The anamnesis (medical history) focuses in particular on risk factors with an urgent need for treatment (such as bone fractures, osteoporosis, infection, tumour), psychosocial risk factors (such as depression, passive pain behaviour) and workplace-related risk factors (such as heavy physical work). You will then be asked to complete questionnaires about your health status or back pain, your physical activity and your motivation to be physically active.

The clinical examination includes assessment of your organ functions, vital signs (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure), neurological functions (coordination, reflexes, sensitivity) and posture, shape, orientation and movement of the lumbar spine.

First, your vertebral bodies are marked from C7 (lowest cervical vertebra) to S3 (middle sacral vertebra). C7 and S3 are the starting and end points of the measurement. You are then measured in a relaxed standing position, in maximum forward and backward flexion. During the static position, the examiner moves the MediMouse along the marked lines. This measurement is repeated five times.

MRI diagnostics provide images of your spine and the surrounding tissues, as well as of injuries or malpositions. Before the MRI examination, you will be provided with markers on your skin so that we can match the subsequent back measurements with the spinal structures. These skin markers are applied (painlessly) over the lumbar spine.

The movements of the ankle, knee and hip joints as well as individual segments of the spine are measured in order to identify possible abnormalities in gait and to what extent these affect the back. We use optical methods to record the movement of individual joints. Marker movements are recorded with cameras. Based on the marker positions in the individual camera images, the movement can be calculated.

A special hollow plaster (painless) is stuck to your back on both sides of the spine. A sensor band is inserted into each of these. You will then be asked to bend as far as possible forwards, backwards and to both sides, and to rotate your upper body to the left and right. Each exercise is repeated three times.

For selected study participants, we also offer long-term functional analyses. These long-term measurements will be used in the future to diagnose back diseases. Beforehand, it is necessary to record the movement patterns of many people in order to determine normal values. For this purpose, you will be equipped with 3 systems. The selection procedure for these examinations is random.