Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/826827
June 2017 | ISE Magazine 13 Multiple medical conditions cause stiff muscles, but doctors don't have an objective, foolproof way to measure such creaky tissue. This means those who suffer from cerebral palsy, stroke and multiple sclerosis often receive doses of medication that are too low or too high. But researchers at the University of California San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital have developed new wearable sensors and robotics technology that could accurately measure muscle stiffness during physical exams. "Many clinical exams and procedures are very subjective and rely on measurements that are done with a physician's hands," said Andrew Skalsky, director of the Division of Re- habilitation Medicine at Rady Children's Hospital. "We often make major medical decisions and diagnoses based on touch and feel. With this technology, we can start to develop objec- tive measurements for subjective processes." The level of muscle stiffness, known as spasticity, is typically evaluated using the six-point Modified Ashworth Scale. But its subjective ratings can vary from doctor to doctor and can be skewed by patient feedback, Skalsky said, leading to inef- fective, low doses or potentially dangerous overdoses. Doctors can wear the regular sports glove equipped with more than 300 pressure sensors that measure the force re- quired to move a patient's limb. A motion sensor measures how fast the limb moves. A computer crunches the data to provide a numerical reading that calculates the actual power required to move a patient's limb – the more power needed, the more severe the patient's spasticity. Preliminary results show the glove provides better con- sistency than existing spasticity assessments. The technology could help doctors who rely on touch and feel to evaluate con- ditions that include spine health, the severity of hip dislocation in infants, rehabilitation therapy and physical therapy. Measuring stiffness with a glove Sensors could help doctors take guesswork out of physical exams Because of such high-profile public relations problems, air travelers might not view the industry as being in great shape. But Headley said most airlines offer inducements for voluntary deplan- ings, never resorting to violence. In fact, writing for Forbes the same weekend police hauled Dr. David Dao off the United flight, Laura Begley Bloom detailed how Delta paid her fam- ily $11,000 in one weekend not to fly to Florida. Such common tactics could have saved United a lot of grief and bad PR. While federal regulations require air- lines to give bumped passengers vary- ing levels of compensation depending on circumstances, there are no limits, Headley said. United passengers could have asked for a little more. United officials could have taken charge and offered extra. "You don't think there's somebody else on the airplane who wouldn't have gotten off for $2,000?" Headley asked. "[United] could have given the guy $10,000, could have given him a million dollars and been better off. They could have given him an astronomical amount of money and been better off than the publicity they got out of this." Doctors can wear an experimental glove to measure muscle stiffness in patients suffering from stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and other muscle control disorders. Photo courtesy Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications