Method and Apparatus for Testing a Spine

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for testing a spine and more particularly for testing for hypomobility and/or hypermobility of individual discs which is accomplished by motion-palpation and also for rotational intervertabral joint dysfunction.

Any two vertebrae adjacent to one another make up a "motor unit."

The function of a motor unit joining any two vertebrae to one another is dependent primarily upon the integrity of the disc that lies between the two vertebral bodies. The vertebral disc acts as a cushion, a shock absorber, and a joint. This is the anterior portion of a vertebral motor unit. The posterior portion of a vertebral motor unit is made up primarily of the facets. An upper and lower pair of both left and right facets meet with their mates from the vertebra above or below.

In the spine each vertebra has four facets with which it forms four separate facets joints. They may become fixated, stuck, or otherwise hypomobile. The facet joints generally do not become fixated unless the disc itself has become fixated, although it is conceivable that a moderate-to severe facet joint injury could immobilize a motor unit enough to cause fixation in the disc.

Even more posterior than the facet joints are the spinous processes; one extending to the posterior from each vertebra. These are the "bumps" that one sees running down the middle of one's back.

By pressing on a spinous process, one can indirectly test the resiliency of a particular disc, and its corresponding motor unit.

One way of testing is to have the patient lay down on his stomach and the doctor then using the heel of his hand, starting at the neck, repeatedly pushes slowly into the spinal column, works his way vertebra by vertebra to the bottom of the spine. The doctor looks for vertebra that are stuck (hypomobile) or loose (hypermobile). This method is too subjective and provides no hard-copy objective recording of the test.

One way of recording spinal motion objectively is to have the patient bend forward, backward and to each side while taking x-rays in each position. Severe intersegmental instability can be determined from the x-rays. This method has three disadvantages: (1) The resilience of each vertebral disc is not tested with pressure and so give less information: (2) It only determines discs which are grossly unstable or fused; (3) It requires a great amount of radiation.

A third method utilizes a new computerized three-dimensional goniometer such as the METRECOM, manufactured by FARO of Canada. This includes a thin wand connected by an armature to a computer. The doctor touches the wand tip to the spinous process of each vertebra of a standing patient in an erect position and then again while bending forward. A reading is taken and recorded for each point touched and the computer allegedly figures out which vertebra are hyper or hypomobile. This system is very prone to the operator's error for several reasons so that it is not accurate. Thus it is only good for gross range-of-motion like any other goniometer. It also has the disadvantage of not testing under pressure.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an improved method for testing a human spine for hypomobility and/or hypermobility which also provides accurate, repeatable, and objective readings of a patient's spinal contour.

Another object is to provide such a method that shows the degree of flexibility, vertebra by vertebra, when a standard pressure is applied to each vertebra.

A further object is to provide such a method which gives information which enables the doctor to better diagnose a patient's problem and how to solve it.

A still further object is to provide a method of detecting rotational intervertabral dysfunction.

Still another object is to provide inexpensive apparatus suitable for use in carrying out my methods.

These objects and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a spinal motion and resilience tester;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the device of FIG. 1 with a patient positioned for testing;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the measuring means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a chart of a finished scan; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation of a second embodiment of my invention.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, reference numerals 2 and 4 indicate spaced apart vertical frame supports. Each support includes a lower rectangular portion 6 having an opening 8 therethrough and a vertical leg 10 extending upwardly therefrom. The frame supports 2 and 4 are connected at their bottom by angles 12 and 14, and at their tops by stabilizer 16 and a rod or pipe 18. The frames 2 and 4 may be made from any suitable material such as steel angles for the rectangular portion and a steel rectangular tube for the leg 10 all welded together. The stabilizer 16 may be a steel flat with bent ends bolted to legs 10, Rod 18 has threaded ends extending through legs 10 with nuts 20 threaded thereon. The rod 18 has a sleeve 22 thereon with a close fit and is slidable thereon. A vertical sleeve 24 is welded to sleeve 22 and a rod 26 slidably mounted therein. Downward movement of rod 26 is limited by a weight holder 28 secured thereon by means of a screw 30 adjacent the top thereof. The rod has calibrations 32 thereon preferably in the metric system. An inverted U-shaped member 34 secured to the bottom of rod 26 rotatably supports a rubber wheel 36 on axle 38. The wheel 36 is preferably 3 inches wide and 21/2 inches in diameter.

