Quantitative Assessment of the Motion of the Lumbar Spine and Pelvis with Wearable Inertial Sensors

Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is a leading cause of disability with significant economic costs and severe psychological and social consequences. LBP patients also have the tendency to change the movement of the back and hold the pelvis rigid. Currently, the clinical assessment of a LBP patient is undertaken at a single point in time during clinic visits rather than through continuous monitoring. To monitor motion of the lumbar spine and pelvis, we have developed a wearable prototype sensor based on inertial sensor technology combined with the Body Sensor Network (BSN) platform. The device enables quantitative assessment of motion, especially the proportion of pelvic to lumbar movement. The developed device has been tested in a pilot study with healthy volunteers for a range of movements and results validated by optical tracking. This paper presents our approach and exemplifies the quantitative assessment of the lateral flexion movement. The next stage of the project will involve testing with patients.