Wearable Technology in Spine Surgery

Clin Spine Surg. 2020 Jul;33(6):218-221. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000000905.

Abstract

Although patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of spine surgery, there still remain limitations on measuring outcomes in this manner. Among other deficiencies, PROMs do not always correlate with more objective measures of surgery success. Wearable technology, such as pedometers, tri-axis accelerometer, or wearable cameras, may allow physicians to track patient progress following spine surgery more objectively. Recently, there has been an emphasis on using wearable devices to measure physical activity and limb and spine function. Wearable devices could play an important role as a supplement to PROMs, although they might have to be substantiated through adequate controlled studies to identify normative data for patients presenting with common spine disorders. This review will detail the current state of wearable technology applications in spine surgery and its direction as its utilization expands.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Accelerometry
  • Equipment Design
  • Exercise
  • Humans
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / methods
  • Patient Reported Outcome Measures
  • Patient Satisfaction
  • Postoperative Period
  • Quality of Life
  • Spinal Diseases / physiopathology
  • Spinal Diseases / surgery*
  • Spine / surgery*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*