Wearable device for monitoring disability associated with Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability, prevalent in all countries and cultures with economic costs, severe psychological and sociological consequences. Difficulties in the management of LBP include: credibility of self-reported health and function surveys, accurate patient evaluation, identifying reassessment time and classification of patient groups. The most critical issue is the severity assessment during clinic visits instead of continuous monitoring at home or in the workplace. We foresee long-term monitoring of non-specific chronic LBP in natural environments through a wearable, unobtrusive device that monitors and assesses LBP related disability and correlates it to the reported level of pain experienced. The project In-House Monitoring of Low-BackPain related Disability (IMPAIRED) aims to design and develop a multi-sensor wearable prototype to monitor disability in movement of the lumbar spine and pelvis, sleep (circadian rhythm) as well as muscle fatigue and activity pattern. We have identified relevant movements correlating with disability associated with LBP, evaluated the suitability of inertial sensors to monitor the expected range of movement and proposed a sensor placement map. Next, we will conduct a pilot study to validate sensor location and selection which will facilitate the design of an initial prototype.