Activities of the Biological Engineering Laboratory
by John R. LaCourse
The Biological Engineering Laboratory has focussed on two major projects over the academic year. An overview of each project is presented.
Sensi-Mouse
BioTherapuetics Devices of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Professor John R. LaCourse have been funded via the UNH Industrial Research Center to develop a simple screening device to detect the onset of upper extremity work-related peripheral neuropathies. The result, the Sensi-Mouse, is a simple non-invasive vibration threshold perception test to quantify peripheral neural deficit, especially carpal tunnel syndrome. Professor LaCourse is the inventor; the patent is pending.
The rationale for the need is simple. Traditional provocative tests such as Phalen’s Test, Tinel’s Test and other provocative tests have been found to be ineffective. Sensory and Motor Conduction Tests, considered by many to be the "Gold Standard", are costly, require skilled technicians, and have been known to be non-diagnostic in low prevalence populations. Vibrometry Tests have found some use in screening for sensory deficit. However, it has been known for some time that many parameters of the test such as vibration frequency, dimensions of the vibrating contact rod, contact rod force on the finger pulp, and size of the surround are factors. The existing technology falls short in dealing with all or some of these factors. In particular, Pacinian corpuscles, on which just about all vibrometry tests are based, have been found to be highly sensitive to mood, age, temperature, and blood pulse which makes them of no use for clinical assessment.
The Sensi-Mouse is optimized (stimulation frequency, finger pulp contact force, rod size) to stimulate only particular corpuscles which are insensitive to those factors associated with the Pacinian corpuscles. It is a simple device whereby a single frequency vibrating rod comes into contact with the finger pulp. It is a small rod set in the middle of a hole drilled into a computer mouse. It is a simple screening device; but it is not clinically diagnostic.
It is our hope that the device can be used for self-monitoring for the increase/decrease of sensory deficit to remediate the development of cumulative trauma disease, especially from the workplace.
Mechanical Musculo-skeletal Torso Model
Aura Instrumentation of Mont Vernon, NH and Intrepid Management Group of Newport, RI and Professors John R. LaCourse and Andrzej Rucinski have been funded via the UNH Industrial Research Center to design, develop, and test a mechanical fixture that can accurately and repeatably simulate upper body movements to help industry and academia evaluate the movements that customarily occur within the workplace. Furthermore, a "smart" device" was required to monitor and warn users to reduce injuries.
In support of the project and as an example, Home Depot requires employees to use Personal Protective Devices (PPDs), e.g., back support belts. Whether they have selected the best belt, or whether individuals are using the belt correctly, is not being evaluated. Therefore, a validated, simple, low cost "smart" monitoring system that can determine if the belt is used properly or if an individual is being put at risk needs to be developed. Also, insurance companies might want to fund an independent company to validate different Personal Protective Devices (PPDs). Since using human test models is costly and risky, a device that represents the musculoskeletal torso as a system would be useful and cost effective. Current mechanical models primarily focus on the skeletal structure for medical analysis, not the entire musculoskeleton system.
The need is obvious. Medical economists estimate that pain costs the US $100 billion/year, including 515 million lost workdays. Many injuries occur on the job due to subjecting employees to repetitive risk or improper training. Data from IMS Health indicated that in 1998 nearly $4.0 billion was spent on drug prescriptions just for pain, a 20% increase from the previous year. These expenditures do not include lost productivity, insurance or medical costs. Therefore, there is increased interest in improving ergonomics in the workplace.
In support of this effort, OSHA has released in the Federal Register the long awaited Ergonomics Proposal as part of its rule-making procedure. If proposed ergonomics regulations are approved, businesses of any size would be required to institute an ergonomics program in response to even one "recordable" case of a work-related musculoskeletal disorder. In New Hampshire, that might mean one case of carpal-tunnel syndrome in a computer software start-up company with only five employees. In addition, all businesses involved in manufacturing or "manual handling" of materials would be required to institute an ergonomics program.
