Applied kinesiology: harmony of body and spirit

Author: Sergey Pavlov – Master of Physical Rehabilitation, Head of the School of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine (Ukraine, Kiev).

The world first learned about applied kinesiology in 1964 thanks to the founder of the new direction of alternative medicine, George Guthart. Applied kinesiology was presented as a method of maintaining human health, including diagnosis and therapy of the body’s condition, close interaction of a person’s psycho-emotional state with muscle tone and the condition of internal organs.

The main concept of applied kinesiology has become the “triangle of health”: the inextricable unity, connection and dependence of structural, chemical and psycho-emotional processes in the human body.

Health triad

People have known for a long time that the three components of a person are closely interconnected with each other and exist as a single whole. After all, the connection between a person’s emotional state and his vital tone is easy to trace.

The uniqueness of the direction of applied kinesiology was that both D. Guthard and his followers were able to systematize the knowledge and experience of many specialists in different areas of alternative medicine. And not only to systematize, but also to develop a methodology for using applied kinesiology in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases.

Assessing the tone and strength of human skeletal muscles is the basis of applied kinesiology.

It is the correct diagnosis of the cause of functional muscle weakness that allows a specialist not only to find the source of pain inside the body, but also, through effective action, to eliminate it. The universal method of manual muscle testing allows us to identify various functional disorders in the human body by diagnosing decreased tone of specific groups of skeletal muscles. In addition to diagnostics, the kinesiologist, while simultaneously influencing this muscle group, determines the necessary treatment methods.

Any disorder of a person’s internal organs causes weakness in the group of muscles associated directly with this organ.

The human body tries to restore the balance of the system by tensing muscle tissue. And then pain occurs. Moreover, the peculiarity is the fact that pain is felt not only in the place where the diseased organ is located. For example, in acute cholecystitis, attacks that occur in the right side radiate to the right shoulder and scapula.

A kinesiologist, using the method of manual muscle testing, can accurately determine the original source of pain, diagnose which internal organ caused the weakening of a particular muscle group, and then increase their tone.

The medical practice of diagnosis and treatment using applied kinesiology combines the most effective methods of reflexology, multitaping, osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, homeopathy, etc. The muscle testing method is so simple and convenient that it can be (and is) used by specialists in various fields of medicine in diagnosing and treating diseases in both adults and children.

Metabolic processes within the body are an equally important component of the method of applied kinesiology.

The human biochemical system is influenced by a huge number of internal and external factors. A disruption of metabolic processes ultimately leads to diseases of the internal organs. Through diagnostic methods of applied kinesiology, a specialist is able to determine the causes of biochemical imbalance - for example, poisoning with any chemicals, the presence of pathogenic organisms, consumption of poor-quality food, etc. Having diagnosed the causes of metabolic disorders in the body, the kinesiologist, in addition to restoring the tone of muscle tissue, will give recommendations on nutrition, taking medications, vitamins, and aromatic compositions to restore the biochemical balance of the body.

The psycho-emotional and energetic state of a person is the third important component of the applied kinesiology method.

It has long been proven that psycho-emotional stress can disrupt the normal functioning of internal organs. This happens on a subconscious level. The patient does not even assume that the stress suffered several years ago is the cause of this or that disease. The subtle, imperceptible connection between the state of the psyche and the disease of an internal organ is not even considered by a person.

Applied kinesiology, in combination with psychological diagnostic methods, allows us to identify the sources of phobias, remove psychological barriers and change a person’s attitude towards life, changing his emotional state. And the point is not in the “magic” of a kinesiologist, but in the ability to apply the methods of applied kinesiology, to solve psychophysiological problems by mobilizing the body.

Tool in the hands of a massage therapist

In addition to accurate diagnosis and searching for the causes of decreased muscle tone, manual muscle testing allows you to select the optimal treatment methods for a particular disease. The massage therapist is faced with tasks that, using applied kinesiology techniques, he can perform with maximum effect. Among these tasks are the following:

• diagnostics with subsequent elimination of tone-strength imbalance in the soft tissue frame of the body (in the so-called muscular-fascial system);

• restoration of the muscle receptor apparatus and its correct perception of external and internal stimuli;

• restoring the client’s health by applying the reduction technique, that is, teaching the client how to correctly perform motor acts.

