At Heal Thyself Institute, we use Applied Kinesiology (AK) as one of the tools to better understand how the brain and body are functioning together. This gentle, hands-on assessment uses muscle response to provide additional information about the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. By observing how muscles respond to light resistance, we can look for patterns that help guide further assessment and individualized care.
Applied Kinesiology is not a treatment itself, but an assessment tool that can provide additional information to help guide the chiropractic, neurological, or functional medicine approaches used for each patient.
During muscle testing, gentle pressure is applied to specific muscles while the body’s response is observed. Changes in muscle response, coordination, or control can provide additional information about how the nervous and musculoskeletal systems are responding to different inputs.
Dr. Waldo uses these findings alongside your history, examination, and other appropriate assessments to help identify patterns and guide a more individualized approach to care.
Applied Kinesiology is one of the core tools we use to bridge structure, chemistry, and emotion; the three pillars of functional health.
By combining AK with chiropractic adjustments, neurological exercises, and functional medicine insights, we’re able to treat the whole person, not just a single symptom.
Each test helps refine your individualized care plan, ensuring the body’s feedback guides every decision we make together.
Applied Kinesiology is a specific diagnostic system developed by chiropractors that uses muscle testing as part of a broader clinical framework. It looks not only at strength, but at how the nervous system and different body systems communicate through muscle response.
No. AK is gentle and safe for all ages — including children and sensitive patients. The light resistance used is simply a way to observe how your brain and muscles respond under slight challenge.
AK combines chiropractic, neurology, and physiology principles. While it’s considered an adjunctive technique rather than a standalone science. In our practice, we use it alongside other clinical assessments to provide additional information that may help guide individualized care.
Dr. Waldo uses AK testing alongside other methods like SOT, visual and vestibular assessments, and functional medicine testing. It helps refine your care plan and determine which therapies will best support your healing and nervous system regulation.
