Functional Muscle Screening
Assess your movement, fall risk, and metabolic health.
Beyond Your Blood Test
Standard medical screenings check your internal organs, but often miss a critical health marker: your Musculoskeletal Function.
As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass (Sarcopenia) and reaction speed. This decline is a leading cause of metabolic disease, falls, and loss of independence. At Etern Medical, we look beyond the blood test. We use VALD ForceDecks—dual force plate technology—to screen your movement health with clinical precision.
Why This Matters?
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Fall Prevention: Detects balance issues before a fall happens.
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Metabolic Health: Poor muscle function is a key driver of metabolic aging and insulin resistance.
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Injury Risk: Identifies "Silent Asymmetries" (left-right imbalances) that lead to chronic joint pain.
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Recommended For:
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Seniors: To prevent falls and track Sarcopenia risk.
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Chronic Management: To improve long-term health outcomes through better muscle function.
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Active Adults: To identify imbalances and prevent injury.
Clinical Assessments
We utilize these two core protocols to provide a detailed map of your movement quality, joint safety, and physical resilience.
Reactive Strength & Control
(Countermovement Jump)
Recommended for active individuals.
This screening measures your body's physical response speed. In a clinical setting, we use the Counter Movement Jump to see how efficiently your brain and muscles work together to generate force and—more importantly—how they handle impact.
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Explosive Power: This measures your speed of force. It represents your ability to generate movement instantly. A loss of power is often the first sign of physiological aging; if you cannot move your feet fast enough to catch a stumble, your risk of a significant fall increases.
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Landing Strategy (Joint Safety): We measure how your body absorbs impact. If your absorption is poor or "stiff," that shock is transferred directly to your joints (knees and lower back). Over time, poor landing mechanics are a primary driver of chronic joint wear and tear.
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Asymmetry & Compensation: We detect if you are subconsciously favoring one leg over the other. Most people have a "dominant" side, but extreme asymmetry forces your joints to compensate, leading to chronic back, hip, and ankle pain.
Functional Independence
(Sit-to-Stand)
Recommended for seniors, post-injury rehabilitation, or those with limited mobility.
This assessment evaluates frailty and physical resilience. By analyzing the simple act of rising from a seated position, we can determine your level of functional independence and your ability to perform daily living tasks safely.
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Concentric Strength: This measures the raw force capability of your legs to lift your body weight. It is the fundamental strength required for basic mobility, such as climbing stairs or getting out of a car.
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Dynamic Stability: We track your center of mass and how much you sway or shift while rising. In a clinical context, excessive sway or "searching" for balance is a strong indicator of vestibular or muscular deficits that lead to falls.
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Fatigue Resistance: We observe how your muscles maintain force over the duration of the test. Patients who fatigue quickly during this assessment are at higher risk of "functional decline," where daily activities become increasingly difficult and dangerous.
The Screening Process
Our team will guide you through every step of this non-invasive clinical experience.
1. Precision Calibration
Step onto the dual ForceDecks plates. The system instantly calibrates to your body weight to ensure medical-grade accuracy.
2. Guided Movement
Our team will walk you through your protocol—ensuring you are safe, comfortable, and performing the movement with proper form.
3. Visual Data Review
Immediately after the assessment, we review your video replay and force data with you. We show you exactly where you shift weight or lose stability so you can truly understand your body's habits.
4. Clinical Report
Receive a detailed digital "Force Profile" to track your physical resilience and metabolic health markers over time.
The Metabolic Connection (RMR)
Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is heavily influenced by your functional muscle tissue. Muscle is your body's "engine"—the more functional and active your muscle fibers are, the more calories you burn at rest.
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The Physiological Link: A low score on your force screening often correlates with a "suppressed" metabolism.
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Chronic Management: Poor muscle function is directly linked to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. By identifying weak points in your musculoskeletal system, we can help you focus on the right type of strengthening to improve your long-term health outcomes.