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What is Myovision?

Our Myovision system is a neurospinal screening and evaluation system that uses surface electromyography to measure changes of spinal muscles. It was originally developed for NASA and designed to measure changes in the spinal muscles of astronauts.

MyoVision is one of the most advanced pieces of spinal assessment technology available, and helps the osteopath understand how well your body’s nervous system is functioning. A Myovision examination detects and pinpoints abnormal nervous system and muscle function that is not seen on X-rays or MRI scans. It helps us to locate areas of spinal dysfunction.

It consists of 3 different exams:

  • Scanvision (sEMG)
  • Flexvision
  • Thermal scan

With MyoVision you can visualise your pain

If you’d like to find out more, click the relevant tab below!

SURFACE VISION

Surface EMG measures the electrical impulses generated when a muscle contracts. It functions in the same manner as an ECG for your heart but is even more sensitive. It provides an objective means of quantifying an important measure of spinal health.

Stress (whether its physical, such as poor posture; or emotional like work or a bad relationship) can cause nerve interference and muscles will fire to compensate for this, and create an abnormal pattern of muscle firing. This is seen as bars on a graph in the MyoVision software.

The further the bars extended from the spine, the higher the muscle activity. Once the scan is complete, the computer displays the data in a graphical format that is easy to understand for the patient.

EP STRESS SCORE

The scan produces the EP stress score shows us yours spinal health in one simple number.

The Electrophysiological (EP) Stress Score provides a baseline measurement for which all subsequent readings are compared. This allows us to track your progress over time with a simple single number.

Elevated EP Stress Score readings on a first exam are associated with high levels of spinal dysfunction. Readings typically will drop after 4-6 weeks of care. Low EP Stress Score readings on a first exam are associated with a chronic problem, with muscles in a state of fatigue.

FLEXIVISION

This measures spinal motion and flexibility. Prolonged abnormal movement and restriction in spinal joints can cause pain and increases the risk of wear & tear. Even in the early stages of spinal restriction, the lack of movement can interfere with the very structure the spine is meant to protect – the nervous system. Dual Inclinometry offers accurate, reproducible analysis of the motion of your spine in the neck and low back and meets the strict requirements of the AMA’s Guides to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (American Medical Association).

THERMAL SCAN

The thermal scan is used to assess the part of your nervous system that helps to control your organs, glands and blood vessels, the autonomic nervous system. It measures the temperature on one side of the spine and compares it to the other side of the spine. Since blood flow is controlled by our nervous system, unequal temperature indicates that there is a problem with the nervous system at that particular level.

The Myovision thermal scan will be performed at your initial visit and at specific intervals during the course of your care to evaluate and monitor the functioning of your nervous system.

Skin temperature should be relatively even from left to right sides (within 0 – 0.3 degrees Celsius). If there is a large difference in skin temperature, this means that there is more blood flowing to one side. This nerve interference demonstrates that the body is functioning in a poor and unhealthy state.

When misalignments or fixations occur in the spine, the resulting nerve irritation will be mediated through the sympathetic nervous system (among other negative effects on optimum global body function).

Over time, the powerful neurological effect of osteopathic adjustments may help reduce nerve interference and improve physiological functioning.

Ironically, as high-tech as this process is, its origins stem all the way back to the doctoring of Hippocrates: when he would smear mud on his patients’ backs and observe the patterns in which it dried.

As you can see from the images below, the scan on the left shows the areas of the spine with high readings of abnormal nerve and muscle functions in red; whilst the scan on the right shows how this has been improved and is virtually back to normal (green and purple) – with a course of osteopathic care:

General Questions about Myovision

As with all technology that is different to what you may be used to, there are many questions that you may have regarding this treatment. We have tried to answer the most common ones below:

Does it hurt?
Not at all. Unlike X-rays it’s totally non-invasive and does not cause pain or irritation. We don’t put anything into your body, we just measure what comes out. This makes it totally safe for infants, children, pregnant women or the elderly. It simply requires the placement of small probes against the skin. Our office uses the newest sEMG device, which is wirefree and can scan a full spine in less than 60 seconds.
Why is muscle activity important?
Muscles have a tendency to tense up to brace and guard in response to spinal misalignments known as spinal lesions. These spinal lesions create nerve interference which may affect muscles, blood vessels and internal organs as well as joint degeneration. The MyoVision objectively documents this pattern of muscular guarding, establishing need for care and tracking progress over time.
What do the results mean?
Colours indicate levels of tension: average are green, pink are moderately high, and red are high levels of tension. Yellow readings indicate abnormally low or fatigued muscles. Arrows indicate imbalance.
How does osteopathy affect my sEMG?
Osteopathic adjustment has many positive benefits to your nervous system. In most cases, the sEMG normalises and balances.
How does it Help ?

This information provides instant biofeedback on the musculoskeletal condition of our patients. It also provides the patient with valuable information regarding muscle tension within their body. This measured data is an objective tool that provides both a qualitative and quantitative representation of how your muscular system is functioning.

The MyoVision 3G Wirefree ™ System, designed by NASA Expert, David Marcarian, MA a has now been honored by the American Medical Association for Development of the most “advanced system for evaluating the spine” in history.

We are proud to be the first Osteopathic Clinic in the UK to be using space technology to provide computerised spinal examinations, so we can take the mystery out of neck and back pain. Since osteopaths work on your spine, it is difficult for patients to see what the osteopath finds. This is what makes the MyoVision so valuable. You can actually see your spinal problems and how it affects your entire body. This technology was developed for use by NASA to measure the effects of zero gravity and fatigue on their astronauts.

Ready to begin YOUR journey to recovery today?

Call us on 02082941113 to book your new patient consultation.

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