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Applied kinesiology (AK) is a system for evaluating body function that is unique in the healing arts.  It has grown rapidly, both in the number of physicians using it and in its concepts and scope.  The examination procedures, developed within the chiropractic profession, appear to be such that they can be used in all branches of the healing arts.

Applied kinesiology came into being in 1964 when George Goodheart, D.C., of Detroit, Michigan, began evaluating his patients’ muscles with manual tests.  He observed that sometimes a muscle tested weak, but there was no atrophy or other apparent reason for the weakness.  On one occasion he observed tender nodules at the origin of a patient’s weakened shoulder muscle; upon deep goading of the nodules, the muscle returned to almost normal strength as compared with the uninvolved side.  This led to the original applied kinesiology technique of origin and insertion treatment.

The technique of muscle testing Dr. Goodheart used was that of Kendall and Kendall.  This excellent work on muscle testing is now in its third edition by Kendall and McCreary.  Most muscle tests done in applied kinesiology do not evaluate how the nervous system controls muscle function.  This has been called “muscle testing as functional neurology.”  Most practitioners who used muscle testing in the early development of applied kinesiology held the concept of a “strong” or “weak” muscle.  In most cases, the results of a test do not depend on whether the muscle is strong or weak, but how the nervous system controls the muscle.  Although the terms “strong” and “weak” have generally been maintained, one should think in terms of the nervous system rather than the actual power the muscle is capable of producing.

The initial development of applied kinesiology was directed toward correcting structural imbalance caused by poorly functioning muscles.  The main objective was to support chiropractic adjustments of the spine, pelvis, and other articulations.  The improvement, when made, fit well into the structurally-oriented chiropractic profession.

In the early development of applied kinesiology there were only a few techniques for changing muscle function and little was known concerning all of the factors that could change muscle function.  Sometimes the improved muscle function lasted, with no return of dysfunction; on other occasions, the improvement was short-lived.  On still other occasions, a dysfunctioning muscle could not be returned to normal.  There were also apparent inconsistencies in manual muscle testing results.

Over the years the inconsistency of muscle testing has been largely overcome as the various factors that change the results of a test have been discovered.  For example, it is now known that when a patient places his had over certain body parts, sometimes specific to the muscle being tested, there will be a change in muscle function.  This has become known as therapy localization (TL).  Another example is seen under some circumstances; when the eyes are turned into a certain direction, muscle function changes as observed by the manual test.  This is known as “eyes into distortion.” These and other elements that confused early muscle testing have become assets in an applied kinesiology examination.

Those who persevered in their efforts to determine why muscles tested weak found that many therapeutic approaches were applicable in improving muscle function. Most of the treatment techniques that improved muscle function were not originally developed in applied kinesiology.  Some, such as meridian therapy/acupuncture, are used in their classic sense; in addition, they have been modified to be more productive in an applied kinesiology setting.  Some new treatment techniques have been developed that are unique to applied kinesiology.

Applied kinesiology should be done by a physician thoroughly knowledgeable in physical, orthopedic, and neurologic examination and the other examination methodology in the healing arts to properly make a differential diagnosis.  It should be used in conjunction with examinations, blood labs, x-rays, MRIs, urinalysis, etc.  Some who use the muscle testing procedures of applied kinesiology make an inadequate study of the subject, or they have not had the necessary anatomical, physiological, and clinical expertise necessary for the proper application of the technique.  This includes both doctors and lay people.

Techniques used widely in applied kinesiology evaluation and treatment are adjustment of the spinal column and manipulation of other joints in the body, nerve receptor treatment, balancing of the meridians and the cranial-sacral system (see the link to CranioSacral Therapy), and nutritional therapy. Again, it is strongly emphasized that an applied kinesiology evaluation of health problems is only part of the total patient work-up. Examination should include standard physical examination, using orthopedic and neurologic test, laboratory and x-ray when indicated, and the usual complete patient history.  All factors of the total examination should correlate; applied kinesiology findings and the other factors of differential diagnosis should enhance each other.  The major contribution applied kinesiology makes to standard diagnostic procedures is functional evaluation.  Most standard diagnosis, excluding applied kinesiology, is directed toward discovering and evaluating pathology.   Many individuals clearly pass a physical examination directed toward that end, but they may still complain of headaches, fatigue, and other general health problems.  Applied kinesiology helps discover the reason for functional disturbances, and suggests a direction for corrective therapy.  When applied kinesiology is used in conjunction with the standard methods of diagnosis developed in medicine and chiropractic, one has a greater ability to understand a patient’s health problem.