Back, Neck, or Knee Pain? How Muscle IQ in Orem Measures Muscle Strength

You may have been told the muscles around your back or knee are "weak." Fair follow-up questions are: weak compared to what, which muscle, and is it changing?

A clinician's hands and eyes can only answer those questions so far. That is why Muscle IQ in Orem uses computerized David machines to measure strength, so your plan starts from measured results.

Why "Weak" Is Hard to Judge by Feel

Pain does more than hurt. It can change how strongly the muscles around a sore area work, and other muscles may pick up the slack. The movement can still look fine from the outside.

That makes feel an unreliable guide. A muscle can stay under-active while your body works around it, and you can't see that in a mirror. Imaging and strength testing answer different questions: an MRI shows tissue, and measured strength shows how well a muscle is working.

What David Machine Testing Measures

David machines are computerized medical exercise equipment. They test the strength of your back, neck, shoulder, and knee muscles, and they capture strength and mobility in all movement planes, meaning every direction you move.

Your results are compared with reference values for your age, gender, height, and weight. That turns "your back feels weak" into a specific answer about which movements are low and how far from expected they are. The David Spine concept page explains more about how this fits our approach to low back and neck problems.

What the Numbers Change

Testing shows which movements are low, so your exercise plan can be built around those results instead of a generic sheet.

Strength and range of motion are then retested at set intervals. You receive reports showing where you stand compared with normal values and how you have changed since your first visit. Seeing the numbers lets you and your clinician judge whether the plan is working.

Want to see where your numbers start? Call Muscle IQ at (801) 310-0851 and ask about a strength-testing evaluation.

This connects to what we find in the hands-on evaluation. Daily muscle testing helps us find where muscle inhibition is turning a muscle down, and the machine measurements show how that plays out in strength.

What Research Says About This Kind of Training

Research on machine-based lumbar training for long-lasting low back pain is encouraging but early. A 2025 review pooled eight randomized trials with 381 adults and found that training on a machine that holds the pelvis in place reduced pain compared with no exercise. The authors rated their certainty in that evidence as very low, and it was not shown to beat general exercise.

A 2023 trial of 50 adults found that 12 weeks of machine-based training with motor control work grew the deep back muscles more than general exercise did. Pain improved in both groups, with no clear difference between them.

Honest Limits

Those studies used other manufacturers' equipment, so they support targeted strengthening in general, not any one program. A strength score is also one piece of information. We combine it with your history, your muscle testing, and how you move, and results vary from person to person.

A Measured Starting Point

If you live in Orem or anywhere in Utah County and have back, neck, shoulder, or knee pain that has not settled, a measured starting point can change the conversation. We measure where you are, build the plan around it, and show you how it changes.

Muscle IQ works with many major insurance plans, including DMBA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and TRICARE. Coverage varies by plan, and we are at 1245 South 800 East in Orem.

Take control of your health today by calling Muscle IQ at (801) 310-0851 to schedule your first appointment.

Learn more at MuscleIQ.com.