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Introduction
At Spinal Kinetics, we often hear from doctors and attorneys alike that there's a lot of confusion surrounding CRMA Reports and why they’re important. Let’s clarify this once and for all. CRMA stands for Computerized Radiographic Measurement Analysis, and it’s the term we use at Spinal Kinetics for our detailed, independent report on excessive motion in the spine, specifically in the cervical or lumbar regions.
What is CRMA?
The CRMA report provides an unbiased spine assessment, identifying excessive motion within a spinal segment. This excessive motion is critical because it points to damage in the spinal support ligaments, which are crucial for maintaining spinal stability. A CRMA is not just a diagnostic tool—it’s a vital piece of the puzzle when evaluating spine-related injuries from trauma, such as those resulting from auto accidents.
Educating Attorneys: The Key to Stronger Injury Cases
One of the most valuable opportunities for doctors is educating attorneys about spinal injuries using CRMA. Attorneys often need clarity on what these reports represent and how they relate to their cases. Understanding CRMA allows lawyers to better advocate for their clients, especially when facing common defenses like pre-existing conditions.
To help explain, consider this: the spine is made up of two tissues—bone and connective tissue. If the spine is injured, we look for derangements in one or both of these tissues. A bone fracture is relatively easy to identify on imaging, but damage to the connective tissues—such as ligaments—requires more specialized analysis, which is where CRMA comes into play.
Why MRI Alone is Not Enough
When a patient suffers from back or neck pain after an auto accident, it’s common for an MRI to be ordered to check for disc herniations. But what happens when the MRI doesn’t show any significant findings, yet the patient still has symptoms? This is where many cases fall apart because disc herniations are not the only source of spinal pain.
In fact, most spinal injuries involve ligament damage, which doesn’t show up on a typical MRI. Ligaments are the tissues that hold the spine together, and when they’re compromised, it results in excessive motion, leading to pain, instability, and long-term dysfunction. The CRMA test identifies these injuries by measuring abnormal movement in the spine, which is the telltale sign of ligament damage. Without this type of imaging, you’re only seeing part of the injury.
The Importance of Excessive Motion Testing
Excessive motion testing, as provided in the CRMA report, goes beyond the typical findings of MRI or X-rays. When explaining this to attorneys, it’s helpful to use analogies. For example, if someone sustains an injury from a hammer blow to the finger, it’s not just the bone that’s damaged—the surrounding soft tissue also shows signs of trauma. Similarly, when there’s a spinal injury, the force doesn’t just affect the disc. The spinal support ligaments absorb much of the force, and without assessing these ligaments, you have an incomplete picture of the injury.
When an attorney argues a case involving spinal injury, CRMA provides the objective data needed to demonstrate that the injury is trauma-induced, not pre-existing. Without it, the defense can easily argue that there isn’t enough evidence to link the injury to the accident.
Educating Lawyers: 3 Key Points
Doctors should focus on educating attorneys about the following key aspects of spinal injuries:
1. Negative MRI but Persistent Symptoms: Most symptoms in spinal injuries come from ligament damage, not disc herniations. If a patient has symptoms but no disc herniation is found on MRI, it’s essential to test for ligament injuries.
2. Ligament Damage vs. Disc Herniation: Non Disc Spinal Ligament injuries can be more symptomatic and cause more long-term issues than disc herniations, even though disc herniations tend to get more attention in imaging studies.
3. Imaging Biomarkers for Ligament Damage: While MRI can detect disc herniations, CRMA detects excessive motion in spinal segments, which is the hallmark of ligament damage. This makes CRMA an essential tool in diagnosing and documenting these injuries.
The Future of Spinal Injury Diagnostics
At Spinal Kinetics, our goal is to standardize the way spinal injuries are diagnosed, ensuring that every patient receives a thorough and accurate assessment, regardless of which healthcare provider they see. This means that doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists all use the same objective criteria for diagnosing and treating spinal injuries.
If you’re a healthcare provider or attorney dealing with spinal injury cases and want to learn more about CRMA, we offer a range of educational resources. We also encourage doctors to utilize third-party, unbiased testing for excessive motion, as this strengthens the validity of the report in court.
Conclusion
CRMA is a powerful tool for identifying and diagnosing spinal ligament injuries, which are often overlooked in traditional imaging studies. By understanding and utilizing CRMA, doctors can provide better care for their patients, and attorneys can build stronger, more defensible cases for their clients. If you’re not yet working with Spinal Kinetics, reach out to us to set up an account and start integrating this valuable diagnostic tool into your practice.