A company called dorsaVi produces a device called a ViMove that attaches to your spine and records your movements. The idea is to help a patient identify which positions or activities are causing him or her back pain. Using this data, as a form of bio-feedback, a back pain suffer can change his or her patterns and have fewer symptoms. This seems logical, but it also sounds a whole lot like nonsense. Too often people have turned to machines and other gizmos to solve intractable problems. But, new research suggests that the ViMove might really work. 112 patients took part in a study comparing ViMove to a placebo. The results, published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders showed that between 35% and 47% of the non-placebo group showed improvement. You can already get this treatment in Europe and Australia. Approval is still pending in the United States. It will be interesting to see if the ViMove sensors encourage people to be even more sedentary. This could occur if there is patients have ever more direct feedback about what causes them pain. If these patients avoid anything that causes symptoms, that would seem to lead to atrophy and even more adverse consequences. All in all, this sounds more like science fiction than science. But, perhaps this is a good way to modify harmful behaviors.
A New Way To Deal With Back Pain?
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