ABSTRACT
Padding reduces the potential for immediate and cumulative trauma. At least that is the idea behind incorporating padding into many products. However, the padding must be designed properly to ensure it delivers the intended level of protection. Bicycle seats are padded for comfort’s sake, but also to reduce pressure on male and female anatomy “down there” that can lead to pain and various physical dysfunctions. Some of the safer trampolines have padded perimeters to protect jumpers from direct impact with the product’s frame, springs, and other hard or sharp components. The padding around basketball backboards serves the same purpose, protecting people with impressive jumping ability if they hit their head on the backboard. The internal padding extends the amount of time the head has to accelerate or decelerate depending on the impact scenario, with milliseconds sometimes making the difference between lesser versus greater harm.
