SOFi Clinic

BACKGROUND: Acoustic myography (AMG) (also known as phonomyography, sound myography, vibromyography, and surface mechanomyogram) is a technique that measures the low-frequency sounds (1 Hz to 200 Hz) created during muscle activity - sounds that can often be heard with one ear pressed up against a contracting muscle. CLINICIANS: can use this tool to help them locate and assess a muscle-related injury. Our SOFi system is able of accurately detecting the contractions of active muscles - no need for shaving or preparing the subject. PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: can use the SOFi system to assess a subject's strength, endurance, efficiency and coordination, as well as identify muscle injuries and track their recovery. - Simply select the muscles of interest using the app - Use a hydrogel patch or rub in acoustic gel to ensure good acoustic contact with the subject's skin - Place a sensor on the patch/gel - Tape the sensor in place with a suitable bandage - Connect the sensor to a SOFi unit to activate a recording - Record in real time The applications, that SOFi has been tested for, include: - Muscle balance assessment - Muscle wasting evaluation - Training tool - with fatigue assessment - Jumping tool - with take-off and landing - Lameness assessment The SOFi system not only presents muscle contractions in real-time, it also provides a real-time balance score to enable you to detect muscle imbalances using our unique SOFi-TM score. AMG measurements are sent to a tablet or smart phone, so you can immediately see how your subject's muscles are working. SOFi TM INTERPRETATION: The SOFi system is unique in that it measures the number of active fibers (spatial summation; S), the way in which the central nervous system (CNS) recruits and uses active fibers in a muscle (organization/efficiency; O), and the frequency with which they contract (temporal summation; F). It is by combining the timing aspect of muscle fiber contraction (organisation; O-score) that one can begin to assess the synchronization with which the CNS recruits active fibers in a muscle – and thus more accurately determine the meaning of both signal amplitude and frequency. S – Spatial Summation: The S parameter refers to the number of muscle fibers recruited during a movement as part of exercise or muscle contraction. A high score obtained during moderate to high levels of exercise is indicative of a very well-trained muscle movement. O – Organization: The O parameter refers to the period of muscle fiber activity during a recorded period of exercise – muscle efficiency. A high score obtained during moderate to high levels of exercise is a sign of a very well-trained and highly organized/coordinated muscle movement. F – Frequency: The F parameter refers to the rate at which muscle fibers are activated (Temporal summation) during a movement as part of exercise or muscle contraction. A high score obtained during moderate to high levels of exercise is a sign of a very well-trained muscle activity. In addition to these individual scores, the SOFi system calculates the SOFi TM balance for muscle groups - allowing the user to quickly assess muscle imbalances in the body that may be causing lameness or early fatigue and muscle soreness. SOFi balance: ± 10% from ZERO = MILD IMBALANCE ± 20% from ZERO = MODERATE IMBALANCE > ± 20% from ZERO = SEVERE IMBALANCE