SpineSync: Enabling Self-Tracking of Parkinson’s Disease Progression Through an IMU- Embedded Wearable Device

Overview

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting ~10,000,000 people worldwide. 86% of PD patients suffer from kyphosis, or curvature of the thoracic spine. Unlike an HbA1C test for diabetes or a lipid panel for cholesterol, PD patients lack similarly objective tools for tracking kyphosis, a proxy for progression of PD. Calculation of the Cobb angle using x -rays is the most accepted kyphosis quantification method, but high cost, radiation exposure, procedural error, an d low patient compliance hinder clinical adoption. In this work, we propose a noninvasive, IMU -embedded, wearable neoprene device to enable self - guided kyphosis tracking and spine visualization. Performance was validated by testing the device on 20 kyphoti c spinal positions (trials) using an anatomically -accurate skeleton, half directly on the spine, and the other half conducted by adding an interstitial layer simulating human flesh. In each trial, we classified the difference between the Cobb angle as meas ured by the device and calculated through a photograph as the Cobb error (CE). The mean Cobb error was found to be 2.295 degrees (95% CI 1.17 -3.425). Following a One Sample T Test (interobserver radiograph error= 3.3º, H 0: CE = 3.3º, H a < 3.3º, p<0.037), we rejected H 0, concluding that the device accurately tracks kyphosis and quantifies PD progression, more so than a radiograph when including interobserver error. Applications include military rehabilitation tracking, gauging efficacy of physical or pharmaceutical thera py, quantification of employee workload in industries using physical labor, and motion tracking in athletics.