mHealth Musculoskeletal Applications: Bluetooth Low Energy Devices and Android

Abstract

Plantar Fasciitis is a common condition involving inflammation of the plantar fascia, causing heel pain and reduced mobility. Typical treatment methods for plantar fasciitis include medications (NSAIDs), exercises, physical therapy, and surgery. Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies stand to improve care for plantar fasciitis via daily monitoring and by addressing barriers to patient adherence with treatment programs. The ability to closely monitor treatment also gives opportunities for curation that were previously unavailable. Pain and inflammation can be decreased by following a simple home exercise routine of stretches specific to the plantar fascia [1]. Our team has developed a system for assistance with monitoring of home exercise program for treatment of plantar fasciitis. The system interfaces Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices with smartphones to send and receive accelerometer and other sensory data, and an accompanying app to be used for at home monitoring and analysis of physical therapy exercises which have been shown to help with plantar fasciitis [2]. Such system can be used to track movement, amplitude, angle, pressure, stretch, and number of repetitions, and overall improve patient adherence to a Home Exercise Program and involvement in treatment. Increased self-monitoring has been shown to directly influence and increase behavior change of patients. In order to increase patient adherence to a prescribed routine, awareness of a behavior and the consistent tracking of its implementation and progress over time are effective [3]. Modern BLE devices are very energy efficient and can work throughout the course of a day, making them an apt choice for a home treatment program. The accompanying app receives, aggregates, and analyzes data from the BLE sensor, and provides actionable feedback to users and clinicians. By increasing patient adherence and speeding up healing, this mHealth system will improve patient outcomes regarding treatment of plantar fasciitis, and also decrease cost of treatment.