Authors:
Cláudia Quaresma
1
;
Mário Forjaz Secca
1
;
João Goyri O’Neill
2
and
Jorge Branco
3
Affiliations:
1
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, UNL, Portugal
;
2
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNL, Portugal
;
3
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNL; Maternidade Dr. Alfredo da Costa, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Biomechanics, Spinal Column, Non-invasive instrument, Evaluation, Standing position, Pregnant women.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Biomechanical Devices
;
Biomedical Engineering
;
Biomedical Equipment
;
Biomedical Instruments and Devices
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). It was built a completely mechanically and non-invasive system, designed as Vertebral Metrics, which is able to identify the position x, y and z of each spine apophysis, from the first cervical vertebra to the first sacral vertebra in standing position. The measuring part is the “body” of the instrument, and the “support”. This devise was applied in a pregnant woman in four moments of the pregnancy: 12; 20, 32 and 37 weeks. In the second moment of the evaluation of the spine the curvatures decrease when compared with the other moments of the evaluation, where an increase of these curvatures, related to rachialgie, is evident.