What is CRMA?

CRMA stands for Computerized Radiographic Mensuration Analysis.

This is a test that Analyzes the angles and distances between bones in the spine us a Computer and X-rays, which are a certain type of Radiograph. The purpose of the test is to accurately assess damage to the spine. 

Mensuration has been used by doctors for nearly 100 years to figure out when a patient’s spinal bones are misaligned due to injury, aging, or congenital defects. Mensuration compares a patient’s spine to a normal spine. Until the last 20 years or so, doctors performed mensuration by hand using x-rays, a light box, and a grease pencil.

In the last 20 years, more doctors and clinics started using x-ray machines that take x-rays digitally, rather than with film (just like digital cameras have replaced film cameras). With the computing power available today, it also made sense for doctors to use computers to perform mensuration calculations. The result is a more accurate and repeatable mensuration report. For this reason, CRMA is generally accepted in evidence-based medicine as a reliable method of assessing spine damage.

A mensuration report looks like this: 

CRMA can also be used to assess legal impairment. Courts in Arkansas follow the American Medical Association’s Guides to Permanent Impairment (the AMA Guides). The AMA Guides contain specific guidelines that tell when, and how much, a person is permanently impaired when their spine has been injured. So, a CRMA report like the one below shows that the patient has a 25–28% whole person impairment rating at two spinal levels:

CRMA gives doctors, lawyers, judges, and juries alike objective medical information proving permanent impairment. It is a valuable new tool that helps injury victims obtain full and fair justice for their injuries.