“Where it is… it isn’t” This was one of the first phrases I learned at a Systematic Kinesiology introductory talk nearly two years ago.   I didn’t fully understand it at the time but I do now. Having practiced and worked with many different people I have found that the source of a problem is not always where we expect.   Clients might complain of backache, neck pain, knee pain etc. but rather than chasing the pain I will check fifteen or more different muscles in the body from head to toe.  I will note any imbalance or weakness and then fix what I find. In Systematic Kinesiology we treat the person not the problem.  A pain in one part of the body can be the downstream result of tension or energy blockage in another part.

One example is the Piriformis muscle which is situated in the hip area close to the sciatic nerve.  Problems with this muscle can sometimes cause lower-back and hip pain. When testing the Piriformis we check if weakness might be related to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of the jaw.  The pain could be coming from here as people hold a lot of tension in their jaw muscles particularly when under stress.  This tension will unbalance some jaw muscles which has a knock-on effect all the way down the body.  Using kinesiology techniques we are able to release tension in TMJ muscles which can often help ease hip pain and sciatica.

In Systematic Kinesiology we always look for the root cause of our client’s pain or discomfort.  Then whatever treatment we give will be more complete and last longer than just fixing the symptoms.

Text Neck is a relatively new syndrome brought about by people spending too much time with their head and shoulders bent forward staring down at screens such as smart phones or tablets. Texting in a forward head posture puts excessive stress and strain on the muscles and ligaments behind the neck which are trying to withstand the weight of the heavy head pulling forward. This pressure increases substantially the further forward the head goes.

In the drawing below the dog on the right is in a typical text neck posture with his head bent down, the neck stretched forward and the upper back rounded. His ears are very far in front of his shoulders instead of being directly over them. If this position is maintained for even short periods of time on a regular basis it will lead to neck and shoulder pain, upper back pain, breathing issues as the lungs are compressed and eventually because everything in the body is connected lower back and hip problems.

The solution: take a look at the dog on the left, he is holding the phone up at eye level with a straight upper back and neck, and ears positioned directly above the shoulders. This is the posture we should try to imitate whilst texting to take pressure off the neck and cervical spine. It is important to be aware of your posture when using mobile devices so that if you find yourself slumping forward take a break stretch and move about to relax the neck and shoulder muscles.

For anybody suffering from painful or stiff neck and shoulders a Systematic Kinesiology treatment will help to rebalance these muscles and make is easier to maintain good posture.

One day a client asked me this very good question about the muscle test:

“How can someone small and light like yourself possibly overpower the muscles of a big strong man like me?”

I’m going to share my answer:

In Systematic Kinesiology the muscle test we do is not a test of physical strength but of communication between a muscle and the brain. When we test a muscle the client is asked to hold a limb in a specific position. This isolates and contracts that one muscle without involving its synergistic or helper muscles. I use light pressure on the arm or leg and ask the client to push gently against me. I then push back.   If the muscle wobbles or gives way this means that the flow of information between it and the central nervous system is disrupted. While the muscle may be physically very strong it is “switched off” or inhibited right now and is unable to do its job.  It’s a bit like having a bad mobile signal and somebody rings!  Your phone itself is working perfectly but all you can hear is the odd word or crackle because the signal is weak.

After the muscle test we use kinesiology techniques to restore communication so that the muscle switches on when needed to do it’s own job. This in turn takes pressure off the neighbouring helper muscles which will otherwise become over-worked and tired. If this happens they will eventually “complain” and we know it because we feel stiff and sore.  Regular Systematic Kinesiology treatments help to keep all our muscles “happy” and working at full capacity.

People often ask me what is Kinesiology all about and what can it do.  Well I’m going to share an example of how I used it to help myself.  One day I went for a walk with my dog Pippa up a mountain track near Ballygawley.  We hadn’t walked this particular route for a few months so I was a bit out of practice.  Of course it was no bother at all to Pippa.

As soon as we started up the steep part I got a sharp pain in my left hip. I kept going expecting it would ease off but it didn’t and it made walking uncomfortable and tiring. We were just about to turn back when I thought of trying a kinesiology fix. I rubbed several different lymphatic points relating to the hip muscles and tried walking a little after each one.  However I still felt the same  Then I found one small point on the lower back and as soon as I rubbed it the pain was gone!   We continued our walk for another hour and I had no more problems with my hip.

Without this fix we would definitely have turned back and missed out on a very pleasant walk.  For anybody who has niggling aches, pains or stiffness after walking running, or gardening keep reading.  When muscles are not working properly we might not even notice most of the time.  The body is very good at compensating by bringing in other muscles to help out.  But when we are working hard like walking uphill or running, aches and pains will show up. This is because other muscles and joints in the body are taking on extra work that they are not really able for.  In a kinesiology session we balance any weak muscles so that they will do their job properly and allow the whole body to work better.

For my sixth birthday I got a lovely two tone blue tricycle.  It was my pride and joy and I cycled up and down our lane every day. My imagination turned it into “the school bus”. I attached a pram to the saddle, pulled it along behind and made regular stops for my “teddy passengers”.  After a few years of this unapproved use the saddle broke off! Thinking I might be in-line for an upgrade I showed it to my Dad and said tearfully “I don’t think this can be fixed!” He examined the situation gravely for a few minutes then proclaimed with a broad smile “I know of three different ways I can fix it”!

As a Systematic Kinesiologist I can go one better as we have four different ways of “fixing” and balancing the body. This is called the M.C.P.E.

M is for Mental/Emotional – Very often emotional issues can cause stress within the body which leads to chronic physical symptoms. The nice thing about kinesiology is that the client does not have to reveal or talk about the problem. They just need to think about it and we bring relief by holding points on the forehead.

C is for Chemical/Nutritional –Hidden food sensitivities cause lots of uncomfortable symptoms. Through muscle testing we will find out exactly what food a client needs to reduce or avoid for a while. This is a fast, accurate and non-invasive way of finding sensitivities. In the same way we can check if personal care products are causing skin rashes.

P is for Physical – Sometimes a muscle may not be working as well as it should be. This puts extra pressure on nearby muscles and joints resulting in hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain etc. We use gentle muscle strengthening methods to restore function and relieve pain.

E is for Energy – When the body’s energy system is out of balance it can lead to physical problems down the line. We can stay ahead of this by balancing a person’s energies.

The best thing about Systematic Kinesiology is that we work on all four areas at the same time. In other words you get Four Therapies in One Treatment.

Now to finish my story……my Dad did fix the tricycle and I continued the “school run” for another few months until I graduated to two wheels.