Quick and simple MS tracking possible with multi-sensor armband
Detecting subtle changes in movement in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is doable with an existing device, the MYO-band, which ensures minimal lag between problems identified at the clinic and corresponding changes in treatment. Normally worn on the arm, the MYO-band was designed primarily for gesture control – it is equipped with accelerometers, gyroscopes and surface electromyography electrodes, which can detect electrical nerve impulses through the skin.
Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD) tested the MYO-band on 117 MS patients in a daily, 5-minute exercise; the participant was required to perform 20 finger- or foot-taps on each of their four limbs, with the data being wirelessly transmitted to a nearby computer for analysis. The MYO-band was reliable enough for the detection of small, short-term changes in factors such as motor function and muscle strength.Unfortunately, online purchase of the MYO-band was disabled in 2018.
As healthcare Quick and simple MS tracking possible with multi-sensor armband still lacks reliable measures of subtle MS disability progression over short time intervals, UCSD’s Dr. Jennifer Graves encourages developing tools that “can capture MS progression reliably within six to 12 months instead of three to five years” – it will significantly drive drug development for the most disabling forms of MS.
A larger study using a similar tracking device is underway, along with the development of more specialised software to chart MS progression.
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
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