Logan Steele
Muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology (AK) or manual muscle testing (MMT), is a controversial alternative medicine practice. It is used to diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments. AK is based on the idea that for every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Thus, any internal issues are accompanied by related muscle weakness. However, the effectiveness of muscle testing has been questioned, with some studies showing that it is no more effective than random guessing in diagnosing allergies. While it has shown promise in diagnosing musculoskeletal disorders, the medical community has largely rejected it as a diagnostic tool for other systems of the body.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Other Names | Applied Kinesiology (AK), Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), Muscle Response Testing (MRT) |
| Use | To gauge general health status, specific supplement dosage, detect imbalances, identify chemical sensitivities and allergies, diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments |
| History | First used in the early 20th century to measure muscle weakness in polio victims |
| Development | Chiropractor George Goodheart developed a different use for muscle testing 15 years later |
| Practitioners | Used by holistic practitioners, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, medical doctors, counsellors, and more |
| Accuracy | Studies have found varying results, with some finding it comparable to other tests and others finding it no more helpful than random guessing |
| Effectiveness | The medical community has mostly rejected the idea of AK as a diagnostic tool for conditions beyond musculoskeletal disorders |
| Recommendation | Patients should not follow medical advice based solely on AK |
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What You'll Learn
Muscle testing as a diagnostic tool
Muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology (AK) or manual muscle testing (MMT), is an alternative medicine practice that claims to diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments. The basic idea behind AK is similar to one of Sir Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion, which states, "for every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This concept is applied to the human body, suggesting that internal issues would be accompanied by related muscle weakness.
AK was developed by chiropractor George Goodheart, who was interested in how well the nervous system controlled muscle function. The technique involves testing specific muscles and is used by approximately 40% of American chiropractors. It differs from standard orthopedic muscle testing, which may be useful for specific muscle-related weaknesses but is not suitable for diagnosing medical conditions.
Muscle testing is a non-invasive assessment tool used by various health practitioners, including physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and medical doctors, to evaluate neuromusculoskeletal integrity. One form of MMT, muscle response testing (MRT), focuses on neural control rather than muscular strength. MRT is estimated to be used by over 1 million people worldwide, and its validity has been assessed through randomized, blinded studies.
While some studies have found that AK can accurately predict food allergies, low back pain, and simple phobias, the medical community has largely rejected it as a diagnostic tool for conditions beyond musculoskeletal disorders. Research evaluating the usefulness of muscle testing is challenging due to the variety of ways it is applied and the potential for bias in interpretation.
Despite the controversy, muscle testing remains popular in holistic therapy, particularly for addressing mental health issues such as trauma, anxiety, and depression. It is believed to detect imbalances in the body's energy pathways, organs, and systems, providing a roadmap for recovery. However, patients are advised not to rely solely on muscle testing for medical diagnoses and should instead use it in conjunction with other diagnostic methods.
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Applied kinesiology (AK)
AK is primarily used by chiropractors, but is also used by many other practitioners of complementary therapy. In 2003, it was the 10th most frequently used chiropractic technique in the United States, with 37.6% of chiropractors employing this method and 12.9% of patients being treated with it. It is also used by nutritional supplement distributors. AK is used to assess many different things, from general health status to specific supplement dosages.
The basic procedure of AK involves mentally holding a question in one's mind, sometimes while holding a substance like a vitamin or food sample, and measuring relative muscular weakness to obtain an answer. The accuracy of AK has been the subject of much debate and study. Some studies have found that AK can accurately predict muscle strength, food allergies, low back pain, and simple phobias. For example, a 2023 study found that AK provided accurate results when used to measure sacroiliac dysfunction. However, other studies have found that AK is no more useful than random guessing when it comes to evaluating nutrient status and diagnosing allergies. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have all stated that there is no evidence to support the use of AK for diagnosing or treating illnesses.
Despite the controversy and lack of scientific evidence, AK has grown in popularity over the last 30 years. It was first developed by chiropractor George Goodheart, Jr. in 1964 and has since been used by over one million practitioners worldwide.
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Manual muscle testing (MMT)
Muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology (AK) or manual muscle testing (MMT), is an alternative medicine practice that claims to effectively diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments. It is a simple, non-invasive assessment tool used by many health practitioners to assess a patient's general health status, specific supplement dosage, and other issues.
MMT is a type of muscle strength testing that involves manually testing key muscles from the upper and lower extremities against the examiner's resistance and grading the patient's strength on a scale. The most commonly accepted method of evaluating muscle strength is the Oxford Scale, which grades patients' strength on a 0 to 5 scale. Commonly tested muscles include the shoulder abductors, elbow flexors, elbow extensors, wrist extensors, finger flexors, and hand intrinsics.
MMT can be used to evaluate weakness and differentiate true weakness from imbalance or poor endurance, especially when there is a suspected neurological disease or muscle weakness. However, some studies have found that MMT may not be sufficiently sensitive to measure strength in the good and normal range. For example, a 2001 study found that muscle tests were no more helpful in diagnosing allergies than random guessing, and that AK should not be used as a diagnostic tool for conditions outside of musculoskeletal disorders.
Despite this, AK has grown in popularity, and some studies have shown its effectiveness in certain areas. For instance, a 2023 study found that AK provided accurate results when used to measure sacroiliac dysfunction, and other studies have found that it can accurately predict food allergies and simple phobias. Additionally, experienced AK practitioners have been found to more accurately predict muscle strength compared to inexperienced practitioners.
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Muscle response testing (MRT)
MRT is used to gauge everything from general health status to specific supplement dosages. It is also used to determine the state of organs and organ systems, evaluate nutritional status and the need for supplementation, detect imbalances in the meridians and chakras, identify chemical sensitivities and allergies, and discover the presence of mental or emotional stress.
There are many different uses for MRT in clinical practice, and many different ways that it could be studied, so it is impossible to list them all. The amount of sound research on it is limited. One study found that a muscle stayed "strong" after a patient spoke true statements and went "weak" after a patient spoke false statements. However, it is unclear from the study what biases may have influenced the outcome.
Other studies of MRT have found that practitioners were able to determine if a spoken statement was true significantly more accurately than guessing whether it was true. These studies found that accuracy had no connection with practitioner experience. In still other studies, MRT was found to accurately predict low back pain and simple phobias, and applied kinesiology was found to accurately predict food allergies. However, it is important to note that the medical community has mostly rejected the idea of applied kinesiology as a diagnostic tool for conditions in other systems of the body besides musculoskeletal disorders.
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Muscle testing for mental health issues
Muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology (AK) or manual muscle testing (MMT), is an alternative medicine practice that claims to diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments. AK is based on Sir Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion, which states that "for every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction". This concept is applied to the human body, suggesting that internal issues are accompanied by related muscle weakness.
Despite its popularity, the science behind muscle testing has been widely disproven, and it is not considered a part of the science of kinesiology, which is the study of human body movement. The medical community has largely rejected AK as a diagnostic tool for conditions beyond musculoskeletal disorders. A 2001 study found that muscle tests are ineffective for diagnosing medical conditions such as organic disease or mental illness. However, a 2023 study found that AK provided accurate results when used to measure sacroiliac dysfunction, and further studies are recommended.
Muscle testing is used by holistic psychotherapists to address mental health issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and chronic stress. It is claimed to help cut down the need for lengthy talk therapy by directly accessing important information from the patient's energy system to guide therapy sessions. For example, in cases of chronic stress, muscle testing can provide clarity on the underlying issues that need to be addressed to break the cycle. Similarly, in depression, muscle testing is believed to identify the imbalances triggering the condition and provide a roadmap for recovery.
Some studies have found that experienced AK practitioners were able to predict muscle strength more accurately than inexperienced ones, and that AK can be used to predict food allergies and simple phobias. However, the amount of sound research on AK is limited, and there is confusion regarding the term, its application, and interpretation of results, making it challenging to design and interpret research evaluating its usefulness.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology (AK) or manual muscle testing (MMT), is an alternative medicine practice that claims to effectively diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments. It is a non-invasive assessment tool used by a variety of health care providers, including physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and medical doctors.
Muscle testing involves applying gentle pressure to an indicator muscle while checking the response of reflex points linked with organs, systems, emotions, and specific states of mind. A "'strong'" response indicates that the neurological signals are sufficient to keep the target muscle contracted, while a "weak" response suggests an imbalance or restriction in the neurological flow.
The effectiveness of muscle testing is debated. Some studies have found that muscle testing can accurately predict low back pain, simple phobias, and food allergies. However, other studies have shown that it has no diagnostic value. The medical community has mostly rejected the idea of AK as a diagnostic tool for conditions beyond musculoskeletal disorders. It is not advised to rely solely on muscle testing for important healthcare decisions.
