Award of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland for Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura
Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura received the Prime Minister’s Award for her outstanding doctoral dissertation. The awards were given for works defended in 2024; the winners were announced for the 32nd time.
The prize is awarded for a distinguished doctoral dissertation, the subject of which is an original solution to a significant scientific problem, a solution in the application of the results of own scientific research in the economic or social sphere of significant importance for a given sphere or the solution of which is of an extremely innovative character.
Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura received an award for her work entitled “Development of a system of recording and analysis of medical data in monitoring the intensity of pain in physiotherapy procedures.” The promoter of the work is Prof. Ewa Piętka.
- The main goal of my research was to develop an automatic pain assessment system that would allow a physiotherapist to conduct manual therapy effectively and safely in the future. This issue is particularly important for patients with cognitive impairment, young children, or elderly people for whom precise reporting of pain is difficult. The challenge is also to conduct therapy in people with a very high and very low threshold of pain tolerance – says Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura.
The research topic was based on the real difficulties and needs reported by physiotherapists.
- In my work I studied the possibility of using signals of skin-galvanic reflex, pulse wave, respiratory wave, and superficial electromyography (EMG) of the eyebrow wrinkle muscle to recognize pain during fascial therapy of the neck area and therapy of the temporomandibular joint - explains the laureate.
The obtained biomedical data allowed to develop a model that allows detecting moments of pain with an accuracy of more than 80%.
- I have also shown that there are statistically significant differences in physiological signals between pain associated with thermal stimulation and mechanical one (e.g. manual therapy). Perhaps these observations are related to a different activation of nerve fibres a-delta and C to thermal and mechanical stimulus,” explains Dr. Eng. Aleksandra Badura.
The result of the research was also the introduction of a hand dynamometer to the therapy as a device for indicating the level of pain according to the principle that the increase in pressure force is equivalent to an increase in the level of pain.
- The use of the dynamometer allowed to obtain a continuous recording of data, and what is more, it did not cause stress in the subjects, which was the need to assign a numerical value to emerging pain sensations (as is the case with the most commonly used pain scale from 0 to 10). The use of this device met with a positive reaction of the physiotherapeutic environment – she says.
Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura continues her research related to the topic of her doctoral dissertation.
- Together with a team of students, we are investigating changes in biomedical signals that respond to pain stimuli of various origins. I also have the pleasure of working in a team whose tasks are focused on the computer analysis of histopathological and microtomographic images - she adds.
For the scientist, the award is a confirmation that the chosen direction of scientific work has indeed led to an increase in knowledge about mechanisms related to pain sensation. - This award also motivates me to continue working. This dissertation could not have been possible without the enormous support of my supervisor, Prof. Ewa Piętka and the help and the enormity of knowledge that I received from Prof. Andrzej Śliwiec, physiotherapist and Vice-Rector of the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice – emphasizes Dr Eng. Badura.
Dr Eng. Aleksandra Badura works in the Department of Medical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.
