D’s Knees design is different from conventional knee pads, and adjusting them correctly is important to get the best results. So please take a moment and follow these simple steps.
It is important to understand that the knee cap is designed to fit your knee when your are knee is bent during kneeling, so please sit down with your knees bent at 90 degrees or more.
1) Adjust all of the straps so they are at the maximum length.
2) Hold the knee pad against your shin so the wide (top) part covers the front of your knee, and the narrow end is touching your shin bone. The bottom of the cap should always stay in contact with your shin.
3) Connect the bottom strap, but do not “tighten” it. Think about adjusting the strap in terms of making it longer or shorter. Shorten the strap until it won’t slip over your calf, but so it is still fairly loose around your knee.
4) With only the bottom strap connected, stand up and take a few steps. Taking a few steps lets the knee cap settle based on the strap’s adjustment.
5) Next, try to kneel. If the top edge of the cap sticks out in front of your knee when kneeling, slightly loosen the bottom strap and test again. But if the cap is too low, shorten the bottom strap a little bit. Adjust the strap length in small increments of 1/2″ or less.
Loosening the straps causes the caps to sit lower on your knee, and shortening the strap causes it to sit higher on your knee. Most people will instinctively start with the straps too tight, so most of the time you will need to loosen the straps.
6) Once the bottom strap is adjusted, and the cap is landing in the correct position when you kneel, connect the upper strap. Keep the upper strap very loose. The upper strap is only intended to prevent the cap from flopping around. It should not be used to hold the cap on your knee!
The adjustment of the D’s Knees can seem a little fiddly at first, but that is just because the design is different and unfamiliar. Once you adjust them the first time and have worn them a few times it will all make sense! In my experience the straps hold their adjustment very well, so once you have them adjusted, you will not need to keep adjusting them!
The most common mistake is to make the straps too tight, which causes the caps to sit too high on the knee or pull the cap tight against your knee. You don’t either one of these! Getting the adjustment right does take a little getting used to, so when you first start to wear them, try to see how loose you can make the straps before the caps stop being held in the correct position. You may be surprised by how loose the straps can be!
If you put them on when your knee is straight, you may find it beneficial to lift up on your pant leg a little first. This is because the pant leg naturally slides up your leg when you bend your knee. If you don’t do this, your pant leg will be pulled tight when you kneel, and it may pull the knee cap out of position.
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