Back pain or restrictions in the ability to move are among the major common diseases and represent a significant restriction in the quality of life. Patients mainly suffer from non-specific back pain. Accordingly, conservative treatment methods play an important role, since surgical therapy is often not effective. In this case, careful diagnosis or measurement of the spine forms an important basis for the treatment of back pain. MediMouse enables a radiation-free, non-invasive, apparative measurement of the spine, which serves as a basis or planning for a specific back treatment. MediMouse is a measuring device for computer-assisted representation and examination of the shape and mobility of the spine in both the sagittal (Latin “sagitta”: arrow; when looking vertically at the sagittal plane, one is looking at a lateral view of the body, sagittal corresponds to the meaning “running from front to back.) and frontal body planes. The MediMouse offers significant advantages in terms of accuracy, objectivity and presentation of the measured values. In addition, a good cost-benefit ratio is worth mentioning (low cost with high benefit); furthermore, the system is very user- and patient-friendly.
Indications (areas of application)
Precise measurement of the spine for diagnosis and therapy of back pain in the following medical fields:
- Physical and rehabilitative medicine
- Manual medicine, chiropractic
- Orthopedics
- Rheumatology
- Neurology
- Preventive medicine
- Sports medicine
- School and company doctors
- Ergonomics, occupational medicine
- Osteopathy
- Health-oriented and medical fitness centers or wellness
Contraindications
There are no contraindications to examination with MediMouse.
The procedure
The procedure provides an uncomplicated and sound measurement. The MediMouse is manually guided along the patient’s spine from the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebra (C7) to the spinous process of the 3rd sacral vertebra (S3), recording the length and contour of the spine.Length is recorded using light reflection from the MediMouse’s large impeller at 2 data points per millimeter. The electronic 3D sensors simultaneously record the local inclination relative to the perpendicular in all three planes of space at 400 scans per second. This information is transmitted to the PC via Bluetooth and evaluated by the software. For example:
- Back length
- Inclination relative to perpendicular (while the pelvis remains in an upright position, the patient bends forward maximally; opposite of reclination)
- Kypho- and lordosis of individual sections of the spine (kyphosis is a dorsal (posterior) convex curvature of the spine in the sagittal plane. It is the opposite of lordosis: to ventral (front) convex curvature of the spine in the sagittal plane).
- Segmental (spinal segments) angle.
- Pelvic position
Taking into account anthropometric data (anthropometry is the study of the determination and application of the dimensions of the human body) and local curvatures of the superficial shape of the back (kyphosis or lordosis), the software calculates and places (using recursive algorithm) the relative position of each vertebral body. The anthropometric data is based on spine measurements in which the percentages of each vertebral body on the recorded back section were determined. Since kyphotic vertebral segments require more space than the collapsed lordotic vertebral segments due to dorsal unfolding, the local angular data are included in the positioning of the vertebral bodies. The final result is all vertebral positions in space, the angles of all motion segments of the thoracic and lumbar spine and the pelvic position. The good reliability (reliability is a measure of the formal accuracy or reliability of scientific measurements) and high validity (Latin “validus”: strong, effective; English “validity”: validity; The validity describes the argumentative weight of a statement, investigation or theory or measurement accuracy of a test with regard to a criterion.) in comparison with X-ray images have been proven many times in scientific studies.Furthermore, the system enables detailed monitoring of the patient’s progress: MediMouse manages different measurements of a patient so that changes in the course of therapy can be identified. The systematic recording or measurement of the spine enables the professional and successful implementation of an adapted therapy. Simple graphics serve as the basis for patient information and regular measurements illustrate progress in a way that is also comprehensible to the patient. During the course of treatment, all data is stored and detailed documentation can be created at any time for specialist colleagues or health insurance companies. Necessary therapies or measures can thus be documented in a comprehensible and well-founded manner. The MediMouse software contains a series of exercises for successful back training. They are individually compiled after taking the measurement data into account.
Possible complications
No complications are expected.
