If you’ve been hanging out in one of our Physiotherapy and Performance clinics, you have probably heard of our Kinesiologists.
“kin-e-z -what?”
Kin-easy-ologis!
Allow me to tell you a little bit about what a kinesiologist does, how they can help improve your health and wellbeing, the benefits you can expect to see from working with one, as well as what to expect from your first visit. The definition of a kinesiologist directly translates to “the study of the mechanics of body movement”.
Now, there’s a lot of science that goes into human movement that kinesiologists study. We’re talking exercise physiology, biomechanics, anatomy, exercise psychology, exercise sociology, motor learning and sport pedagogy. All of these are major topics that are covered in a 4-year bachelor of science in kinesiology program at a post-secondary institution.
This makes for a kinesiologist to have a very well-rounded knowledge base of movement in all walks of life. Whether it be training to rehabilitate an injury, or trying to win a championship. Kinesiologists can work in many settings: physio clinics, hospitals, gyms and laboratories.
But what exactly do kinesiologists do?
In a physiotherapy clinic, kinesiologists aim to reduce the healing time of injuries and increase physical performance, enabling the person to be able to do the things they want and need to be doing in their lives and to be more resilient to injuries in the future.
Kinesiologists accomplish this by working with patients in the gym and guiding them through a personalized strength training program. Exercises are tailored to the patients’ needs and are gradually progressed in order to improve strength, resilience, cardiovascular health, flexibility, movement competence and posture.
What should you expect from your first appointment with a kinesiologist?
Your appointment would involve first sitting down with the kinesiologist to discuss what chief complaints and goals you have, as well as any relevant medical history, what has or has not worked in the past, etc. The kinesiologist would then use a variety of movements in the gym to functionally assess your current physical capabilities that relate to your needs. From this assessment, the kinesiologist is able to create a personalized plan to guide and progress you through on subsequent visits.
Kinesiologists are very diverse and effective at helping people recover from an injury, all the way to someone trying to improve their sport performance and athleticism.
Our Kinesiology Treatment Model
At Parkway, kinesiology is used as part of the “Team Treatment Model”.
But really what that means is “supervised strength and conditioning billed as physiotherapy.” So you can see why we opted for a catchier name…
There are multiple benefits of this treatment model for you, the patient. First, your extended health benefits can cover your kinesiology and personal fitness training. Second, you get access to the right clinician and treatment modality at the right time, wherever you are in your recovery or fitness level.
Think this is something that would benefit you? Book an appointment with one of our Kinesiologists at one of our locations to see how we can help you!
