背景:下腰痛(LBP)是一个重要的公共卫生问题,可导致个人和社会的身体残疾和经济负担。物理治疗是有效的管理LBP,包括姿势和运动的评估,旨在改变姿势和运动的干预措施,和锻炼处方。然而,物理治疗师在客观评估下背部姿势和运动以及监测锻炼方面的工具有限,这种评估仅限于临床治疗的时间范围。需要一种有效的工具,该工具可用于评估下背部姿势和运动并监测诊所外的锻炼。为了满足这一需求,基于织物的,可穿戴传感器,运动磁带(MT),是为低后用例开发和改编的。MT是低调的,一次性的,自粘,皮肤应变传感器通过直接在商用运动学胶带上喷涂压阻石墨烯纳米复合材料而开发。
目的:本研究的目的是(1)验证MT用于测量下背部姿势和运动,以及(2)评估MT对用户的可接受性。
方法:对10名没有LBP的参与者进行了测试。使用3D光学运动捕获系统作为参考标准来测量低背运动学。回射标记和MT矩阵放置在下背部,以在矢状的下背部运动期间同时测量运动学(运动捕获)和应变(MT),额叶,和轴向平面。计算互相相关系数,以评估每次运动过程中参考运动捕获运动学中MT应变的并发有效性。在实验室测试后,使用与每位参与者进行的半结构化访谈来评估MT的可接受性。使用快速定性分析对访谈数据进行分析,以确定用户可接受性的主题和子主题。
结果:对并发MT应变和下背运动学的目视检查表明,MT可以区分不同的运动方向。MT应变和运动捕获运动学之间的相互关系系数范围为-0.915至0.983,并且相关性的强度在MT放置和低后运动方向上有所不同。关于用户可接受性,参与者表达了对MT的热情,并认为这将有助于LBP的远程干预,但提供了改进建议。
结论:MT能够区分不同的下背部运动,大多数MT与运动捕捉运动学表现出中等到高度的相关性。MT的初步实验室验证为未来的设备改进提供了基础,这还将涉及在自由生活环境中进行测试。总的来说,用户发现MT可用于理疗以管理LBP.
BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is a significant public health problem that can result in physical disability and financial burden for the individual and society. Physical therapy is effective for managing LBP and includes evaluation of posture and movement, interventions directed at modifying posture and movement, and prescription of exercises. However, physical therapists have limited tools for objective evaluation of low back posture and movement and monitoring of exercises, and this evaluation is limited to the time frame of a clinical encounter. There is a need for a valid tool that can be used to evaluate low back posture and movement and monitor exercises outside the clinic. To address this need, a fabric-based, wearable sensor, Motion Tape (MT), was developed and adapted for a low back use case. MT is a low-profile, disposable, self-adhesive, skin-strain sensor developed by spray coating piezoresistive graphene nanocomposites directly onto commercial kinesiology tape.
OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this
study were to (1) validate MT for measuring low back posture and movement and (2) assess the acceptability of MT for users.
METHODS: A total of 10 participants without LBP were tested. A 3D optical motion capture system was used as a reference standard to measure low back kinematics. Retroreflective markers and a matrix of MTs were placed on the low back to measure kinematics (motion capture) and strain (MT) simultaneously during low back movements in the sagittal, frontal, and axial planes. Cross-correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the concurrent validity of MT strain in reference motion capture kinematics during each movement. The acceptability of MT was assessed using semistructured interviews conducted with each participant after laboratory testing. Interview data were analyzed using rapid qualitative analysis to identify themes and subthemes of user acceptability.
RESULTS: Visual inspection of concurrent MT strain and kinematics of the low back indicated that MT can distinguish between different movement directions. Cross-correlation coefficients between MT strain and motion capture kinematics ranged from -0.915 to 0.983, and the strength of the correlations varied across MT placements and low back movement directions. Regarding user acceptability, participants expressed enthusiasm toward MT and believed that it would be helpful for remote interventions for LBP but provided suggestions for improvement.
CONCLUSIONS: MT was able to distinguish between different low back movements, and most MTs demonstrated moderate to high correlation with motion capture kinematics. This preliminary laboratory validation of MT provides a basis for future device improvements, which will also involve testing in a free-living environment. Overall, users found MT acceptable for use in physical therapy for managing LBP.