In sports, injuries of varying degrees always occur. Many of them can be treated with hardened bandages of different types. The problem has been that these bandages are, in addition to being rigid, often uncomfortable and not very ecological. Woodcast offers a practical method of making bandages that are comfortable to wear and so thin that they fit on shoes, for example. Woodcast is a lightweight biodegradable wood and polymer material originally intended to replace plaster casts traditionally used in hospitals. Invented by the Finnish high-tech company Onbone, the material proved so versatile that it is now used in a wide variety of fields, including sports.

“A simple heat gun or hair dryer is enough to mold the splint so that it fits perfectly on the injured part or needs support for some other reason,” says Jimmy Takki, CEO of Onbone. “Because they are made from Woodcast, the splints are lightweight and compact, and the medical team can keep them on hand wherever the sports team is competing or training. The material can also be easily removed or remodeled simply by reheating it ”.

To accelerate the development of Woodcast-based sports solutions, Onbone has joined forces with the Finnish Olympic Committee and its team of athletes, doctors, physical therapists and coaches. “Woodcast doesn’t just immobilize and protect broken bones or crooked fingers, it also prevents damage,” says Takki. “Many injuries can be avoided if athletes wear lightweight, individually adjusted support bandages with precise stiffness. There are many products that compete with ours, but, unlike Woodcast, there are very few that can be adjusted precisely or that are of such wide application in other fields. Being made of wood and biopolymers, Woodcast is also an environmentally friendly material.

Onbone has already produced a new type of orthopedic anklets and wristbands, but there is a vast range of sports aids that can be made from this material. “I just got a pair of laser-cut Woodcast hand paddles to improve my swimming technique,” ​​says Kerkko Visuri, Onbone’s director of digital operations. “The material is easily molded, so the paddles are made to the exact size of my hands.”