To achieve complete harmony of the body, the massage therapist-kinesiologist harmonizes the tone along the myofascial chains so that all elements of the client’s musculoskeletal system are in a state of balance.

The specialist helps the client identify points of muscle tension, diagnose the sources of the disease, and then eliminate them.

In this case, the client’s psycho-emotional readiness for recovery is important.

Practicing massage therapists who seek to expand the scope and effectiveness of their services closely study and put into practice such a method of applied kinesiology as manual muscle testing.

Application in practice

The most common application of manual muscle testing is sports and rehabilitation medicine. The method is very informative: the massage therapist’s hand is able to capture the types of contractions, the sequence of activation of muscle fibers and other features of muscle functioning that are beyond the control of any device. The main task that a massage therapist performs using manual muscle testing is to assess the ability of a muscle to develop a force that is adequate to the applied resistance, and to identify the ability of the muscles to adapt when increasing movement and resistance.

For individual muscles and muscle groups in manual muscle testing, test positions (starting position) have been developed and systematized. Thanks to the technique, the massage therapist determines the strength and functionality of a given muscle group. In practice, this method allows for significant accuracy in determining the degree of muscle weakening.

In the practical application of manual muscle testing, the massage therapist uses the following basic principles of the method:

• test position (client’s initial position) – is selected in such a way as to ensure isolated tested movements as much as possible. Stabilization of the tested muscles is carried out either with the help of the patient’s body weight, or with the hand of a massage therapist;

• test movement - the work of the muscles under study with a certain strength, amplitude and in a specific direction. The specialist must take into account that the inability to perform the required movement in full may be associated not only with muscle weakness, but also with mechanical defects of the joint;

• the heaviness of the part of the body moved by the muscles being tested - depending on the test position, the test movement can be anti-gravity, that is, directed upward. The ability of the tested muscles to perform anti-gravity movement indicates the functional threshold of the muscles being tested;

• the manual resistance provided by the massage therapist during testing is an equally important criterion for assessing muscle strength. In practice, three main methods of manual resistance are used: continuous resistance throughout the entire test movement, the “overcoming” test and the isometric test.

Useful for business

Naturally, within the framework of one article it is impossible to describe all the potential opportunities that open up for a massage therapist thanks to the use of applied kinesiology techniques. But if a specialist has knowledge and practice of massage and seeks to expand the scope of his practical activity, then training in the methods of applied kinesiology is simply necessary for him. The skills of manual muscle testing will allow you to diagnose a wider range of pathological conditions and diseases with subsequent clarification and selection of health-improving effects. They can be used for:

• determining the root cause of damage to the musculoskeletal system;

• choosing massage techniques and drawing up an effective massage regimen;

• selection of key massage zones;

• selection and dosage of rubbing, cooling or warming ointments;

• compiling individual aroma compositions for the client;

• a clearer definition of “dangerous zones” and, if necessary, appointment of consultations with related specialists.

Moreover, this method can be actively used in the spa industry, body, face, figure care programs, namely:

• when performing relaxation procedures, a specialist can more accurately track the client’s emotional status, as well as influence him more effectively;

• in complex weight loss programs, the muscle testing method will allow you to choose those food products that will contribute to achieving results, and, accordingly, abandon those that slow down progress;

• With the current abundance of national and exotic massage programs, various compositions of wraps from all over the world, hardware procedures, muscle testing helps to understand the prospects of a particular approach even before the session, and in some cases, to “escape” allergic reactions.

Applied kinesiology, being a branch of alternative medicine, in no case puts its methods in opposition to existing official methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Moreover, kinesiologists take into account the recommendations of modern medicine in their activities. And the proof of the promise and necessity of applied kinesiology is not official statistics, but the reviews of an ever-growing number of grateful clients.

Source: KOSMETIK international journal, No. 3 (49), 2012, pp. 50-52