Nearly every baseball player who plays the catcher position experiences some sort of knee pain before they even step foot on a high school diamond. Many are unable to even get to high school while playing the position full-time. Catchers are lucky to get through all four years without some sort of physical therapy, extensive time off, or, oftentimes, complete knee surgeries. I am a catcher who, like many others, has faced severe knee pain in both legs before the age of 18. The common short-term solution is to invest in a knee brace. However, knee braces are expensive and rarely work comfortably in an active setting. This is why I chose to take on the challenge of creating a personal brace that fits all of my needs in a cost-effective manner. This project took months of research to understand a multitude of extremely complex anatomical and mechanical systems. Because of this knowledge, the design phase of this project went fairly quickly, from initial sketches to digital drawings and finally to fabric stencils. However, the production element was less smooth. Things kept breaking, which meant I had to use alternative, less time-efficient methods. For instance, I was forced to sew the entire brace by hand. Through the setbacks, I am extremely happy with my final product. I achieved everything I wanted to achieve with the brace. I also filmed my entire process and produced it into a YouTube-style video for public enjoyment or anyone who feels hopeless, facing similar circumstances.

https://youtu.be/8qWvV7-Ew24