Since the 1940s, the standard for diagnosing back pain and spinal trauma has gone unchanged. Doctors have been forced to rely on an ancient method involving still x-ray images, a ruler, and a protractor. Equipped with the same tools they used in their third-grade math class, doctors are expected to determine what is causing your upper, mid, or lower back pain.
That’s all about to change thanks to a breakthrough in medical technology. It’s called a Vertebral Motion Analysis Machine, and Dynamic Health is the only place you can find one in the Carolinas.
How a VMA Machine Works
Previously, doctors relied on flexion/extension x-rays to map spinal column motion and evaluate pain points for their patients. The KineGraph Vertebral Motion Analysis Machine—or VMA Machine—brings back pain diagnosis into the twenty-first century.
Developed by Ortho Kinematics, the VMA machine utilizes video fluoroscopy—a type of three-dimensional x-ray video we use in other diagonistics at Dynamic Health—and movement normalizers to provide a more accurate demonstration of spinal function. Patients can use the machine standing or in a horizontal position, whichever is more comfortable for them. The machine then performs a series of powered passive trunk bending motions that are captured and analyzed by video fluoroscopy.
Test results are uploaded and processed on cloud-based servers, producing assessments that are available to staff at Dynamic Health within hours.
Benefits of Diagnosing with a VMA Machine
The benefits of using a VMA machine are almost countless. As a patient, it takes strain off you by guiding your motions that might otherwise create extra strain. VMA testing is also 500% more sensitive in detecting lumbar radiographic instability than conventional tests. The bottom line is you get a faster, more accurate diagnosis that you can use to address insurance claims or have surgery approved.
At Dynamic Health, we’re able to use the VMA machine in conjunction with our existing video fluoroscopy setups, and the tests can be performed in a comparable timespan, so they don’t disrupt clinical workflow. Results of tests are HIPAA compliant, guaranteeing your privacy.
Finally, VMA testing exposes both patient and practitioner to less radiation than traditional testing.
Again, we are proud to say that Dynamic Health has one of only six VMA machines in the United States, and we are the only clinic with this technology in the Tar Heel state. If you haven’t found the sort of robust, accurate diagnosis for your back pain that you expect, call us today to schedule an appointment.