Applied Kinesiology in Australia

Applied Kinesiology (AK) means using the study of movement.  It is an examination system that is unique in the healing arts. AK draws together the core elements of many chiropractic methods and other complementary and alternative medicine (C.A.M.) systems. AK builds on a doctor’s standard examination with the evaluation of structural, chemical and mental aspects of health. The combined terms “applied” and “kinesiology” describes the basis of AK, which is the use of manual muscle testing (MM T) to evaluate body function through the dynamics of movement.

Hamstring muscle test

AK practitioners understand that muscle weakness is a major expression of neuro- musculoskeletal dysfunction and have the option to use a variety of alternative disciplines in the treatment of the patient. The assessment of the functional status of the patient is the major addition AK offers to traditional medical care.

In the past 50 years a scientific revolution has occurred that confirms the original findings of Dr. George J. Goodheart (the founder of AK), proving that muscles predictably respond to pain, inflammation, and/or injury with weakness. This research has shown that dysfunction of the muscle system is the most common clinical finding causing pain. This research revolution is in line with our common experience that pain makes muscles less powerful and difficult to use.

Unfortunately this fundamental problem of the muscle system is routinely ignored in the diagnosis and treatment of patients because physicians do not have a tool to identify it. There is no other clinical method available for testing the loss of specific muscle strength and function as reliable, precise, and inexpensive as the AK manual muscle test.

There are now over 100 papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals relating to AK.  Few chiropractic therapeutic methods have been investigated or written about as extensively as AK. There have been over 30 books published about AK methods since 1964.

AK is revolutionary because it allows your doctor to diagnose and treat your primary problem using the language of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction, i.e. muscle impairment and weakness. On future visits the examination method reveals if your previous correction held. If the correction needs more support further examination will determine additional treatment needs.

Structural balance is maintained by opposing muscles. If a muscle is weaker than the one opposing it, the opposing muscle becomes tight and your skeletal structures will be out of balance. A weak muscle may cause pain and spasm in the opposing muscle.

           Muscles Balanced             Balance lost from weak muscle

AK began and leads the muscle weakness revolution that is now occurring throughout the scientific literature and healing arts requires the use of clinical tools like the manual muscle test that are uniquely designed to detect this principal neuromuscular impairment in the patients that chiropractors, orthopedists, rheumatologists, physical therapists, dentists, and general practitioners treat. The ICAK has been training physicians licensed to diagnose in the precise methodologies of MMT for over 30 years, and if physicians are not capable of using these skills, they are missing a fundamental component of musculoskeletal dysfunction.

AK Basics

Applied kinesiologists use the following skills:

Challenge is an essential diagnostic procedure used to determine the body’s ability to cope with external stimuli, which can be physical, chemical, or mental.  An example of a physical challenge is pushing on a skeletal joint to determine an irritation that produces a muscle strength change. Chemical challenge may occur when one inhales potentially toxic chemicals or chews nutritional factors.  Mental challenge includes thought processes, either pleasant or unpleasant to the individual. After an external stimulus is applied, muscle-testing procedures are done to determine a change in the muscle strength as a result of the stimulus.

Therapy localization is another diagnostic procedure in AK that consists of placing the patient’s hand over areas of suspected involvement, then using muscle testing procedures to determine any change in strength. Placing the patient’s hand on different locations stimulates nerve endings and/or possibly changes the patient’s electromagnetic energy field. Therapy localization is strictly a diagnostic tool in AK that is to be combined with the other diagnostic findings to arrive at a final conclusion.

Nutritional evaluation in AK is done as part of your total examination. The muscle test is used to confirm the other findings your doctor will use from laboratory testing, nutritional diaries, blood and saliva testing, and your history. Evaluation of nutritional products and foods by using taste to determining how your body reacts to them, as observed by MMT, is an important addition to providing optimal nutritional support for patients who need it.

The Triad of Health with structure at the base is the foundation of AK. A human form represents structure and postural balance. A circle of icons represents important treatment avenues used in AK.
 

N The functional evaluation of the nervous system is what the MMT offers, and is the most important area of investigation in AK and chiropractic examination.

NL The NeuroLymphatic reflexes and the lymph system is an important part of AK examination and treatment.

NV The NeuroVascular reflexes and the blood vascular system is also evaluated and treated in AK.

CSF The cranial-sacral system is an important component in nervous system function, and AK has advanced the diagnosis of cranial dysfunctions dramatically.

AMC The acupuncture meridian system is also involved in AK examination, and AK has made some of the first advancements to this ancient system of healing in the Western world.

A great deal of new information has been learned about the body’s function by evaluating how nerves and muscles react to physical, chemical, and mental stimuli. AK examination will use your own body as the laboratory of investigation, taking into consideration a wide range of influences and functional disturbances that are producing the health problems that you are want corrected. As your treatment progresses, you will observe muscles that once functioned poorly are now strong and that your body is functioning as well or better than normal.

Characteristics of AK

 Thank you to Doctor Scott Cuthbert for permission to use this information.

Better Health Through Applied Kinesiology