As a former contractor, Martijn Schaaper, founder of Ultraknee, knows what it’s like to work on your knees every day. He noted that many of his colleagues still experienced back and knee problems despite using protectors. Research also shows this. In the Netherlands, 11.6% of the population has chronic knee complaints and 21.6% regularly suffer from knee complaints.
He felt that this could not continue and started looking for a solution to this problem. A team of sports scientists and engineers has developed a knee protector in collaboration with TNO, TU Delft and The Hague University of Applied Sciences. We now know this protector as the Ultraknee Hammock 2.
A foam-only knee pad offers more comfort, but is not automatically better for the knees. The weight of the user largely determines the pressure on the sensitive parts of the knees. By placing a foam knee protector between the knee and the surface, the knee is temporarily relieved. The relatively thin foam compresses slowly and will provide little or no pressure distribution at maximum compression. The Ultraknee has a sturdy plastic insert, which is strong enough to distribute the pressure over the entire knee and retains its spring properties.
Measurements at TNO showed that the high peak pressure on the sensitive parts of the knee with the Ultraknee Hammock was much lower than that of foam knee pads. If the knees are worked on for a longer period of time, it is often the peak pressure that causes inflammation and therefore pain in the knee. Avoiding this peak pressure results in more lasting comfort and a reduction in complaints. That is why the big advantages of the Ultraknee Hammock are: it shapes to the knee, low pressure on the knee, is wear-resistant, lightweight design and optimal wearing comfort.
Test out the Ultraknee Hammock in one of our branches!
