Entropy and Bispectral Analysis for Lower Extremity Injury Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing fitness and determining readiness for return-to-play after lower extremity injuries are inaccurate and imprecise due to reliance on subjective self-reporting, qualitative examinations, and incomplete assessments that fail to capture detailed temporal information, leading to missed diagnoses and premature return-to-play decisions.
Innovation Solution
The use of entropy and bispectral analysis of digitized force-vs-time time series data from biomechanical sensors to quantify lower extremity function and detect subtle residual abnormalities, enabling more accurate certification for return-to-play and monitoring recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If subjective self-reporting and qualitative examinations are used to assess fitness, then the assessment process is simple and easy to perform, but the measurement precision and reliability are insufficient leading to missed diagnoses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective qualitative assessments with objective quantitative biomechanical measurements using force plates and motion capture systems. This substitution of mechanical measurement systems for subjective evaluation methods enables precise detection of residual abnormalities through entropy and bispectral analysis of force-time series data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computational analysis methods (entropy analysis and bispectral analysis) as intermediaries between raw biomechanical sensor data and clinical diagnosis. These computational tools process complex force-time series data to extract meaningful patterns that indicate residual abnormalities, bridging the gap between raw data and clinical decision-making.
2Reliability
If detailed time-oriented biomechanical analysis is performed, then the detection sensitivity and specificity improve, but the assessment time and data processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of biomechanical data by calculating entropy and bispectral characteristics during or immediately after the assessment protocol. This preliminary analysis prepares the data for rapid interpretation, reducing the time required for detailed examination while maintaining high detection accuracy for residual abnormalities.
3Productivity
If incomplete assessments are used, then the assessment process is faster and more efficient, but the reliability of fitness determination decreases leading to premature return-to-play decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts key diagnostic features (entropy values and bispectral characteristics) from comprehensive biomechanical data sets. By focusing on these specific extracted features rather than analyzing all raw data, the system achieves reliable certification decisions with reduced processing requirements, effectively taking out only the most diagnostically relevant information.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for enabling improvements in athlete training and injury management through entropy and third-order spectral analysis of digitized force-vs-time time series from movements. In embodiments, entropy and/or bispectral statistics are determined using time-series information obtained from movements of an athlete, such as squat jump and countermovement jump maneuvers, using a biomechanical sensor, such as a digital force plate apparatus. These statistics may be used to facilitate sports medicine and health management of the athlete. In some embodiments, where athletes are involved in sport that involves explosive power development in the lower extremities and extensive running, cutting, jumping or other movement having risk of injuries to the lower extremities, time series force plate data are obtained and transformed to calculate entropy and bispectral statistics, from which functional status of the lower limbs and readiness for safe return-to-play may be ascertained.