Kinesiology

Kinesiology

Also known as	Specialised kinesiology; energy kinesiology
Traditions and lineage	Touch for Health (1970s), derived from applied kinesiology (George Goodheart, 1960s)
Status	Approved
First approved	11 October 2026

Kinesiology, also called specialised or energy kinesiology, is a holistic, non-invasive therapy in which the practitioner uses manual muscle testing to assess imbalances in the body, then draws on a wide range of techniques chosen for the individual client.

The word kinesiology means the study of movement. It is also used for things this page doesn't cover: the science of human movement, kinesiology taping used in physiotherapy, and the applied kinesiology techniques used by chiropractors.

Description

Muscle testing

In a muscle test, the practitioner applies a force to a muscle or group of muscles while holding a particular intention in mind, and describes the muscle as "weak" or "strong" according to how well it resists. Kinesiologists describe muscle testing as a form of biofeedback, and believe it can identify blockages or disruptions in the body's energy flow, point to issues across mind, body or spirit, and show which techniques are needed to correct them. Kinesiology rests on an energy model of health rather than a medical one.

Techniques

Guided by the muscle tests, the kinesiologist chooses techniques for the individual client from a wide range. Examples identified by the Australian Kinesiology Association include acupressure, aromatherapy, flower remedies, nutritional advice and supplements, posture, alignment and myofascial work, and counselling-based techniques such as goal setting and visualisation. Some techniques are used during the session; others are discussed for the client to use at home.

A session

A session usually lasts from 30 to 90 minutes. According to professional associations, some clients need only one session while others need several. Some kinesiologists also work online, using "surrogate" muscle testing, in which the practitioner tests their own muscles on the client's behalf.

Scope

What it includes

• Manual muscle testing to assess imbalances
• Techniques chosen for the individual client, used in the session or at home
• Online sessions using surrogate muscle testing, offered by some practitioners

What it is not

• Kinesiology isn't used to diagnose disorders. The Australian Kinesiology Association says kinesiologists don't diagnose or treat any specific disorder, disease or symptom.
• It isn't the science of human movement, kinesiology taping, or applied kinesiology. In Australia, applied kinesiology is practised by people with a university qualification in a registered health profession, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy or medicine.
• There is little evidence for kinesiology's underlying philosophy or its claimed benefits. The Australian Government's 2015 review found too little evidence to reach any conclusion about whether kinesiology is effective. A 2024 systematic review for the government's Natural Therapies Review found only one relevant study, of people with chronic low back pain, and the evidence from it was very uncertain. It found no studies of the other conditions for which people in Australia commonly seek kinesiology.

Research on muscle testing

Most published research on muscle testing has been done overseas, and much of it is about applied kinesiology, the chiropractic method, rather than the specialised kinesiology most often practised in Australia. It is a useful guide to how muscle testing performs under controlled conditions, but it says little directly about the methods Australian kinesiologists use. The Australian Government's 2024 review of specialised kinesiology itself is summarised under What it is not.

• Muscle testing in general. A 2007 literature review by Scott Cuthbert and George Goodheart, the founder of the International College of Applied Kinesiology, concluded that manual muscle testing, as used by chiropractors, physiotherapists and neurologists, is a clinically useful tool. A published critique the same year argued that the review did not separate ordinary testing of muscle strength from applied kinesiology's own diagnostic procedures. It found that the few studies of those procedures either refute them or can't support them as diagnostic tests, and that the evidence doesn't support using manual muscle testing to diagnose organic disease or preclinical or subclinical conditions.
• Applied kinesiology as a diagnostic test. In a 2014 double-blind, randomised study, 51 participants were each muscle-tested while holding one of two sealed vials, one containing saline and the other a toxic solution, with no one present knowing which was which. The toxic vial was picked correctly in 80 of 151 sets of trials (53%), close to what chance would give. The authors concluded that, in studies meeting accepted scientific standards, applied kinesiology hasn't been shown to be a useful or reliable basis for health decisions.
• Muscle response testing to detect lies. Two blinded studies published in 2016 tested whether practitioners could use muscle response testing to tell false spoken statements from true ones. In the first, 48 practitioners each worked with a participant new to the technique. Muscle testing was right about 66% of the time, compared with about 47% for the practitioners' unaided guesses and 50% for chance, and the second study found the same pattern. The authors cautioned that the results may not apply to other uses of muscle testing.

Traditions and lineage

Applied kinesiology was developed in the 1960s by George Goodheart, a chiropractor, to add to the usual methods of chiropractic diagnosis. In the 1970s Touch for Health emerged as a simpler form of applied kinesiology, intended for people to use themselves, outside chiropractic and other health professions. Specialised kinesiology grew out of Touch for Health, and many systems have since developed, drawing on energetic, counselling, educational and healing ideas. They include Professional Kinesiology Practice (PKP), Three in One, Kinergetics and integrative kinesiology.

Kinesiology also draws on Chinese acupuncture theory of chi energy. Unlike applied kinesiology, which tests the strength of muscles, newer forms use muscle monitoring as feedback to the client.

Kinesiology in Australia

Training and associations

The national HLT52415 Diploma of Kinesiology is a current qualification in the Health Training Package. It describes kinesiologists as practitioners who give kinesiology balances for a wide range of health and wellbeing issues, usually as self-employed practitioners, and requires at least 200 hours of work as part of its assessment. No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to it.

Practitioners usually train through accredited courses ranging from entry level to Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma. Two professional bodies, the Australian Institute of Kinesiologists (AIK) and the Australian Kinesiology Association (AKA), accredit training, offer membership according to the training completed, run continuing professional development, and have codes of ethics and practice for their members.

Regulation

Kinesiology is not regulated under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, so practitioners don't have to be registered.

Private health insurance

Since 1 April 2019, kinesiology has been one of 16 natural therapies that private health insurers can't cover. The exclusion followed the 2015 review of the government rebate on natural therapies, which found too little evidence to reach firm conclusions about the effectiveness of these therapies. The Natural Therapies Review 2024 looked at the evidence again. Its Chair, Professor Michael Kidd, recommended that seven therapies become eligible again, but did not recommend kinesiology.

Safety and good practice

Better Health advises people not to keep seeing any practitioner who suggests giving up conventional medical treatment; that decision should only be made with a doctor. The 2024 systematic review didn't assess safety.

Further reading

• Better Health Channel. "Kinesiology". Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, 2015.
• Cochrane Australia. Systematic review of evidence on the clinical effectiveness of kinesiology. Australian Government Department of Health, 2024.
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. "Natural Therapies Review 2024". Australian Government.
• Haas, M., R. Cooperstein and D. Peterson. "Disentangling manual muscle testing and Applied Kinesiology". Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 2007.
• Jensen, A. M., R. J. Stevens and A. J. Burls. "Estimating the accuracy of muscle response testing: two randomised-order blinded studies". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016.
• National Training Register. "HLT52415 Diploma of Kinesiology". training.gov.au.