Dr. Anthony Pivonka is an innovator and bestselling author in scoliosis treatment. He knows firsthand that patients wearing a corrective scoliosis brace may not be doing their stretching exercises correctly which can lead to further curvature, or delay improvements in posture. So, he recently connected with a PhD professor at ASU named Dr. Jorge Caviedes to figure out how to monitor the quality and efficiency of these stretching exercises and movements while a patient is away from the clinic, using high tech wearable technology.
Together, the Doctors integrated stretch sensors into a special cloth that will be woven into a garment i.e. a T-shirt. The garment will sync up wirelessly by Bluetooth in conjunction with a phone app that will monitor, track and log the quality and efficiency of the stretch and provide immediate feedback to the patient on whether the exercise was done properly or not. If too many exercises are not performed properly, a notification is sent to the treatment provider to signal that additional instruction may be needed. The data collected will be imported into other software for further analysis.
“This innovative method is in the testing phase now and will start with case studies carried out throughout the coming year,” Dr. Pivonka was quoted. “The results will be presented at next year’s conference”. Future plans are also in development to provide feedback on bad posture in general; helping to create good postural habits over time using wearables.
Meeting once every year, SOSORT is an international scientific research society dedicated advancing scoliosis treatment by effectively using proven methods. The membership body of SOSORT is made up of physical therapists, medical doctors and orthotists from around the globe.
Both Dr. Caviedes and Dr. Pivonka submitted an abstract to the SOSORT conference and were invited to give an oral presentation entitled “Spine Posture Detection and Correction Using Active and Passive Biofeedback” at the May SOSORT meeting in Lyon France. Drs. Pivonka and Caviedes traveled to France to present their innovative concept. The idea was received with high interest. The full abstract can be found in the book of abstracts for the conference ..on SOSORT’s website.
Dr. Pivonka is a 1993 graduate cum laude, Doctor of Chiropractic from LIFE Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia. He has twenty three years and counting of experience working with scoliosis patients. He has spent a great deal of time and effort researching the best options for scoliosis patients. His philosophy is, “if you can get started early with the best care available there is a high likelihood that almost anyone can be spared from what my mother has had to endure.” Dr. Pivonka is a treatment expert, innovator, and leader in scoliosis care.