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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
International patent filed on invention
Numerous diseases involve the risk of falling and subsequent broken bones. Now, for the first time, a device is available to assess an individual's risk of falling. It was developed by Peter Schneider, Professor of Medicine at the University of Wurzburg. His invention may be useful not only in rehabilitation medicine but also during fitness training.
Direct impairment of the vestibular system may cause falls in an individual. However, falling may also be due to other diseases such as muscle dystrophy. In this case, muscles are insufficiently stimulated by nerves; as a consequence, the muscles degrade due to lack of activation. This is also true in stroke patients who suffer from a lack of brain- and spinal cord-activated muscle function. Another cause of impairment is that muscle power packs often perish with increasing age.
"The worse the muscle function, the higher the risk of breaking bones," says Schneider. Individuals with impaired muscle function have the problem of being unable to prevent, or to recover quickly following, the moment of a fall. Bone density in this context is of secondary order. "You may consider an individual of age 60 versus one of age 80 with identical bone density. The older individual may have a ten-fold higher fracture risk," says the professor. This may be concluded from large epidemiological studies, with which Schneider became familiar during his practice in the nuclear medicine, where he has taken care of osteoporosis patients for the last 20 years.
Schneider's new device allows digital assessment of the quality of an individual's muscle function. His invention looks like a scale, but it has special design features. During the assessment process, the patient stands with both feet on the device, which measures the amount of force generated at three points. A computer receives the signals from the device and calculates the patient's weight and center of gravity.
Assessment of balance is achieved when the patient stands heel-to-toe, with both feet in a line, and closes his/her eyes. "This provokes imbalance," Schneider explains. A person who tries out this so-called "tandem stand" quickly realizes that it results in unusual muscle activity. The body tries to stay in balance, thereby increasing the amount of coordinated activity among the vestibular system, nerves and muscles of the legs and feet.
The device registers changes in these forces and displays them on a computer screen. "If a ballet dancer stands on the platform, almost nothing happens. A dancer is able to keep the body's center of gravity within very small limits," Schneider says. In contrast, an untrained or elderly individual exhibits larger sways. Special software allows extremely accurate documentation of different deficits, Schneider emphasizes. In addition, muscle frequency analysis allows the device to determine whether an imbalance is caused predominantly by muscular or neuronal deficiency.
The scientist's new invention can also function as an ergometer. It can calculate the muscle power generated by a patient who stands on the platform and executes knee bends, lifts weights, or simply raises an arm. Huge differences become apparent during these activities; the well-trained professor may reach 3000 watts, while elderly or physically untrained individuals may be unable to achieve much more than 100 watts.
"The ergometry function can, for example, assess the progress of a muscle disease and whether its impact involves predominantly the legs or the arms," says Schneider. Monitoring the success of rehabilitative measures in stroke patients is another application. Finally, people who are active in a sports or fitness club might use this device to measure the success of their training in enhancing their muscles.
The University of Wurzburg has filed an international patent on the invention. "The outstanding fact about this invention is this: Professor Schneider has developed his idea into a fully functioning prototype, which is a significant advantage for commercial use. The device is really close to the market," inventor/consultant Iris Zwirner-Baier from the university's intellectual property management decision group is pleased to say. There is a great deal of interest in this device from the science side as well as from business.
"In the context of preventive medicine, which is a major issue in health politics, a widely available power test device could be developed," Schneider says. The power that is actually produced during activities like walking, jogging or bicycling could be measured and recorded. Moreover, peak forces during sports activities could be measured; these forces alone are relevant to the increase of bone mass.
For further information, contact: Dr. Iris Zwirner-Baier, inventor consultant, Stabsreferat Intellectual Property Management, Univ. of Wurzburg, T (0931) 888-4050, Fax (0931) 31-6027, E-Mail: iris.zwirner-baier@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
Professor Schneider with his invention.
Robert Emmerich
None
Criteria of this press release:
Medicine, Nutrition / healthcare / nursing, Sport science
transregional, national
Personnel announcements, Transfer of Science or Research
English
Professor Schneider with his invention.
Robert Emmerich
None
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