Although these diagnostic tools are often helpful, many times they are unable to locate the problem. When a person has joint pain, say in the neck or hips, all of the above tests are often negative. However, there is almost always a muscle imbalance in or around a problem joint that is causing or perpetuating the injury. Since it is the muscle’s job to maintain the proper position and function of a joint, muscle coordination is critically important. Muscle testing is the basis of Applied Kinesiology and can identify many types of muscle imbalances as well as ligament and tendon injuries when other tests such as x-rays, MRI’s, and blood tests cannot.

Applied Kinesiology is a body of knowledge that teaches doctors how to test and evaluate approximately 70 different muscles. Just as importantly, Applied Kinesiology gives a doctor the tools to understand what it means when a muscle appears to not be functioning properly, and what can be done to restore proper function. Muscle tests can change according to different stresses placed on the body. This is why pain or other problems may only occur in one position or after moving in a certain way. Because of this, muscle testing may need to be preformed in a variety of positions, (standing, sitting, lying face up or face down, head rotated etc.) in order to identify the problem. For example, some problems such as foot pronation can cause the inhibition or switching off of muscles elsewhere in the body only when a person is in the standing position.

Muscle testing also reveals that there is a subtle connection between organ and muscle function. Because of this there are many instances where muscle testing can be used to help discern the most effective treatment for everything from common digestive problems to lymphatic sluggishness.

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