No abstract

Poor posture or extra stress on the spine has been shown to lead to a variety of spinal disorders including chronic back pain, and to incur numerous health costs to society. For this reason, workplace ergonomics is rapidly becoming indispensable in all major corporations. Making the individual continuously aware of poor posture may reduce out-of-posture tendencies and encourage healthy spinal habits. Spine stress can also worsen existing structural deformities in the spine such as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). In this work we developed a system to monitor spine health through both dynamic monitoring and structural imaging. The dynamic sensing method monitors spine stress in real-time by detecting poor back posture and strain on the back due to prolonged sitting or standing, and provides real-time user feedback when poor posture is sustained. The imaging method extracts the structural curvature of the spine and is used for the diagnosis of AIS in a non-invasive and inexpensive manner. Namely, the image is obtained using a photograph where the spinous processes have been marked to trace the shape of the spine. The spine curvature is then extracted automatically and modeled by a curve-fitting polynomial. The approach is simple and practical and allows scoliosis patients to monitor their curvature progress from home while minimizing the use of X-rays. The theme of our work is spine health, which we monitor through the wireless sensing system and the orthopedic imaging system. The two are complementary: the mobile wireless system assesses spine health during daily activity while the imaging system can assess the progression of a patient's structural spine curvature. We demonstrate effectiveness of our sensing system in simultaneously monitoring posture and position by testing in numerous situations. Furthermore, experiments show that our imaging method is accurate and robust under different brightness conditions. X-ray data used for this study was obtained from the international, electronic database of surgical cases of AIS, Scolisoft ® .

International Journal of Case Reports and Images (IJCRI) is an international, peer reviewed, monthly, open access, online journal, publishing high-quality, articles in all areas of basic medical sciences and clinical specialties.Aim of IJCRI is to encourage the publication of new information by providing a platform for reporting of unique, unusual and rare cases which enhance understanding of disease process, its diagnosis, management and clinico-pathologic correlations. IJCRI publishes Review ABSTRACTIntroduction: Isolated infection of the subacromial bursa is a rare entity. Primary subacromial septic bursitis is uncommon compared to other superficial bursa because of its deep anatomic location. The potential for an underlying spread of infection to unusual sites has been reported in the setting of diabetes mellitus and can very easily be overlooked. Case Report: We describe the clinical presentation, radiological investigations and strategies for the management of a 59-year-old diabetic male presented with subacromial bursitis as a result of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. It resolved without sequelae using oral and parenteral antibiotics, incision and drainage, and surgical debridement. The range of motion improved gradually until full recovery. Conclusion: Subacromial septic bursitis is rarely reported in medical literature. Its fast identification and treatment is needed to allow full recovery of range of motion.