Biodegradable splints for hospitals to be used for sports injuries

Woodcast, a biodegradable material made from wood and biopolymers, originally developed to replace the plaster casts traditionally used in hospitals, can also be used for sports injuries. 

The material, invented by Finnish company Onbone, is now used in a wide array of usage areas.

Injuries of varying degrees happen all the time in sports. Many of them can be treated on site simply with supports of different kinds. These supports can be rigid, uncomfortable and not very eco-friendly. Woodcast offers a method to make supports that are thin enough that they can fit in shoes.

Jimmy Takki, CEO of Onbone, said: “Only a hairdryer or heat gun is needed to shape the splint so that it fits perfectly, and optimally supports the injured area or the area that needs support for some other reason. As splints made of Woodcast are light and compact, they can always be at hand for the medical team, no matter where in the world the team is competing or training. The material can also easily be removed or reshaped simply by warming it up again.”

To speed up the development of sporting solutions using Woodcast, Onbone has joined forces with the Finnish Olympic Committee and its team of athletes, doctors, physiotherapists and coaches.

Takki added: “Woodcast is not only about immobilising and shielding broken bones or twisted fingers, but also about preventing damages. Many injuries can be prevented if the athletes use individually shaped, lightweight supports of just the right stiffness. There are many competing products of this kind, but unlike Woodcast, very few of them can be formed for an exact fit or have such a large scale of different areas of use. Being made from wood and biopolymers, Woodcast is also environmentally sound.”

Onbone has already developed a new type of ankle and wrist braces, but other sporting aids can be developed with the material.

Kerkko Visuri, chief digital officer at Onbone, said: “To improve my swimming technique, I have recently received a laser-cut pair of swim paddles made from Woodcast. The material is easy to shape so that the paddles exactly fit my hands.”

The fact that Woodcast can be used also in water, makes it interesting in many outdoor disciplines. It is also a reason to why the Finnish Olympic Committee is now a key partner to Onbone regarding product development of new sporting aids.

Takki said: “This co-operation ensures that the product development will cover a broad scale of needs in different disciplines. Our splints and heaters will also be at the Finnish team’s disposal in the next Olympics in Tokyo and Beijing.”

According to the Olympic Committee, the co-operation with Onbone is all about improving the safety of all athletes.

Ville Köngäs, marketing manager at the Finnish Olympic Committee, said: “We support everything that can prevent sports injuries and that can help in treating them rapidly if they occur. Onbone has just the right expertise, products and technology for this purpose. Woodcast is important to us also, because we want to reduce the environmental impact of sport.”