The thoracic vertebrae from top to bottom may be referred to as T1 to T12 and L1 to L5 as the lumbar vertebrae and spinal scans may start the cervical vertebrae and run the entire course of the spine to L5. The midback extends from T7 to L1 and such a scan will be described although it will be understood that all discs may be tested in this manner to measure the anterior to posterior motion of the spinal discs and motor units.

In carrying out my invention, a standard chiropractic knee-chest table 40 having a headpiece 42 and a kneepiece 44 is positioned as shown in FIG. 2 and the patient P positioned thereon. A standard flat massage table may be used instead with the patient on a flat position, but this provides less accurate results. The wheel 36 is then positioned over the patient's T7 vertebra without the weight 46 in place and the doctor takes a reading on rod 26 at the bottom of the sleeve 24 which is recorded on the chart of FIG. 4. The wheel is then moved successively to each of the vertebra to L1 with each reading recorded on the chart of FIG. 4 and the readings plotted to obtain the curve C. This shows the normal spinal contours because the weight applied is too little to change the contour. This is why the rod 26 is tubular and may also be made of a light weight material.

A weight is then placed on holder 28. This weight is selected by the doctor depending upon the size of the patient. The procedure is then repeated to obtain curve D of FIG. 4 which shows the contour when subjected to a standard force. Thus it can be determined how far the weight caused each vertebra to move so that the doctor can determine the condition of each vertebral disc. For example, he can see that vertebral disc T9 did not move very much so that it is fixated or stuck.

While it is much more expedient to take the readings as set forth it will be apparent that each vertebra could be tested with and without the weight before moving to the next one.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of my invention in which reference numeral 50 indicates a frame for supporting a patient P upon his back. The frame 50 is box-like, having a top 52 and bottom 54 separated by open space 56 containing the equipment of my invention. This includes a slide 58 mounted for longitudinal movement on the top of bottom 54. The slide 58 has a horizontal longitudinal female threaded section 60 for receiving a longitudinal screw 62 rotatable by a motor 64. A calibrated rod 66, similar to rod 26, is mounted on slide 58 for vertical movement and has a U-shaped member 68 on its upper end for supporting a rubber wheel 70 on transverse axle 72. The rod 66 is kept from turning in any suitable manner such as by making it non-circular in cross section. A longitudinal slot 74 is provided in top 52 to permit roll 70 to contact the patient's back and move along the length thereof. The bottom of rod 66 extends into a fluid cylinder 76 and has a piston 78 mounted thereon. Fluid is supplied to cylinder 76 through pipe 80 and its pressure may be varied in any suitable manner and measured by means of a gage 82.

The operation of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. With the patient lying as shown, pressure is applied to cylinder 76 just sufficient to hold the roller 70 in firm contact with the spine and a reading taken on rod 66 at the top of cylinder 76. The motor 64 is actuated to move the slide 58 from vertebra to vertebra with a reading being taken at each vertebra and recorded as in the first embodiment. A standard elevated pressure is then applied to cylinder 76 and readings taken and recorded for each vertebra to obtain curves as in FIG. 4. The standard elevated pressure can be varied depending on the patient's size.

It will be understood that the pressure may be applied in other ways to obtain the normal position of a contact member on a disc and its position on the same disc at an elevated pressure. For example, a pulsating or vibrating member may be placed on a disc and the feedback read to determine the variation of the spine position from the low to high portion of the vibrations. It will be understood that the control member does not directly contact the disc but the skin above the disc.

Rotational intervertebral joint dysfunction can be determined using the same apparatus but using a narrower roller.

One approximately 1/4 inch wide is suitable. This roller is run down the spine in the same manner as before, but with the roller no closer than 1/2 inch from the spinous processes, first to the left and then to the right of the spinous processes. As before the first scan on each side would be a tracing with minimal pressure and the second tracing with the higher pressure. The difference on each side would indicate areas of hyper or hypo-mobility in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spine. Left to right comparisons at each level are readily obtained.

While several embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.