Development of a new method to monitor shoulder girdle motion for ballerina with shoulder impingement syndrome based on DAid smart shirt application

Abstract

Shoulder impingement is the most common cause of shoulder pain. The ability to control the orientation and movement of the scapula is essential for optimal arm function and pain reduction in young adults with shoulder impingement signs. Smart garments find wide range of healthcare applications, including rehabilitation. One of the main parts of smart garment is the sensing system which can include one or several sensing elements for posture and joint motion control. The aim of present research was to verify the possibility of using DAid Smart shirt to capture and monitor shoulder gridle motion during motor control exercises and during training sessions out of laboratory environment for ballerina with shoulder impingement syndrome. Another aim was to develop method of this Smart shirt using in addition to conventional physiotherapy to reduce right side shoulder girdle elevation. As a monitoring tool, specially designed DAid Smart Shirt had been used. Specifically, embodied textile strain sensors gave possibility to capture spatiotemporally motion, but acquisition system provided visual feedback on the screen of remote electronic device. Conclusions: Designed DAid Smart shirt can be objective and convenient tool for shoulder motion monitoring for both: patient and physiotherapist. Thus, it can be used as effective assisting device to conventional physiotherapy for shoulder girdle motion control.