Manual muscle testing and diagnostic sensory stimulation in functional disorders: an attempt to explain the test phenomena on a scientific base

Manual muscle testing is a diagnostic tool both in physiotherapy and in general medicine. Kendall’s system in the English speaking countries as well as Janda’s in the German speaking countries are rather well established. The usage of manual muscle testing in Applied Kinesiology, according to Goodheart, differs to some extent from the merely neurological diagnostic usage of the former, as it supplies diagnostic parameters regarding the function of the entire organism via the change in muscle reaction by diagnostic sensory stimulation. In this presentation a differentiation of pathological and functional changes of muscles and an explanation of the test phenomena is attempted. The usage of manual muscle testing in the diagnostic of functional health disorders is described.