What is Kinesiology?
Kinesiology is the study of human movement. The study of how biomechanical, physiological, neuromuscular, and psychological components interact with the environment and affect movement. Essentially, how the body moves and adapts to different demands.
What do Kinesiologists Actually do?
Kinesiologists use knowledge from anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics to assess movement and develop specific movement-based rehabilitation programs that compliment the goals of their client whether it is rehabilitation from an injury, optimizing movement, injury prevention, chronic disease management, or enhancing well being and quality of life.
A kinesiologist will assess movement through range of motion tests, muscle testing, and whole-body activities and use therapies such as soft tissue release and exercise-based rehabilitation to address the underlying conditions.
Kinesiologist or Physiotherapist? When to See Who.
Kinesiologist: While kinesiologists do not provide medical diagnoses, they are qualified to assess dysfunctions, weaknesses, compensations, and postural issues that contribute to pain or ineffective movement. Unlike some other practitioners, kinesiologists spend less time on passive techniques, though they can still be integrated into the session, and focus more heavily on exercise-based rehabilitation to optimize movement.
Due to this emphasis on active recovery, kinesiology is an effective treatment for the following goals:
-
Rehabilitation: Restoring function and strength during the maturation stage of healing (typically a month or more after injury or surgery).
-
Injury Prevention: Reducing risks in the workplace, sports, or leisure activities.
-
Pain Management: Addressing both acute and chronic pain.
-
Chronic Condition Management: Supporting stable conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cognitive disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
-
Health Optimization: Reducing chronic disease risk and addressing age-related musculoskeletal or cognitive decline.
-
Functional Improvement: Enhancing quality of life, posture, and movement quality for daily activities or athletics.
Physiotherapist: Physiotherapists are qualified to provide a medical diagnoses and they utilize a hands-on, passive approach for a significant portion of their treatment time. These techniques often include manual therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, needling, and massage. Due to this focus on manual techniques, physiotherapy is particularly effective for rehabilitation in the early stage of healing, the proliferation stage, following surgery or injury. Physiotherapy is also used to manage chronic conditions, neurological issues, and major physical dysfunction. By combining these passive methods with active techniques, such as exercise, physiotherapists work to manage pain and restore full function.
Specialized Services
Begin Your Journey to Better Health.
Marina is dedicated to making physical activity both accessible and sustainable, with a focus on improving quality of life while respecting each individual’s current health status and physical abilities. Marina believes that movement is more than just exercise — it’s a way of life. She is passionate about helping people discover what their bodies are capable of in a supportive and thoughtful environment.
Reach out to discuss how Marina can support your rehabilitation and exercise goals, or book a consultation at Ridgeline Health.
Address
Ridgeline Health
1207 Highway 16, Unit 5, Telkwa
Phone
780-882-7579
Email
mnewnham@telus.net
Begin Your Journey to Better Health