| 摘要 |
The present disclosure describes a method of determining the onset of osteoporosis by measuring the vibrational response of the musculoskeletal system. Risk of fracture of bones due to osteoporosis is mainly determined by three risk factors: muscle strength, bone mass, and postural stability. Because these three risk factors for fractures are interrelated and dependent on muscle function, they can be determined by quantifying physiologic vibration non-invasively using a low-mass accelerometer placed at an appropriate muscle belly. Muscle vibrations are produced by force fluctuations of unfused motor units during contraction and are expressed by the lateral expansion of muscle fibers. Muscle vibrational characteristics span a broad (0-100 Hz) frequency regime, directly reflecting the force provided by the muscle fibers being utilized and the nature of the dynamic mechanical milieu experienced by the skeleton during postural or locomotory muscle activity. In addition vibrational information below 5 Hz has been shown to correspond to postural instability. Also, a specific frequency component of the muscle vibration spectrum (25-50 Hz) has now been shown to represent the contribution of fast-oxidative fibers which are well correlated to the bone mineral density of humans. Thus, all three of the major risk factors of fracture are measured by a simple measurement of the musculoskeletal vibration spectrum using physiologic vibration quantification.
|
