Augmented feedback system to support physical therapy of non-specific low back pain

Low back pain is an important problem in industrialized countries. Two key factors limit the effectiveness of physiotherapy: low compliance of patients with repetitive movement exercises, and inadequate awareness of patients of their own posture. The Backtrainer system addresses these problems by real-time monitoring of the spine position, by providing a framework for most common physiotherapy exercises for the low back, and by providing feedback to patients in a motivating way. A minimal sensor configuration was identified as two inertial sensors that measure the orientation of the lower back at two points with three degrees of freedom. The software was designed as a flexible platform to experiment with different hardware, and with various feedback modalities. Basic exercises for two types of movements are provided: mobilizing and stabilizing. We developed visual feedback - abstract as well as in the form of a virtual reality game - and complemented the on-screen graphics with an ambient feedback device. The system was evaluated during five weeks in a rehabilitation clinic with 26 patients and 15 physiotherapists. Subjective satisfaction of subjects was good, and we interpret the results as encouraging indication for the adoption of such a therapy support system by both patients and therapists.

Schlagwörter

Fachgebiet (DDC)

600 - Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften

Projekt

Veranstaltung

International Joint Conference BIOSTEC 2009

Startdatum der Ausstellung

Enddatum der Ausstellung

Startdatum der Konferenz

14.01.2010

Enddatum der Konferenz

17.01.2010

Datum der letzten Prüfung

ISBN

ISSN

1865-0929
1865-0937

Sprache

Englisch

Während FHNW Zugehörigkeit erstellt

Ja

Zukunftsfelder FHNW

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Begutachtung

Peer-Review der ganzen Publikation

Open Access-Status

Closed

Lizenz

Zitation

BRODBECK, Dominique, Markus DEGEN, Michael STANIMIROV, Jan KOOL, Mandy SCHEERMESSER, Peter OESCH und Cornelia NEUHAUS, 2010. Augmented feedback system to support physical therapy of non-specific low back pain. In: Ana FRED, Joaquim FILIPE und Hugo GAMBOA (Hrsg.), Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies. Porto: Springer. 2010. S. 381–393. Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS), 52. Verfügbar unter: https://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/47358

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