Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3102
Date of Award
6-2025
Degree Name
MS in Biomedical Engineering
Department/Program
Biomedical Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Britta Berg- Johansen
Advisor Department
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
Low back pain is a highly prevalent condition worldwide, impacting up to 80% of individuals at least once in their lifetime. A critical gap in current prevention strategies is the lack of tools to accurately measure trunk posture and movement in real-world environments. Accurate identification of biomechanical risk requires information about movement intensity, duration, and frequency, yet traditional assessment methods rely on self-reporting or visual observation, which are time-consuming and prone to error. To address this gap, a wearable monitoring method, consisting of two Inertial Measurement Units, was designed to quantify risk exposure to the spine by measuring angular position of the trunk over time. This method was validated against an optoelectronic motion capture system during controlled single and multi plane movement protocols. High agreement was observed between the wearable system and motion capture for sagittal plane angles, with greater variability in coronal and transverse planes during multi-plane movement trials. These findings support the feasibility of using wearable IMUs to monitor trunk posture in field settings, particularly for capturing flexion-related low back pain risk.