Patent ID: 6984208
Filing Date: 2006-01-10
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for indirectly assessing the movement of a musculoskeletal body part of a person including: applying an ultrasound transmitter and receiver to a musculoskeletal body part to be monitored, the body part comprising at least one of a head, a neck, a trunk, a shoulder, a chest, a limb, a wrist, a hand, a knee, a foot, a toe, a finger, and an artificial body part, using the transmitter to transmit an ultrasound signal into soft tissue of the body part and receiving a reflected and/or scattered ultrasound signal from the soft tissue at the receiver, manipulating the reflected and/or scattered ultrasound signal to obtain parameter data, the parameter data comprising at least one of amplitude, phase, flight-time, frequency spectrum and waveform pattern of the signal, and comparing the parameter data to reference information to obtain a gesture or posture for the body part and analyzing changes in the gesture or posture to obtain movement information for the body part.