How long does the testing take?
A full assessment occupies most of a morning or an afternoon. A focused one can be under an hour. Which you are having is agreed before you book.
Component by component
| Assessment | Approximate time |
|---|---|
| Intake, vitals, waist measurement, preparation check | 10 minutes |
| Body composition | 5 minutes |
| Vascular study, including the rest period | 20 minutes |
| Sudomotor assessment | 5 minutes |
| Autonomic testing with challenge maneuvers | 20 minutes |
| Measured metabolic rate | 15 minutes |
| Vestibular and balance battery | 25 minutes |
| Cognitive screen | 10 minutes |
| Blood draw, where laboratory work is ordered | 5 minutes |
| Reviewing the results with a clinician | 15 minutes |
Why a focused panel is usually shorter than people fear
Most people come in with one question. Numb feet is a vascular study plus sudomotor testing plus a laboratory panel — under an hour of chair time. Leg cramping on walking is the vascular study alone. Unsteadiness is balance testing plus autonomic testing plus a cognitive screen. The full suite is for someone in the risk group who wants a complete baseline, not for everyone who walks in.
Where the time actually goes
Two places, and neither is the equipment. The first is rest periods — vascular and autonomic measurements taken on someone who has just hurried in from the parking lot are not the measurements anyone wanted. The second is coaching. A poorly performed breathing maneuver produces a trace that looks exactly like autonomic failure, so the person running the study will take the time to get it right and will repeat it if it is not.
Planning the day
If measured metabolic rate or laboratory work is in your plan, you will be fasting, so an early slot and a plan for breakfast afterwards makes the morning much more pleasant. If you are traveling from St. Charles County or another part of the region, doing the whole assessment in one visit usually beats splitting it. Directions and travel times.
Afterwards
No sedation, no recovery period, no restriction on activity. You can drive, eat, work and exercise immediately.
Related reading
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP, medical director of Measura. Last reviewed .