Browsing by Subject "Soft tissue manipulation"

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    A Handheld Quantifiable Soft Tissue Manipulation Device for Tracking Real-Time Dispersive Force-Motion Patterns to Characterize Manual Therapy Treatment
    (IEEE, 2023) Bhattacharjee, Abhinaba; Anwar, Sohel; Chien, Stanley; Loghmani, M. Terry; Physical Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading neuromusculoskeletal (NMSK) problems around the globe. Soft Tissue Manipulation (STM) is a force-based, non-invasive intervention used to clinically address NMSK pain conditions. Current STM practice standards are mostly subjective, suggesting an urgent need for quantitative metrics. This research aims at developing a handheld, portable smart medical device for tracking real-time dispersive force-motions to characterize manual therapy treatments as Quantifiable Soft Tissue Manipulation (QSTM). Methods: The device includes two 3D load-cells to quantify compressive and planar-shear forces, coupled with a 6 degrees-of-freedom IMU sensor for acquiring volitionally adapted therapeutic motions while scanning and mobilizing myofascial restrictions over larger areas of the body. These force-motions characterize QSTM with treatment parameters (targeted force, application angle, rate, direction, motion pattern, time) as a part of post-processing on a PC software (Q-Ware©). A human case study was conducted to treat LBP as proof-of-concept for the device's clinical usability. Results: External validation of treatment parameters reported adequate device precision required for clinical use. The case study findings revealed identifiable therapeutic force-motion patterns within treatments indicating subject's elevated force-endurance with self-reported pain reduction. Conclusion: QSTM metrics may enable study of STM dosing for optimized pain reduction and functional outcomes using documentable manual therapy. Clinical trials will further determine its reliability and comparison to conventional STM. Significance: This medical device technology not only advances the state-of-the-art manual therapy with precision rehabilitation but also augments practice with reproducibility to examine neurobiological responses of individualized STM prescriptions for NMSK pathology.
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    Quantifiable Soft Tissue Manipulation (QSTM): A Requisite to Advance the Field of Manual Therapy
    (2017) Loghmani, Marry Terry; Neff, Bruce; Alotaibi, Ahmed M; Anwar, Sohel; Chien, Stanley; March, Keith; Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
    Quantifiable soft tissue manipulation (QSTM) that can characterize the motion and forces delivered during soft tissue examination and treatment of common musculoskeletal (MS) conditions in a real-time and clinically applicable manner is needed to achieve optimal outcomes. Soft tissue manipulation (STM), e.g. massage, is a type of mechanotherapy that has been used with benefit frequently by clinicians worldwide since ancient times. Instrument-assisted STM (IASTM) is a type of STM that uses rigid devices to assess and treat soft tissue abnormalities in a targeted and precise manner. Remarkably, however, the forces delivered during STM approaches have not been adequately quantified. Unlike other mechano-therapeutic approaches, e.g. ultrasound, traction, exercise, electrical stimulation, current manual therapy practice relies mostly on subjective description of STM evaluation findings and treatment parameters. This makes documentation, analysis, comparison, progression and optimization of this non-invasive intervention difficult to establish and validate. It is the authors’ strong opinion that there is need for QSTM to objectively measure, characterize and record the 3-dimensional (3D) forces and motion trajectories of STM evaluation and intervention. Innovative technology aimed to help address this void in research, educational and clinical practice has been developed by our research team and introduced in this article. The QSTM system has two components: an electronic, handheld device (applicator) for 3D characterization of force and a computer with software for data acquisition and analysis. Preliminary testing has demonstrated that the QSTM prototype can provide accurate sensed values and good intra-, inter-rater reliability. Device revisions are in progress and further testing is planned in animals and humans. QSTM is an essential technology needed for the standardization, comparison and optimization of STM therapies and a requisite to advance the field of manual therapy.