Dead bones give clues to heal back pain
By IANSTuesday, March 1, 2011
LONDON - The bones of people long dead could be the key to healing chronic back pain, says a new research.
It is combining the latest computer modelling techniques with archaeology and anthropology, developed by the Universities of Leeds and Bristol in the UK.
Researchers there are analysing spines from up to 40 skeletons kept in museums and anatomy collections, according to a Leeds and Bristol statement.
The data will help develop innovative computer models and open up new ways of treating back pain and evaluating new implants.
Ultimately, it will also be possible to use the models to pinpoint the type of treatment best suited to an individual patient.
“The idea is that a company will be able to come in with a design for a new product and we will simulate how it would work on different spines,” says Ruth Wilcox of the University of Leeds, who is leading the project.
“The wider the pool of spinal data at our disposal, the more effective the computer models will be in terms of demonstrating the impact of treatments on different back conditions and back types,” says Kate Robson Brown from the University of Bristol.
