DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE BIOMECHANICALLY THE SPINAL COLUMN IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Cláudia Quaresma, Mário Forjaz Secca, João O’Neill, Jorge Branco

2009

Abstract

The incidence of problems related to rachialgiae is so frequent and usual that it must be studied as if it were an epidemic and social disease (Knoplich, 2003). Instruments that evaluate the spinal column in a standing position, in a global way, are needed to attain a better insight into this problem. This work presents a completely safe instrument to assess the evolution of all the vertebra locations throughout time, in order to study the biomechanical changes in women during pregnancy. A mechanical system, registered as Vertebral Metrics, with the objective of evaluating the curvatures and lateral deviations of the spinal column in the standing position was built. A measuring part, which is the body of the instrument, and a supporting part, where the previous part is mounted, constitute the new non-invasive instrument. The measuring part consists of 17 identical adjustable mechanical blocks that allow us to reproduce the position of each vertebra of the spinal column, from the first cervical vertebra to the first sacral vertebra. Vertebral Metrics was originally planned and built to be applied to pregnant women. However, after redefining dimensions of the different parts it can be applied to any type of population, in the future.

References

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Paper Citation


in Harvard Style

Quaresma C., Forjaz Secca M., O’Neill J. and Branco J. (2009). DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE BIOMECHANICALLY THE SPINAL COLUMN IN PREGNANT WOMEN . In Proceedings of the International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices - Volume 1: BIODEVICES, (BIOSTEC 2009) ISBN 978-989-8111- 64-7, pages 310-313. DOI: 10.5220/0001779903100313


in Bibtex Style

@conference{biodevices09,
author={Cláudia Quaresma and Mário Forjaz Secca and João O’Neill and Jorge Branco},
title={DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE BIOMECHANICALLY THE SPINAL COLUMN IN PREGNANT WOMEN},
booktitle={Proceedings of the International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices - Volume 1: BIODEVICES, (BIOSTEC 2009)},
year={2009},
pages={310-313},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0001779903100313},
isbn={978-989-8111- 64-7},
}


in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - Proceedings of the International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices - Volume 1: BIODEVICES, (BIOSTEC 2009)
TI - DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT TO EVALUATE BIOMECHANICALLY THE SPINAL COLUMN IN PREGNANT WOMEN
SN - 978-989-8111- 64-7
AU - Quaresma C.
AU - Forjaz Secca M.
AU - O’Neill J.
AU - Branco J.
PY - 2009
SP - 310
EP - 313
DO - 10.5220/0001779903100313