DO - Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

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A Virtually Perfect Back
W
ithin just one session of using the
Virtual Haptic Back, first-year medical
student Aaron Miller already could tell a
difference in his palpation skills. Now Miller
believes the revolutionary computer
program should become a requirement
for all students at Ohio University College
of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Haptic Back is one of the most
interesting and intelligently
designed machines I have ever
come across,” Miller says. “It
was fascinating to use. It allows
one to better understand
what they should be feeling
for (before working on the
patients themselves).”
The software is an Ohio
University creation, developed
four years ago by members of
the Interdisciplinary Institute
for Neuromusculoskeletal
Research (IINR), a multicollege
project focusing on human
neuromusculoskeletal research
and clinical treatments.
The Virtual Haptic Back
Laboratory in OU-COM’s
Irvine Hall houses the
computer equipment that
simulates the sensation of a
back in various states, according to John
Howell, Ph.D., IINR director and associate
professor of physiology in Biomedical
Sciences at OU-COM. It eliminates the
need to find human models on demand
with the right conditions.
Users place their fingertips into two robotic
arms and “feel” in virtual space the
sensation of a back in its normal state
and with various somatic dysfunctions.
The computer generates a tight muscle
or strain, for instance, and the student
can palpate a reliable reproduction of
the anomaly.
“Anyone truly interested in osteopathic
manipulative medicine should try it,”
Miller says.
Students took a pretest, performed eight
sessions on the simulator and followed
with a post-test. According to Howell, data
showed distinct improvement.
Tony Le, a first-year medical student, had
palpated live subjects in the osteopathic
manipulative medicine (OMM) lab for six
months before trying the Virtual Haptic
Back. ”I believe that it has enhanced my
abilities to detect more sensitive areas,”
he says. Le agrees with Miller that the
Virtual Haptic Back should become part
of OU-COM’s curriculum.
After more studies, Howell says the
university would like to see the software
nationwide, helping other future physicians
better their manual medicine skills.
Other OU-COM team members involved
in the Virtual Haptic Back include David
C. Eland, D.O., associate professor of OMM
in Family Medicine; Janet M. Burns, D.O.
('95), assistant professor of OMM in
Family Medicine; Robert R. Conatser,
research associate, IINR; and medical
student Allen McGrew.
Heptic Back and the IINR are supported in
part by grants from the Osteopathic Heritage
Foundations.
–Jennifer Kowalewski
John Howell, Ph.D. (left), and David Noyes, Ph.D. (right), watch as Robert Conatser settles
Janet Burns, D.O., into the Virtual Haptic Back.
2 www.oucom.ohio.edu