A lot of people have heard of Chiropractors using Kinesiology. Chiropractors often use a system of muscle testing known as Applied Kinesiology which is focused on the physical and muscular systems of the body. Modern Kinesiology was developed using the “Applied Kinesiology” system as a foundation, but advanced to involve ALL the systems of the body, not just the musculoskeletal system.
Kinesiology became a term to refer to this natural therapy which offers a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing. For a more detailed explanation of how Kinesiology evolved we need a brief dive into its history.
Kinesiology was originally used as a term to study the movement dynamics of the human body.
Muscle monitoring was first used in western medicine in the early 1900s by orthopaedic surgeon, R.W. Lovett. He was studying patients with polio and paralysis and needed to test and grade muscle function. This development of muscle testing was primarily used to identify spinal nerve damage. By isolating muscle groups that were testing as “weak” he was able to precisely locate the damaged spinal nerves.
During the early 1900s there were large research-based leaps in the understanding of the human body and the systems of disease. The Chiropractic system had been invented in 1895 and by this time Chiropractors were being trained and were in practise.
In the 1960’s a chiropractor named George Goodheart formed his own system of muscle testing to indicate disease and conditions in the body. This built on earlier research that combined knowledge of the lymphatic, vascular and muscular systems of the body. This system is now known as Applied Kinesiology and is practiced by many chiropractors around the world. It was a revolutionary marriage of eastern energy principles, muscle feedback and western developments in structural and reflex sciences to monitor the body’s response to various stimuli.
It wasn’t until 1979 when Dr. John Thie, an American chiropractor, created “Touch for Health” a simple Kinesiology system based on Applied Kinesiology research. This system was soon taught worldwide and began to be used as a holistic healthcare treatment.
The invention of Touch for Health is where Kinesiology and Applied Kinesiology separate. Many forms of Kinesiology have developed from Touch for Health, and so Kinesiology became the generic term for this natural therapy. This therapy continued to evolve and expand to include the energetic body system, nervous system, neurological system and much more.
Today, Chiropractors use the Applied Kinesiology system which is more focused on the muscular and structural integrity of the physical body. Kinesiology was built on this innovative science but went on to include much more than just the physical body.
Kinesiology identifies factors which block the body’s natural healing process. Anything that is blocking this can be addressed through many methods – counselling, acupressure points, energetic clearing, nutritional support, physical muscular release, and neurological balancing to name a few.
As Kinesiology essentially can communicate with the physical body through the science of muscle testing, it can treat almost anything. It can relieve pain, stress, muscular and nervous disorders; detect allergies and nutritional deficiencies; assist with psychological and learning problems, stimulate energies and release untapped potential.
