The
International College of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. provides a clinical
and academic arena for investigating, substantiating, and propagating
A.K. findings and concepts pertinent to the relationships between structural,
chemical, and mental factors in health and disease and the relationship
between structural faults and the disruption of homeostasis exhibited
in functional illness.
A.K. is an interdisciplinary
approach to health care which draws together the core elements of
the complementary therapies, creating a more unified approach to the
diagnosis and treatment of functional illness. A.K. uses functional
assessment measures such as posture and gait analysis, manual muscle
testing as functional neurologic evaluation, range of motion, static
palpation, and motion analysis. These assessments are used in conjunction
with standard methods of diagnosis, such as clinical history, physical
examination findings, laboratory tests, and instrumentation to develop
a clinical impression of the unique physiologic condition of each
patient, including an impression of the patient's functional physiologic
status. When appropriate, this clinical impression is used as a guide
to the application of conservative physiologic therapeutics.
The practice of
applied kinesiology requires that it 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 procedures.
The origin of
contemporary applied kinesiology is traced to 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 fail to meet the demands of muscle tests designed to
maximally isolate specific muscles. 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 perceived 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 manipulation or mobilization, various myofascial
therapies, cranial techniques, meridian therapy, clinical nutrition,
dietary management, and various reflex procedures. With expanding
investigation there has been continued amplification and modification
of the treatment procedures. Although many treatment techniques incorporated
into applied kinesiology were pre-existing, many new methods have
been developed within the discipline itself.
Often the indication
of dysfunction is the failure of a muscle to perform properly during
the manual muscle test. This may be due to improper facilitation or
neuromuscular inhibition. In theory some of the proposed etiologies
for the muscle dysfunction are as follows:
» Myofascial dysfunction
(micro avulsion and proprioceptive dysfunction)
» Peripheral nerve entrapment
» Spinal segmental facilitation and deafferentation
» Neurologic disorganization
» Viscerosomatic relationships (aberrant autonomic reflexes)
» Nutritional inadequacy
» Toxic chemical influences
» Dysfunction in the production and circulation of cerebrospinal fluid
» Adverse mechanical tension in the meningeal membranes
» Meridian system imbalance
» Lymphatic and vascular impairment
On the basis of response to therapy, it appears that in some of these
conditions the primary neuromuscular dysfunction is due to deafferentation,
the loss of normal sensory stimulation of neurons due to functional
interruption of afferent receptors. It may occur under many circumstances,
but is best understood by the concept that with abnormal joint function
(subluxation or fixation) the aberrant movement causes improper stimulation
of the local joint and muscle receptors. This changes the transmission
from these receptors through the peripheral nerves to the spinal cord,
brainstem, cerebellum, cortex, and then to the effectors from their
normally-expected stimulation. Symptoms of deafferentation arise from
numerous levels such as motor, sensory, autonomic, and consciousness,
or from anywhere throughout the neuraxis.
Applied kinesiology
interactive assessment procedures represent a form of functional biomechanical
and functional neurologic evaluation. The term "functional biomechanics"
refers to the clinical assessment of posture, organized motion such
as in gait, and ranges of motion. Muscle testing readily enters into
the assessment of postural distortion, gait impairment, and altered
range of motion. 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. Applied kinesiology procedures are not intended to be used
as a single method of diagnosis. Applied kinesiology examination should
enhance standard diagnosis, not replace it.
In clinical practice
the following stimuli are among those which have been observed to
alter the outcome of a manual muscle test:
»
Transient directional force applied to the spine, pelvis, cranium,
and extremities
» Stretching muscle, joint, ligament, and tendon
» The patient's digital contact over the skin of a suspect area of
dysfunction termed 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 phase of diaphragmatic 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
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.
The following factors must be carefully considered when testing muscles
in clinical and research settings
» Proper positioning
so the test muscle is the prime mover
» Adequate stabilization of regional anatomy
» Observation of the manner in which the patient or subject assumes
and maintains the test position
» Observation of the manner in which the patient or subject performs
the test
» Consistent timing, pressure, and position
» Avoidance of preconceived impressions regarding the test outcome
» Nonpainful contacts -- nonpainful execution of the test
» Contraindications due to age, debilitative disease, acute pain,
and local pathology or
inflammation
In applied kinesiology 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 applied kinesiology 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
work-up that determines the final diagnosis.
An applied kinesiology-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. Applied
kinesiology helps the physician understand functional symptomatic
complexes. In assessing a patient's status, it is important to understand
any pathologic states or processes that may be present prior to instituting
a form of therapy for what appears to be functional health problem.
Applied kinesiology-based
procedures are administered to achieve the following examination and
therapeutic goals:
» Provide an interactive
assessment of the functional health status 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 or delay
the onset of frank pathologic processes
When properly
performed, applied kinesiology can provide valuable insights into
physiologic dysfunctions; however, many individuals have developed
methods that use muscle testing (and related procedures) in a manner
inconsistent with the approach advocated by the International College
of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. Clearly the utilization of muscle testing
and other A.K. procedures does not necessarily equate with the practice
of applied kinesiology as defined by the ICAK-U.S.A.
There are both
lay persons and professionals who use a form of manual muscle testing
without the necessary expertise to perform specific and accurate tests.
Some fail to coordinate the muscle testing findings with other standard
diagnostic procedures. These may be sources of error that could lead
to misinterpretation of the condition present, and thus to improper
treatment or failure to treat the appropriate condition. For these
reasons the International College of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. defines
the practice of applied kinesiology as limited to health care professionals
licensed to diagnose.
Approved by the Executive Board of the International College of Applied
Kinesiology-U.S.A., June 16, 1992.
