Kinesiology

Most sports medicine practitioners learn a significant amount about anatomy and biomechanics during their years in training and after. Kinesiology, the study of human movement, is an important part of this learning process.

The study of kinesiology is a common undergraduate and graduate program, with some universities offering PhD programs in this discipline. Students graduating these programs in kinesiology generally work with health-care practitioners in hospitals, on sports teams, and in other arenas to assist in sports training.

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Those studying the clinical sciences with a goal of obtaining a doctorate degree in medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, or other areas often study the same type of kinesiology with more emphasis on neuromuscular function and the use of manual muscle testing as an assessment tool. These individuals are usually healthcare professionals who use complementary medicine, with the name professional applied kinesiology (PAK) separating this clinical approach from kinesiology. (It should also be noted that a significant number of people, many of whom don’t have college experience in this field, also employ types of kinesiology. These include those in Touch for Health and many other programs that teach lay people certain techniques.)

Many health-care professionals who use various forms of therapy with the name “kinesiology” have evolved in the last fifty years and have incorporated the use of manual muscle testing. Virtually all these different types of kinesiology today—there are dozens—came from applied kinesiology (AK), which was developed in the early 1960s by Dr. George Goodheart, a chiropractor who employed a wide range of complementary approaches, including Chinese medicine, osteopathy and chiropractic, diet and nutrition, and sports medicine. In 1980, he became the first official chiropractor on the U.S. Olympic medical team and in 2001 was on Time magazine’s list of the Top 100 Alternative Medicine Innovators of the Twenty-first Century.

Much like Chinese medicine, applied kinesiology combines many existing therapies into one system. Applied kinesiology practitioners use manual muscle testing as part of an assessment process that focuses on the physical, chemical, and mental and emotional state. This and other assessment tools help practitioners find the therapies that best match the patient’s specific needs. These practitioners theorize that when there is an imbalance in the body, it is usually reflected as a specific muscle imbalance.

There is not a specific academic degree for applied kinesiology; rather, those licensed health-care professionals use manual muscle testing as one of often several complementary medicine procedures. Various professional organizations, such as the International College of Applied Kinesiology, offer postdoctorate courses and certifications in professional applied kinesiology.