Lumbar Motion Sensor

Building the Lumbar Motion Sensor
Arduinos at work
Our tools
Improper Posture
Our demo
Lumbar Motion Sensor

STORY.....it all began with our team member Ashley's back pain...."we need something to tell us to stand straight"......Let's create a sensor that can tell us when we are "slouching" and stand straight, so we don't have back pain. We began looking for a small sensor that could be worn over clothes or on someones back. We looked through the equipment and with the help and guidance of team BioHackLa, we decided to use a Flex Sensor has our main device.

PROBLEM......Do any of you have Back issues? Do any of you catch yourselves slouching? Bad postures? Back issues are increasing more than ever in the US, many Americans are slouching more than ever. How many of you in here carry heavy backpacks? Sit on a desk for long periods of time and constantly are on your cell phones? Most of the time while doing one of these three things you are not realizing how you are slouching/bad posture. You may not worry about the back issues right now but why wait till you actually have back problems to straighten your self up.

According to the American Chiropractor Association.....
-"Although doctors of chiropractic (DCs) treat more than just back pain, many patients initially visit chiropractors looking for relief from this pervasive condition.  In fact, 31 million Americans experience back pain at any given time"

-"Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work.  In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections."

-"Experts estimate that as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives."

-"Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer."

-"Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs."

According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 80% of all Americans will have low back pain at least once in their lives. 

-This can be caused by "Everyday activities or poor posture."

Bending awkwardly
Pushing something
Pulling something
Carrying something
Lifting something
Standing for long periods
Bending down for long periods
Twisting
Coughing
Sneezing
Muscle tension
Over-stretching
Sitting in a hunched position for long periods (e.g. when driving)
Long driving sessions without a break (even when not hunched).

Other of many sub categories that may apply to bad posture which constitute to back pain.....

-at school listening to lectures and not sitting correctly
-backpack/bag of books
-cell phone fatigue
-driving
-office jobs/ desk-sitting jobs


Reference:
https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics

Nordqvist, Christian. "Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 11 Jan. 2016. Web.
23 Oct. 2016. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172943.php>


```DEMO```


-We envision the Lumbar Motion Sensor to be something affordable, small and simple to use for everyone in their daily lives. We can use it as an attachment to a persons clothes or undergarment where they can "sink it" to an app, where they can get reminders of to sit up straight or correct their posture. These reminders will come up on the app to remind the person that they are "slouching" or having "bad posture" depending on their angle of movement based on their height, weight, level of strenuous work they are doing. 

###What's next for Lumbar Motion Sensor

-We want to preventing back pain 

-The App will send reminders to a persons cell phone, computer, Fit Bit and other types of electronic devices that can remind us to do physical activities or movements such as;

Low impact exercises 
Flexible movements
Core-strengthening exercises
Posture when standing 
Posture when sitting
......many more to come.

#LumbarMotionSensor