shin-knee transition area. The ou ter shell knee element may also have a tongue element extending downward toward the ankle so as to interlock within the raised groove element. The padding element may comprise a U -shaped opening positioned underneath the raised groove and above the shin-knee transiti on of the leg and an elongated flange element in overlapping configuration with a portion of t he padding that is located below the U-shaped opening. The padding element and the outer shell e lement(s) are configured so that the shin-knee transition area and the patella do not absorb f orce.
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