I have been muscle testing consistently for nearly 29 years. My practice is a research practice. Epiphany upon epiphany - most of that time I have been finding weak muscles and making them strong for musculo-skeletal pain relief. Regarding the breakthroughs – more and more patients come in to have me find their weak muscles and make them strong if even when they are symptom free. So the big question is which are the most important muscles to make strong first? So many weak muscles and so little time!!
Recent Breakthroughs in Subtle Muscle Testing
Evaluating Posture
Because we are bipeds, standing on two feet, we are constantly striving for balance. In other words, we are constantly falling one way or the other while preventing the fall. I look at a person and evaluate which way they are falling and physically push them in that direction. Indeed, they are much easier to push over in that specific direction than in any other
direction. I find associated weak muscles and make them strong, thus balancing that particular discrepancy. Then, the patient is falling in some other direction. I continue to fix their falling patterns until proper posture and balance have been achieved. Good posture enhances a propensity for success!
Evaluating Balance
I have patients stand on one foot or the other. Immediately or soon, they begin to lose their balance and wiggle waggle to and fro. Sometimes, they need to plant the second foot to prevent from falling down. This instability in balance is caused by guess what? – HA! HA! weak muscles! Each time the most involved weak muscles are made strong, balance
improves when standing on one foot or the other.
Evaluating Gait
The most fun is evaluating how someone walks or runs. The question is which weak muscle is affecting dysfunctional gait patterns most. It could be anywhere in the body from head to toe.
Subtle Muscle Testing or SMT is a muscle palpation technique, which quickly discovers subtle variations in muscle tone, distinguishing between strong and weak parts of muscles. This skill allows the practitioner to focus his or her body work techniques where clients need them the most, on weak parts of muscles!!!
Generally the entire muscle is not weak, but isolated groups of muscle fibers within a muscle are weak. After identifying weak muscles through subtle palpation of muscle tone using Subtle Muscle Testing, muscle testing procedures maybe implemented to isolate and test specific parts of muscles.
Muscle testing validates Subtle Muscle Testing by repeatedly correlating findings of specific muscle weakness. Clients are amazed at their practitioner’s ability to find their muscle weaknesses accurately and fast. They are even more astonished at their practitioner’s ability to make their weak muscles strong proving that their body work techniques are functional and that the results are repeatable.
Finding weak muscles and making them strong in a practice creates increased rapport, and high long term client retention. Clients easily commit to regular recheck visits to have their weak muscles strengthened even though they maybe symptom free. Most people, even world-class athletes, have significant muscle weakness.
