AK - Applied Kinesiology

Applied Kinesiology is a relatively recent outgrowth of chiropractic. It was devised in the 1960s by George J. Goodheart, Jr., a chiropractor who focused on muscular dysfunction rather than joint abnormalities. Its goals, as set forth by the International College of Applied Kinesiology, are to:

• Provide a non-equipment-intensive assessment of the patient's functional health status,
• Restore postural balance, correct impaired gait, improve range of motion,
• Restore normal neuromuscular function,
• Achieve balance of endocrine, immune, digestive, and other internal functions, and
• Permit early intervention in degenerative diseases.

   Although weakness in a specific muscle is said to be a clue to possible problems in its associated organ or gland; practitioners do not claim that the results are diagnostically definitive. They say that improper performance in a manual muscle test may be due to nerve dysfunction, nutritional inadequacy, toxic chemicals, abnormal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord, tension in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, poor circulation of blood or lymph fluid, or "meridian system imbalance."