The history of manual muscle testing began with a Boston orthopedic surgeon called Lovett, early in the 20th century.
It was used to gauge the level of disabilities in the case of nerve damage and polio.
In 1949, follow-up work was published by Kendall and Kendall. This work came to the attention of Detroit Chiropractor Dr. Goodheart in the early 1960s.
Dr. Goodheart found that by testing and correcting the muscles of his clients he was able to support a deeper level of healing not available with chiropractics. Apart from structural relief, by balancing certain muscles he found that certain organ disturbances would go away. He was able to link muscle tests with Chinese medicine and Chiropractic techniques – he called this Applied Kinesiology. In the early 1970s, Dr. John Thie D.C., a student of Dr. Goodheart, developed Touch for Health which opened up these techniques to the general public. From here it has undergone radical growth, forming the beginning of the health modality known as Kinesiology. Since this time it has spread and grown throughout the world, integrating a spectrum of new and old techniques and concepts in totally innovative ways.
