spineangel

using biofeedback to prevent recurring back pain

Our objective at Lifestyle Therapies is to get to the root causes of your complaint, not just treat the symptoms.

Recurrent and chronic back and neck pain is often caused by cumulative fatigue brought on by poor postures and poor bending and lifting technique. Spineangel is a simple device that uses an audible biofeedback to teach and reinforce good posture.

Good posture reduces the weight bearing load on the spine to relieve back pain. By wearing Spineangel for one week, patients are astonished at how they perform everyday activities such tidying or emptying the dishwasher is adding to their back pain. Spineangel can be hired for as little as $70 for one week, which the research has shown is adequate for most people to recognise and modify poor movement.

Call Lifestyle Therapies on 07 3396 9111 to make an appointment at our Manly West clinic with physiotherapist John Havill today. Make sure you let reception know it's for Spineangel assessment and fitting so we can reserve one especially for you. You will need to allow for an intial assessment and fitting and one follow up session a week later.

Lifestyle Therapies Case Studies:

See Catherine's case who after three years of persistent low back pain, pain levels went from 7/10 to 1/10 after one week of wearing Spineangel. Then there was Maria, who suffered recurring low back pain. After wearing Spineangel for only a few days Maria identified that as a primary school teacher she was constantly bending down to the level of the children which was contributing significantly to her back pain. By using a small stool or bending down on one keen along with other changes made during the week, Maria's pain levels went from 8/10 to 1/10.

(See the December, 2011 Newsletter for details on physiotherapist John Havill and Spineangel and the January, 2012 Medico's Newsletter for a more scientific explanation with a case study.)

Click for larger image

How Different Postures Effect Spinal Loading.

Poor postures place increased load on the spine as can be seen from the following tasks (click on the chart for a larger image)...

The following table shows the loading in Kg that is placed on the spine in various positions.

So for instance, when standing, the load on the spine is 75Kg, but bending forward doubles the load to 150Kg. So the data shows that maintaining good posture can take huge amounts of stress off the spine and reduce spinal degeneration and back pain.

The biggest impact from poor posture comes from repetitive and/or sustained postures.

A Solution To Spinal Loading and Back Pain.

Lifestyle Therapies physiotherapist, John Havill has developed a world leading posture correction device. One of the major challenges in learning how to move and sit with a healthy posture is being aware when you are doing it correctly and when you are not.

Spineangel is a medical device developed by John that has artificial intelligence and is all about gently reminding you when your posture is contributing to your back pain. It knows when you are sitting and when you are standing or bending or moving in a way that's causing injury to your back and contributing to back pain .

One of the things that makes Spineangel unique is that it measures the times or duration that the spine is being placed under extra load.

The graph below shows the average time a person was maintaining postures that put their back at risk of injury. The dark blue lines show the response to biofeedback from wearing the Spinangel. The behavioural changes in posture and movement as a result of wearing the device resulted in around a two thirds reduction in back strain.

So, whether you want to continue to enjoy activities such as golf, bowls or sailing, well into your senior years or simply break the cycle of chronic back pain, Spineangel maybe the best treatment option for you.

Seeing Spineangel In Action.

Incorrect bending produces an audible beep (below left) to encourage correct bending posture (below right).

Incorrect lifting produces an audible beep (below left) to encourage correct lifting technique (below right).

Poor seating posture will also produce an audible beep (below left) to encourage the right seating posture (below right).

Seen here to the left, Spineangel clips neatly to the belt and is worn on the hip.

What is Spineangel?
It's an advanced motion detector that clips on your belt and provides an audible warning with repeated bending or twisting or poor sitting postures.

What does Spineangel do?
It gently prompts you to sit, bend and lift with good posture.

Why is this important?
Poor sustained postures are one of the major contributors to chronic and recurrent back pain. If you can correct poor posture and movement patterns, then you can reduce your back pain and reduce the risk of recurrence.

How does it work?
Spineangel™ is exceptionally smart. It contains a number of tiny accelerometers that measure movement, time and angles which is all analysed with intelligent software.  It is programmed to sound gentle warnings when your posture might be causing injury to your back. It does this by using something called biofeedback. Biofeedback is an established learning method, whereby a person learns how to control a bodily function through measurement and feedback. In the case of Spineangel™ the feedback is an audible beep to sound a warning to encouraging behaviour change.

How do I use it?
It simply clips to your belt. There are no wires or sticky sensor pads. It is fully automated and once turned on, goes to work.

How long do I need to wear the Spineangel™?
The research showed that people decreased their spinal load in as little as two days after they started wearing it. At Lifestyle Therapies, we hire Spineangel out for $70 for one week which provides adequate time for most people to modify their behaviour for the better. In fact, many users comment that they still hear the beeps even weeks after it’s been returned, that’s how effective biofeedback can be.  

See Lifestyle Therapies case study showing outcome for recurrent low back pain after using Spinengel for one week.

References:

NZ Journal of Physiotherapy – March 2008, Vol. 36 (1).

Case Report:

A novel approach to managing graduated return to spinal loading in patients with low back pain using the spineangel® device: a case series report. Stuart J. Horton, DipPhty, PGDManipPhty, DipMDT, J. Haxby Abbott, PhD, MScPT.

Man Ther. 2010 Apr;15(2):160-6. The Spineangel: Examining the validity and reliability of a novel clinical device for monitoring trunk motion. Intolo P et al. doi

Ergonomics. 2011 Jul;54(7):672-7. The reliability and accuracy of an electromagnetic motion analysis system when used conjointly with an accelerometer. Ribeiro DC et al doi

Ergonomics. 2011 Jul;54(9):858-865. Cumulative postural exposure measured by a novel device: a preliminary study. Ribeiro DC et al doi

Annals of Occupational Hygiene. Feb 2012. Dose-response relationship for cumulative work postural exposure and low back pain: A systematic review. Ribeiro, D.C.; Sole, G.; Abbott, J.H.; Milosavljevic, S.

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