Question
what is myovision and is it legit?
thanks
mark

Answer
Dear Mark,

Myovision is the brand name of a surface electro myelogram machine.  A machine that measures muscle activation from the surface of the tissue by running an scanner over the back of the spine.  Myovision is considered to be one of the best on the market and is gaining popularity as a tool to show abnormal muscle pattern behaviors in the spine.

Is it legit?  Well a few years ago i would have said no, surface emg is not legit, but the technology has improved, and now is proving to be a good diagnostic tool in measuring muscular activation problems.  There have even been characteristic muscle patterns found on patients with similar issues or injuries, and whiplash patients have been shown to have characteristic muscle patterns that cannot be faked therefore establishing some reliability to the testing procedure.  Many prominent chiropractic and medical physicians are now endorsing the product for better documentation, but a lot of insurance companies refuse to pay for the testing...so what else is new huh?

Anyway, My opinion is changing, I still do not utilize this equipment in my practice, as I have seen unscrupulous doctors using it to convince people that they need to be treated or to continue treatment in their offices, but I am starting to respect the technology more and more.  I think it can be a useful tool in practice and a great patient education tool, but it cannot be used for diagnosis, therefore it should not be utilized to replace any history, or physical exam, but can be an effective documentation tool along with a proper examination.

there are various ways to utilize the equipment, static or dynamic, and it should be utilized while in the standing position for adults and prone position for young kids and very thin individuals.  Also the clinician must be good at running the scan and proficient in the application, or there will be inaccurate readings.  The company that makes myovision actually reports a 15-20% variability from scan to scan, but the pattens are what is deemed to be the most important, those patterns should remain the same even if the reading change.

Bottom line:  decent technology when used appropriately, but as always buyer beware to the patient when being marketed with the use of this device.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net