The Leatt-Brace is a neck brace designed to help reduce neck injuries in helmeted sports, including Supercross, motocross, enduro, roadracing, downhill-type mountain biking, BMX, ATV, street riding, karting, and snowmobiling.[1] The brace is marketed and distributed worldwide by the Leatt Corporation, a Nevada corporation with its administrative office based in Cape Town, South Africa.[2]
South African inventor Dr. Christopher Leatt filed his first neck-brace-related patent in 2003. [3]
The Leatt-Brace is designed to work only when worn in conjunction with the full-face helmets typically used in the aforementioned activities. The brace uses what the inventor calls Alternative Load Path Technology to help absorb and disperse injury-producing forces.[4] The brace is designed to limit hyperflexion, hyperextension, lateral hyperflexion and posterior hypertranslation, which are extreme forward, backward, sideways, and rearward movement of the head on the neck.[5] Although the brace cannot protect against pure axial compression of the spine, it is designed to help minimize such loading, when coupled with one of the extreme movements above.[6]
In 2009, the Leatt-Brace received C/E approval, which is granted by European Union law. Gaining CE approval for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) includes adhering to basic health and safety requirements as well as performance requirements. The Leatt-Brace was approved based on a review of the concept, design, operation and testing of the brace, and chemical analysis of brace components.