Different forms of pain and changes in the skeletal muscles has become the most common reason for people in the western world to seek medical care. But even though there are plenty of patients, there is a lack of unanimous diagnoses and many people have to live with their problems without knowing the reason for them. At Umeå University hospital, an ongoing research project is trying to find answers previously unsolved cases by combining three different examination methods into one.
Problems with pain and aching muscles are most frequently found among older people and people with low-intensity jobs with high levels of precision, time pressure and abnormal working positions. The care and rehabilitation of these patients take up a considerable part of the medical resources and since the number of senior citizens is expected to increase in the future there is a big interest for new aids and measuring methods. Stefan Karlsson is a professor in medical technology and in charge of the project Multimodal methods for evaluation of muscle functions.
“The idea behind the project is to develop a combination instrument that unites three already existing techniques” he explains. The techniques are Ultrasound, Electromyography (EMG) and Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), all of which are used individually but according to Karlsson most often without providing results that are accurate enough when it comes to muscle injuries and functions.
At the moment, five people are working full time with the project. Four of them are located in Umeå and at KTH in Stockholm is a doctoral student, Frida Lindberg, who has been working with the project for a year and regularly travels to Umeå. She is involved in an ultrasound group at KTH and is passionate about Karlsson’s project.
”My work is based on applying ultrasound to skeletal muscles” she explains, “right now, focus is on basic physiology, to gather information to better understand how the muscles work.”
When it comes to ultrasound it is not the technique but rather the analysis that the project group is working with. The same is true for EMG, the technique is considered well established and Umeå and Stefan Karlsson has a long history of world leading research in the field.
“Yes, in that case we know where we stand” says Karlsson, “it’s NIRS we know the least about, but we plan on working on that this fall together with more experienced research groups from Norway and Holland.”
Another doctoral student is working full time with multimodal analysis for the project. Gabriel Granåsen investigates how different biological signals correlate with each other. Mechanical (ultrasound), electrical (EMG) and chemical (NIRS) signals cannot individually determine the overall effect on a muscle and, for example, whether or not a form of exercise is efficient or not. But by combining the techniques and measured values the spectra becomes wider and the insight to the functions of skeletal muscles increases.
Stefan Karlsson says they have good connections in the medical world and therefore adjust their work and develop the techniques based on the current needs in health care. The dream, he says, would be finding evidence on diseases like fibromyalgia and other conditions that today are hard to define.
“It would make it easier for the doctors” says Karlsson, “but more importantly, it would mean relief and recognition for the affected patients.”
The techniques used in the project are highly advanced but Karlsson emphasizes the importance of user friendly equipment that doctors and nurses can use without technical assistance.
Karlsson is pleased with the continuous work and has a very positive outlook on the future progresses of the project. The market is big and a combination instrument like the one being developed would save society both great suffering and large expenses. Christer Grönlund is the project manager from August -09.
CMTF, c/o Tillämpad fysik och elektronik
Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå
Tel: +46 (0)90-786 96 38.
E-post: Britt Andersson.
