By Alicia Ramkarran '23
In Greek, the prefix "kine'' means motion, and “ology” means the study of, hence the term, "kinesiotherapist."
A kinesiotherapist is a physician who uses therapeutic exercises on a patient to help them strengthen their muscles after suffering from injuries or diseases to the skeletal system, such as amputees, wheelchair patients, among others. Kinesiotherapy began in 1946 during WWII to help troops return to active duty. Corrective physical reconditioning units were used to help them. Because many sports players suffer from injuries to their limbs upon playing games, kinesiotherapists are present inside sports medicine facilities and fitness centers, alongside hospitals and colleges. Their annual salary is $78,000, but this can change due to years of experience and skill. In order to receive treatment from a kinesiotherapist, you must be referred to one from your physiologist.
There's a common misconception between kinesiotherapists and physical therapists.
Both help patients regain bodily functions, such as priming their legs to start walking again after a car accident, but yet the two practices are still drastically different. A physical therapist uses different exercise techniques to help improve a patient's movement and evaluates their progress to diagnose them with an illness. A kinesiotherapist uses their knowledge about movements of the body and muscle make-up to apply exercises on a patient to intensify their physical activity, leading them to recovery. Physical therapists and kinesiotherapists both have contrasting skills, but their underlying differences derive from the courses they have to major in and the degrees they have to earn in college.
Previous research conducted by a group of kinesiologists, led by Stephan A. Schwartz, explores the validity of applied kinesiotherapy depending on the substance held by someone with muscular weakness. The researchers used this as a premise to establish whether or not this effect is possible with the help of both the kinesiotherapist and the patient. The results can show how effective kinesiotherapy is to determine whether or not it’s a better choice for treatment in comparison to physical therapy. A double’blind procedure involving 51 participants was used. Each was tested after three trials, the first and second one involving the help of a kinesiotherapist, and the third trial only involving the participant and a hand dynamometer. This is an evaluation tool used to indicate the amount of hand grip strength. Randomly numbered sealed vials were placed in random plastic bags. During each trial, each bag contained two solutions: one vial consisting of saline solution and the other with saline solution and ionic hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH3OH+), which produced a toxic solution. Each participant who held the vials were unaware of the solution that was inside. Kinesiologists used a force in each trial that was measured by a pressure pad system to determine the capability of holding each solution. This didn’t apply to participants using the hand dynamometer. Results show that the toxic vial was identified correctly, but this was by chance. Gender also played a role in determining each of the vials. Female kinesiologists produced more successful participants than the male ones. This reveals that the applied kinesiology test doesn’t work as a strong diagnostic tool which medical conditions can be based on because of its unreliability and no proven relationship between perception and muscle strength. Hence, physical therapy has more effective results because it can diagnose a patient with movement dysfunction and create a plan to fix it. These results support the roles a kinesiotherapist and physical therapist has.
A Kinesiotherapist's Role
A kinesiotherapist has many responsibilities, including educating their patient on the fundamental cause of their physical disability. A case study involving young and elderly patients who suffered from an ischemic stroke, occurs when blood supply is reduced and blocks the brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients, used kinesiotherapy to help them recover. Fortunately, the treatment was successful and each patient had an excellent evolution: neither of them endured any more strokes. They have to guide their patients throughout treatment by explaining the types of exercises they'll be doing and instructing them on how to use each piece of equipment. If a certain exercise isn't working, a kinesiotherapist will discuss different techniques to the patient to lead them on their road of recovery. Kinesiotherapists create distinctive exercises for each patient based on the individual's physical needs and underlying distress. Throughout the therapy process, kinesiotherapists have frequent musculoskeletal follow-ups with their patients to track their progress and help them set goals for their recovery. Once a patient is ready to end their therapy sessions, a kinesiotherapist will inform the individual's outside caretakers on how to provide assistance during activity instructions.
How to become a kinesiotherapist?
To become a kinesiotherapist, there are certain requirements you have to meet in college:
You must attend a university in partnership with and authorized from a CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs).
You must have taken courses on psychology, human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and statistics, or other classes teaching similar material.
You have to earn a bachelor's degree or higher in human movement or exercise science, such as kinesiology with a GPA of 2.5+ on a 4.0 scale.
After you prove you have CPR certification, you must start your training in a hospital. You need to have worked 1,000+ hours with accreditation from a licensed kinesiotherapist.
Once you've reached all these requirements you have to take and pass the two hour Kinesiotherapy Registration Examination exam to become an official kinesiologist. You don't need to follow these steps to obtain a job, but achieving these specifications can make your profile stand out more in comparison to those who didn't follow the requirements, ultimately enabling you to receive more job offers and earn higher wages due to proof of certification.
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