Upon completion, the participant should be able to:
- Explain the history of muscle testing and how it can be used as an evaluative and diagnostic tool
- Understand the differences between manual versus instrument muscle testing
- Identify and isolate test muscles
- Test most muscles
- Diagnose or detect conditions using five standard muscles
- Explain how muscle dysfunction relates to the diagnostic process
- Determine methods for making corrections if muscle weaknesses are identified
Course Outline:
- Discuss history of muscle testing in health care as an evaluative and diagnostic tool from its start, in 1916 up to the current times. This will include published scientific papers from Medicine, Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Physical Therapy, etc.
- Understand Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) and compare it to instrument muscle testing. Cybex testing and hand held instruments, and comparison with manual muscle testing, and grading of tests.
- Use of muscle testing in health care practice as an evaluative and treatment tool. Learn the isolation of the test muscles along with the understanding of synergistic, antagonistic, and fixators as a functional neurological system.
- Learn muscle testing of upper extremity muscles: biceps, brachialis, triceps, and coracobrachials, shoulder movers pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rotator cuff: subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor. Abdominals, psoas, lower extremity and pelvic muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, tensor fascia lata, quadriceps, hamstrings, sartorius, gracilis, adductors, anterior and posterior tibialis, gastrocnemius, and soleus.
- Discuss the use of five standard muscles to derive diagnostic information through functional neurology. This takes into consideration the five elements of the intervertebral foramina and their relationship to muscle dysfunction. This leading to the fact that muscle moves bone and takes place in the stabilization of many structural conditions.
Lecture with Demonstration/Hands-On Practice
