Detection and Prevention of Forward Head Posture with Body Sensor Networks

Forward Head Posture (FHP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder correlated with neck pain that affects a large percentage of the population. Research has shown that providing feedback for posture correction can help combat FHP and reduce the associated neck pain. Currently, the methods for head posture detection have limited effectiveness due to the immobility and invasiveness of the monitoring systems and/or the inaccurate results they produce.
This thesis offers a continuous, non-invasive solution for assessing craniovertebral (CV) angle for FHP detection using a wireless inertial body sensor platform. The results obtained are validated against a conventional in-clinic method, the Electronics Head Posture Instrument (EHPI), demonstrating the possibility of pervasive detection of FHP. In addition, a real-time bio-feedback mechanism for postural correction and prevention is presented, and results from a pilot study show its effectiveness in reducing the amount of time subjects spend in FHP.