Chronic back pain can be debilitating for patients and often results in the chronic use of pharmaceutical pain killers and expensive treatments such as physiotherapy or chiropractic. Increasing back health by tracking movement and improving posture could reduce the healthcare and financial burden on affected patients.
Valedo by Hocoma
Valedo is designed to improve lower back pain by using sensors to collect data on the wearer’s movement. It uses two highly sensitive motion sensitizers that contain a 3D accelerometer, a 3D gyroscope, and a 3D magnetometer to allow precise movements and accelerations to be detected and calculated. The sensors link to a smartphone app, which teaches users specific exercises designed to strengthen the core back muscles. The app collects information on how the exercises are performed, which allows users to share the information with their physician or physical therapist.