What is Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing and How Does it Work?

"How did my muscle just get stronger when you pressed on my spine?"

This is a common question that patients, especially athletes who tend to know their bodies very well, will ask their Applied Kinesiologist.

When you experience your first examination and treatment with a doctor who specializes in Applied Kinesiology (AK) it seems impossible that your muscles will test at apparently different strengths in a matter of seconds. The reason this is possible is that Applied Kinesiologists are not measuring your muscle's strength... they are measuring your muscle's function. This reading of your muscle function can change just like your blood pressure measurement can change depending on current stimuli. (i.e. White Coat Syndrome)

Not knowing that a muscle test performed by a trained Applied Kinesiologist is NOT a strength test and actually represents a reading of your nervous system and therefore can change immediately is where much of the misunderstanding of AK stems from!

This Introduction to Applied Kinesiology Video is meant for doctors. However, I think you will find it illuminating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEyZXnqqpk

You might find it interesting to know how this innovative and growing healthcare discipline can improve your health and help you to live pain-free.  Here is my explanation of What is Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing and How Does it Work?

"Applied Kinesiology (AK) muscle testing represents a window into your overall health. Instead of using manual muscle testing as a measure of 'disability,' your Applied Kinesiologist uses muscle testing as a measure of 'ability'.

Before AK, the results of muscle strength testing were thought to be static like seeing a fracture on an x-ray. In 1964, Dr George Goodheart’s breakthrough discovery was that muscle 'weakness' was not necessarily a pathological problem, but could be a functional one.

When used as part of a thorough examination by a doctor certified in Applied Kinesiology, manual muscle testing can be a diagnostic tool as a dynamic measure of relative function not as a static label of absolute disability.

  Not only can muscle testing indicate the proper therapy to treat a specific musculoskeletal condition, but Applied Kinesiologists eventually found it could be a predicator of overall health.

  AK muscle testing magnifies the depth of the meaning of the muscle test similar to what a microscope does to the magnifying glass; it reveals more of what is happening deep in your physiology. This is why AK manual muscle testing can find health issues that many other less refined diagnostic tests may miss. A problem cannot exist unless a solution also exists and AK Muscle Testing may find the solution to what is causing your problem when it doesn't show up on x-rays, MRIs or blood tests."

Best of Health,

Dr. Eugene Charles

To find an applied kinesiologist in your area go to:

http://www.charlesseminars.com/AKdoctors.html OR http://www.icakusa.com

Doctors can begin to learn the AK Certification Course through either:

DVD Training -http://www.charlesseminars.com/producs.html

OR

Online Courses- https://drcharlesonline.com

Tommy John Surgery or Dr. George Goodheart Treatments?

How applied kinesiology can be an integral part of an athlete’s recovery from injuries:

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka suffered an elbow injury that will keep him off the mound for at least 6 weeks. The Wall Street Journal's Daniel Barbarisi reports that Tanaka has a slight tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. We all know that a full tear means Tommy John surgery, and rightly so. The surgery is a modern marvel and has become more famous than the pitcher it is named after!

As these excellent doctors try their best to successfully heal Mr. Tanaka’s elbow—so he can avoid surgery—I will share with you how applied kinesiology could be added to the team approach to healing this athlete (and we are all athletes in our own way) and perhaps help save his career.

Applied kinesiology is another modern marvel started by a man who is not as famous as Tommy John. His name is Dr. George Goodheart and he developed a healing system known as applied kinesiology. It proved to be so successful that Dr. Goodheart was selected to the Olympic Medical Committee in 1980 when he healed the injured hamstring of the Medical Committee Chairman - Dr. Irving Dardik, after other therapies could not!

In this case, and with the information available to me—Mr. Tanaka complaining of arm fatigue, pitching on less rest than he did in Japan, and the assurance that there was no traumatic event like a loud pop—here is my suggestion of what applied kinesiology can add to the therapies being used:

1. It sounds like his elbow is not moving properly and has what is known as a subluxation. A subluxation is where the joint is NOT dislocated, however it is not moving 100% properly either. It is stuck somewhere in between, literally! The elbow is comprised of three joints (humero-radial, humero-ulnar, proximal radio-ulnar) and it appears that at least one of the joints is not functioning in the proper manner.

*A manual adjustment is needed to realign one or all three of the joints. Most likely in this case the humero-ulnar joint is subluxated and causing excessing strain on the ligament that connects the two bones—the infamous ulnar collateral ligament. This joint is probably not moving properly with many pitchers and this may be a major reason they end up tearing the ligament due to the elbow’s compromised position. After all, if it was just a case of overuse then ALL pitchers would get this when they hit a certain cumulative pitch count (This adjustment helps to heal the joint).

2. Kinesiological techniques to restore optimal function to the muscles around the elbow (pronator teres, supinator, wrist flexors etc.) These are specific massage techniques that restore the muscle to its pre-injury status. These techniques should be employed BEFORE physical therapy is initiated (This helps to heal the muscles).

3. Percussion therapy over the ulnar collateral ligament to induce the fibroblasts to synthesize collagen and promote the healing and strengthening of the ligament (This helps to heal the ligaments).

4. NUTRITION—The last aspect that is so often overlooked in ALL injuries is the need for the nutrition that the body needs to heal. Nutrients to stop inflammation and promote the healing of muscles, tendons and ligaments are needed for a complete recovery. This is an entire topic in itself.

Briefly, Vitamin C and the mineral manganese are essential to heal ligaments; omega oils and herbs like curcumin, ginger and boswellia help stop inflammation; and my PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INJURY SECRET—natural anti-histamines! That’s right, natural anti-histamines. Why? Because when a joint is injured it disrupts mast cells which release histamines and cause excessive pain and inflammation. I have used natural anti-histamines with amazing results in healing injured ankles, shoulders, wrists….and yes, elbows (This helps to heal the joint, muscles and ligaments).

Now you have it. How applied kinesiology can be an asset in assisting the medical team working on Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow. It can bring another set of tools to the "Medical Pit Crew” working earnestly to help this athlete do what he loves. This goes for all athletes and remember WE ARE ALL ATHLETES IN OUR OWN WAY!

To Actualizing Your Potential and Your Great Health and Success,

Eugene Charles, D.C., DIBAK Diplomate, International Board of Applied Kinesiology www.charlesseminars.com

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