When thinking about muscular fitness, we generally think of weightlifters and bodybuilders, or people hitting the gym and using the various machines there. But building muscle in a non-performance context is important for overall health as well. Building muscle helps reduce fat and increase lean body mass. Each of the 650-plus muscles in the human body plays a role in supporting you in some way: posture, bone health, metabolism, overall energy, and much more.
When they’re not being used for more intense tasks, muscles can be taken for granted. We think of weightlifting, lifting boxes, and carrying other heavy objects as muscle-based activities. But when you’ve been injured, you realize how important your muscles are to even the most basic of activities. They help you walk, sit upright and even stand. It’s easy to forget the basic functions until you’ve been hurt.
When you’ve been injured there are range of motions testing solutions, rehab tools, and other equipment, like a muscle testing machine, to help gauge the scope of your injury and your progress in rehabilitation. The specific data is important, but in the early stages of rehab, being able to see results that you can’t necessarily feel right away are comforting.
An algometer can measure your sensitivity to pressure and pain thresholds. This is useful because it’s often difficult to gauge a patient’s sensitivity to pain without relying on old fashioned charts (think about the “faces” chart you often see in hospital emergency rooms). The algometer provides actual data that can be used to inform your treatment. In addition to the standard tests (think about a physical therapist bending your elbows and knees until it hurts) there is also computerized range of motion testing equipment. These are important for general strength testing, but they’re also invaluable rehab tools. They help doctors with objective data that can be used to quantify your healing progress.
If you’ve ever been in a situation where you need to deal with insurance companies, a muscle testing machine and other digital equipment can give information that is more concrete for your claim. Older tests can be dismissed as subjective; they can be disputed more successfully than hard data. And while the goal is always to get you healthy and mobile again, physical assessment software and other therapy tools help get you bigger insurance reimbursement claims.
