Effectiveness of Different Cervical Range of Motion Measurement Techniques for Home-Use to Prevent Cervical Spondylosis

Abstract

Cervical spondylosis is a non-specific degenerative of cervical spine which results in spinal canal and nerve root foramen stenosis. The stenosis of the canals results in injury of spinal cord and nerve root. The nerve root compression causes a various symptom, such as referred pain and numbness in neck and upper extremities. Motion sensors allow for the tracking and observation of cervical movement activities with the purpose of preventing cervical spondylosis. In the proposed study, Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors and comparative 2-Dimensional Motion Capture (2D-MC) system were considered to determine the effective of cervical range of motion in various environments. The results indicated that both methods provided strong correlations of craniovertebral angles, with the IMU sensors showing a higher correlation coefficient than the 2D-MC system. Therefore, the craniovertebral angles from IMU sensors were utilized to identify the safety and warning zones of neck movements.Clinical Relevance-The degenerative of the cervical spine results in different degrees of severity in cervical spondylosis. To prevent further deterioration, it is recommended to adopt lifestyle changes, especially neck movement changes, that reduce the spinal cord or nerve root compression. An innovation that can detect harmful neck movements in real-time can provide feedback to users on whether they are moving their head into dangerous angles. By training regularly with this innovation, individuals can delay the onset and severity of cervical spondylosis symptoms and make adjustments to their lifestyles to prevent recurrence of the condition in the future.