A PIECE of equipment invented in Bournemouth could revolutionise treatment of people with back problems.

The technology, which measures the function of the spine, was invented at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in Bournemouth and is already helping patients. It has just been given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Since 1910, surgeons have measured spinal function by taking two X-rays at the extremes of bending and then measuring the difference in the positions of the vertebrae by drawing lines on them.

The new technology invented at the AECC uses motion X-rays and quantifies the whole motion pattern by tracking the bones automatically across hundreds of frames using computer programs, giving spinal surgeons much more information with similar accuracy and X-ray dosage.

Professor Paul Thompson, head of rheumatology at Poole General Hospital and involved with the AECC’s research, said: “The cost of back pain alone to the health service within the United Kingdom has been estimated to be over £3,440 million in indirect costs and £1,632 million in direct costs, with five per cent of this being spent on imaging.

“However, X-rays taken for back pain are mostly reported as either normal, or having age-related changes, which tells us very little.

“To be able to get functional information that is precisely measured is an important advance.”

The new system is currently in use by spinal surgeons for clinical studies in seven US hospitals.

At the AECC, research is continuing on wider applications.

Ken Vall, principal and CEO of the AECC, said: “We have been working to perfect this technology for over 20 years, but have always been held up by limitations in X-ray machines and computer memory.

“This is an example of a small UK higher education institution persisting and punching above its weight in the big world of health technology transfer.

“We hope that many patients will benefit from this fundamental improvement in the way spine dysfunction is assessed.”