What is Applied Kinesiology (AK)?
What are the educational requirements of an AK practitioner?
What are AK origins?
What are the possible causes of a weak muscle?
What is included in an AK examination?
What can alter a muscle test?
What makes AK muscle testing different?
How does AK differ from Chiropractic?
How is the teaching of Applied Kinesiology organized?

What is Applied Kinesiology (AK)?

A.K. is an interdisciplinary approach to health care, which brings together the core elements of the alternative therapies, creating a complete approach to the diagnosis and treatment of each individual patient. A.K. uses functional assessments such as posture and gait analysis, and manual muscle testing, range of motion, and palpation. These assessments are used in combination with standard diagnosis, such as clinical history, physical examination findings, and laboratory tests. When appropriate, this clinical impression is used as a guide for the individual treatment of each patient.

What are the educational requirements of an AK practitioner?

The practice of Applied Kinesiology requires it to be used in conjunction with other standard diagnostic methods by professionals trained in clinical diagnosis. As such, the use of applied kinesiology or its component assessment procedures is appropriate only to individuals licensed to perform those clinical diagnostic procedures.

What are AK Origins?

The origin of applied kinesiology is in 1964 when George G. Goodheart Jr., D.C., first observed that in the absence of congenital or pathologic anomaly, postural distortion is often associated with muscles that cannot pass standard specific muscle testing procedures. He observed that tender nodules were frequently palpable within the origin and/or insertion of the tested muscle. Digital manipulation of these areas of apparent muscle dysfunction improved both postural balance and the outcome of manual muscle tests. Goodheart and others have since observed that many conservative treatment methods improve neuromuscular function as can be observed by manual muscle testing. These treatment methods have become the fundamental applied kinesiology approach to therapy. Included in the A.K. approach are specific joint mobilization, various myofascial therapies, cranial techniques, meridian therapy, clinical nutrition, and various reflex procedures.

What are the possible causes of a weak muscle?

Often the indication of dysfunction is the failure of a muscle to perform properly during the manual muscle test. This may be due to neuromuscular inhibition; simply put, the muscle is not receiving the right “stuff”.  In theory some of the proposed causes for the muscle dysfunction are:

• Myofascial dysfunctions and sprain/strains
• Peripheral nerve entrapment
• Spinal misalignment
• Neurologic disorganization
• Viscerosomatic relationships
• Nutritional inadequacy
• Toxic chemical influences
• CranialSacral Imbalances
• Meridian system imbalance
• Lymphatic and vascular impairment

On the basis of response to therapy, it appears that in some of these conditions, the primary dysfunction is due to the loss of normal sensory stimulation of neurons due to functional interruption of afferent receptors (deafferentation).  This is best explained with the concept that with abnormal joint function (subluxation or fixation) the aberrant movement causes improper stimulation of the local joint and muscle nerve receptors.  This changes the transmission from these receptors through the nervous system up to the brain can alter the overall function of those muscles.  Symptoms of deafferentation arise from numerous levels such as motor, sensory, autonomic, and consciousness, or from anywhere throughout the neuroaxis.

What is included in an AK examination?

AK assessment procedures represent a form of functional biomechanical and functional neurological evaluation. The term “functional biomechanics” refers to the clinical assessment of posture, coordinated movements such as in gait, and ranges of motion  and muscle testing. During a functional Neurologic evaluation, muscle tests are used to monitor the physiologic response to a physical, chemical or mental stimulus. The observed response is correlated with clinical history and physical exam findings and, as indicated, with laboratory tests and any other appropriate standard diagnostic methods. AK procedures are not intended for use as a single method of diagnosis. AK examination should enhance standard diagnosis, not replace it.

What can alter a muscle test?

In clinical practice, any of reasons listed below, has been shown to alter the outcome of a manual muscle test:

• Transient directional force applied to the spine, pelvis, cranium and extremities.
• Stretching of a muscle, joint, ligament, and/or tendon.
• The patient’s digital contact over the skin of a suspect area of Dysfunction this is called therapy localization.
• Repetitive contraction of muscle or motion of a joint.
• Stimulation of the olfactory receptors by fumes of a chemical substance.
• Gustatory stimulation, usually by nutritional material.
• A specific phase of respiration.
• The patient’s mental visualization of an emotional, motor, or sensory stressor activity.
• Response to other sensory stimuli such as touch, nociceptor, hot, cold, visual, auditory, and vestibular afferentation.

What makes AK muscle testing different?

Manual muscle tests evaluate the ability of the nervous system to adapt the muscle to meet the changing pressure of the examiner’s test. This requires that the examiner be trained in the anatomy, physiology, and neurology of muscle function. The action of the muscle being tested, as well as the role of synergistic muscles, must be understood. Manual muscle testing is both a science and an art. To achieve accurate results, muscle tests must be performed according to a precise testing protocol.

How does AK differ from Chiropractic?

In AK a close clinical association has been observed between specific muscle dysfunction and related organ or gland dysfunction. This viscerosomatic relationship is but one of the many sources of muscle weakness. Placed into perspective and properly correlated with other diagnostic input, it gives the physician an indication of the organs or glands to consider as possible sources of health problems. In standard diagnosis, body language such as paleness, fatigue, and lack of color in the capillaries and arterioles of the internal surface of the lower eyelid gives the physician an indication that anemia can be present. A diagnosis of anemia is only justified by laboratory analysis of the patient’s blood. In a similar manner, the muscle-organ/gland association and other considerations in AK give indication for further examination to confirm or rule out an association in the particular case being studied. It is the physician’s total diagnostic workup that determines the final diagnosis.

An AK-based examination and therapy are of great value in the management of common functional health problems when used in conjunction with information obtained from a functional interpretation of the clinical history, physical and laboratory examinations and from instrumentation. AK helps the physician understand functional symptomatic complexes. In assessing a patient’s status, it is important to understand any pathological states or processes that may be present prior to instituting a form of therapy for what appears to be functional health problem.

AK-based procedures are administered to achieve the following examination and therapeutic goals:

• Provide an interactive assessment of the functional health of an individual which is not equipment intensive but does emphasize the importance of correlating findings with standard diagnostic procedures.
• Restore postural balance, correct gait impairment, improve range of motion.
• Restore normal afferentation to achieve proper neurologic control and/or organization of body function.
• Achieve homeostasis of endocrine, immune, digestive, and other visceral function.
• Intervene earlier in degenerative processes to prevent delay the onset of frank pathologic processes.

How is the teaching of AK organized?

An organized basic course in AK, covering 100 hours of instruction, was first established in 1976. Due to the much advancement in AK, this syllabus has been modified and updated continually since then. After completing the 100-hour basic course, the student doctor can take other advanced courses taught by certified teaching Diplomates of the college.