Wearable technology for spine movement assessment: A systematic review
Enrica Papi1, Woon Senn Koh2, Alison H McGregor2
1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Journal of Biomechanics
|November 6, 2017
Summary
Wearable technology shows promise for monitoring spine movement, aiding low back pain research. Current systems are often cumbersome, but advancements are expected for real-world analysis of spine kinematics and kinetics.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Wearable Technology
Background:
- Continuous spine movement monitoring is crucial for understanding low back pain.
- Wearable technologies offer a viable alternative to laboratory-based movement analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of wearable technology for assessing spine kinematics and kinetics.
- To identify trends, limitations, and future directions in this field.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across four electronic databases and reference lists.
- Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data, and assessed study quality.
- Twenty-two articles met the inclusion criteria, with 10 deemed high quality.
Main Results:
- Accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers were the most common sensors (15/22).
- Most studies focused on lumbar spine sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics, with limited real-life data collection (6/22).
- Systems often involved wired sensors, leading to cumbersome setups.
Conclusions:
- Wearable technology is applicable for spine assessment, though still in early development.
- Further research is needed to refine sensor systems and enable more widespread real-world application.
