Policy and Market Background

Obesity driven economy drives upgrading of sports, medical care, rehabilitation equipment

According to the "Report on Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)", the overweight and obesity rate among Chinese adults has exceeded 50% and is expected to reach 70% by 2030. Obesity related diseases (such as joint injury and diabetes) have led to a sharp increase in medical costs. Therefore, the government has promoted the "Weight Management Year" activity, emphasizing sports health and scientific weight loss.

On the other hand, the market penetration rate of traditional health foods and fitness equipment is approaching saturation (CR5>60%), while the demand for "integrated sports and rehabilitation equipment" for overweight individuals (BMI ≥ 28) is surging. In 2023, the market size of sports shoes and clothing in China will exceed 400 billion yuan, of which products with professional medical and nursing functions account for less than 5%. Clinical data shows that 80% of obese patients suffer from sports injuries due to excessive joint load, leading to compound annual growth in sub categories such as shock-absorbing knee pads and intelligent orthopedic insoles, with significant market potential.

Core pain points for overweight individuals

Why do we need sports rehabilitation equipment

1. Joint protection requirements

The pressure on the knee joints of overweight individuals during exercise and daily activities far exceeds that of ordinary people. For every 1kg increase in weight, the pressure on the knee joints during walking increases by 3-4 times. Ordinary footwear and equipment can only absorb 20% -50% of the impact force, while professional footwear and equipment for overweight individuals need to absorb 70-90% of the impact force, otherwise it can easily cause diseases such as arthritis and plantar fasciitis, seriously affecting their quality of life and exercise ability.

2. Contradiction between support and durability

During the process of sports rehabilitation, overweight individuals have strict and contradictory demands for the support efficiency and durability of shoe materials. From the perspective of sports mechanics, the foot requires strong support to disperse joint pressure, but traditional pressure resistant materials (such as high-density PU) can provide short-term stability, but due to insufficient breathability, sweat retention can occur, posing a risk of fungal infection; Lightweight breathable materials (such as EVA midsoles) can improve comfort, but they are prone to irreversible deformation and loss of support function after long-term compression.

3. Gait correction assistance

Due to the heavy weight burden, foot problems such as arch collapse and inward and outward turning are more common in overweight individuals, resulting in a gait abnormality rate of up to 40%. Abnormal gait can cause the center of gravity of the body to shift, increasing the uneven stress on the knee joints, ankle joints, and other areas, thereby exacerbating joint wear and damage. Therefore, it is necessary to design shoes/insoles with zoning (such as arch support area, forefoot buffer area, etc.), combined with biomechanical principles, to scientifically correct the gait of overweight individuals, reduce joint wear during walking, and lower the risk of sports injuries.

Solutions for overweight individuals

Advantages and Applications of ACF Artificial Cartilage Materials

ACF  Laboratory has created an innovative polymer impact resistant composite material, ACF artificial cartilage material, by mimicking the energy absorption characteristics of human knee cartilage. According to authoritative testing, ACF material has a maximum energy absorption of 97.1%, far exceeding traditional EVA and PU.

ACF material can be applied to professional functional shoes and insoles, rehabilitation medical equipment, protective pads, etc. It is of great help in daily knee care, medical rehabilitation assistance, especially in correcting various foot defects such as flat feet, inversion, and eversion. Its advantages are as follows:

1. Has excellent impact resistance performance

Absorb over 90% of knee impact force: Compared to traditional materials, ACF materials can reduce 90% of knee joint pressure during walking for overweight individuals, reducing the risk of joint damage due to long-term overload.

Professional shock-absorbing sports shoe protection, stress relieving joint protection

Foot brace protection, pressure reducing fixed support

Dynamic pressure adaptation: The material can adjust the energy absorption intensity in real time according to gait changes, especially suitable for the daily activity needs of people weighing 80-100kg, reducing joint damage caused by uneven pressure and promoting joint health.
Strong fatigue resistance: After 100000 compression tests, the performance retention rate still exceeds 90%, and the service life is three times that of ordinary EVA.

2. Can provide intelligent and comfortable experience

Temperature response technology: The material gradually softens with the temperature of the soles of the feet, providing soft support and wrapping for the knees and feet, enhancing the comfort of wearing for heavy weight individuals.

Partition pressure regulation: Differentiated density design is carried out in the arch support area and forefoot buffer area, combined with intelligent temperature regulation to improve the balance of plantar pressure.

3. Foot Health Protection System

Antibacterial and breathable composite layer: can be combined with breathable materials and added with antibacterial factors, effectively reducing foot stuffiness and odor problems while inhibiting bacterial growth and protecting foot health.

Gait correction assistance: Developed in collaboration with Southern Medical University and Foshan Third Class Hospital, through biomechanical design, it can improve the common problem of foot pronation in overweight individuals.

With the rising obesity rate and continued tightening of health policies, the market for specialized sports rehabilitation equipment for overweight individuals has experienced explosive growth. ACF artificial cartilage material, with its three major advantages of high energy absorption, intelligent regulation, and medical grade endorsement, is expected to fill the market gap and become a new benchmark for professional sports and medical rehabilitation shoes and equipment, providing more scientific health management solutions for over 1 billion obese people worldwide.