Clinical Kinesiology

Kinesiologists play an integral role in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention to support the optimization of a patient's mental and physical function through medically and non-medically supervised interventions and exercise therapy. Kinesiologists work in various settings and populations, from athletes to the chronically ill. Kinesiologists may have the expertise to independently or collaboratively treat chronic conditions such as cardiopulmonary disease, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, obesity, renal disease, mental health, addictions, neurological disease, musculoskeletal disorders and more. These services are delivered to private and public health inpatient and outpatient care for all ages. Kinesiologists approach these services through assessment, treatment and ongoing support, such as facilitating community support groups.

Recommended Skills & Services

• Psychosocial communication skills are required to provide the services outlined below effectively; however, the following psychosocial communication tools have been proven effective in practice:
  • Motivational Interviewing: A client-centred approach to addressing ambivalence towards behaviour change. This approach is intended for one-on-one delivery. 
    • Please email us to be waitlisted for our next course hosting: admin@albertakinesiology.ca. 
  • Cultural Safety: Ability to create a safe environment that respects all cultural norms and values. 
    • Please email us to be waitlisted for our next course hosting: admin@albertakinesiology.ca. 
  • Coaching: Ability to facilitate goal-directed behaviour-change that results in the desired outcome (Ex: health improvement, performance, etc.).
    • Function First Coaching - Coach Approach
       
• Assessment requires the kinesiologists to thoroughly explore an individual’s medical history to determine chronic disease risk factors and identify whether exercise is safe. This includes evaluating an individual’s medications, investigations and assessments to mitigate relative risk, monitor objective health outcomes and objectively direct objective therapy efforts. 
   
• Some common types of assessments include:
  • Bio-anatomical analysis and treatment methods provide tools to identify clients’ bio-anatomical inefficiencies and deficiencies to guide treatment and triaging efforts. Some common approaches include:
    • Functional Assessment of the Spine & Extremities (FASE)
    • Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
    • McKenzie Approach
    • Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
       
  • Functional Capacity Evaluations involve evaluating an individual's ability to perform functional tasks such as strength, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, manual handling, psychomotor*, mobility, and positional tolerance to determine an individual's ability to function at home or work. *Psychomotor Testing evaluates the physical abilities (ex: reaction time and processing) required to perform higher cognitive demands and provides recommendations. A variety of skills are needed to effectively provide these services, including proficiency in FCE and PDA delivery and interpretation (see Assessment section above) and the following psychosocial communication tools:
    • FCE Training - Metriks on Demand
    • Videoconference and in-class options are available
    • Pre-employment testing (ex. POETS, EPIC lift capacity, etc.) 
    • Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation
       
  • Physical Demands Analysis (PDA): Commonly referred to as Job Site Visits or Worksite Visits - Kinesiologists analyse the physical requirements of specific activities involved in employment or life tasks. This can include home assessments to investigate the physical, environmental, and cognitive requirements for home tasks and the provision of recommendations to improve safety and independence.
    • PDA Training - Metriks On Demand
      • Videoconference and in-class options are available
    • Office Ergonomic Assessment Training - Metriks On Demand
      • Videoconference and in-class options are available
         
  • Physical Suitability Analysis (PSA): Similar to PDAs, PSAs aim to determine if someone’s functional abilities, as defined in an FCE, meet the physical requirements of a given occupational functional requirements. Training in FCE and PDA delivery is essential in effectively delivering this service.
     
  • Lifestyle Assessments: The ability to analyze, through consultation, a client’s current lifestyle habits and, through a client-centred approach, foster sustainable behaviour change improvements. 
    • The AKA has developed a sample lifestyle assessment form (under “Forms”) that assesses physical activity history, sleep, nutrition, sedentary behaviour, and goal setting. 
       
  • Gait Analysis involves a structured assessment analysing the biomechanical phases of gait to direct treatment approaches and recommendations when appropriate.
     
  • Biomechanical Analysis assesses the forces created and experienced within the body through relevant technology. Biomechanical analysis is commonly used in sports for performance optimization; however, there are increasing uses in occupational ergonomics when assessing safe movement practices (ex: 3DSSPP).
     
• Treatment involves various techniques focused on supporting objective and goal-oriented functional improvements in clients. Treatment services are influenced by assessment findings, medical history, and client presentation. Service provision techniques can vary depending on Kinesiologists’ knowledge, training, and background. Some service provision examples are as follows:
  • Exercise Therapy: Ability to develop therapeutic exercise programming for an individual or group of individuals to establish an objective health outcome such as a return to pre-injury activities. Proficiency in Physical Demands Analysis, as described under “Assessment” in the section above, is recommended for competent delivery of this service. These services aim to support the improvement in functional tolerances required to meet the physical and cognitive demands of tasks involved in sport, employment or daily living. These services may include assessing and intervening on environmental and psychosocial factors impacting a client’s ability to return to work or life. Exercise Therapy programming may act to improve or maintain overall function through:
    • Bio-anatomical treatment: methods provide tools to identify clients’ bio-anatomical inefficiencies and deficiencies to guide treatment and triaging efforts. Proficiency in Functional Capacity Evaluations, as described under “Assessment” in the section above, is essential for competent delivery of this service. Some common approaches to this treatment approach include:
      • Functional Assessment of the Spine & Extremities (FASE)
      • Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
      • McKenzie Approach
      • Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
      • GLA:D Hip & Knee
      • GLA:D Back
         
  • Mental health & addiction services: typically involve lifestyle intervention and support in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team. 
     
  • Hydrotherapy: the development of aquatic programs to increase fitness or aquatic rehabilitative programs for injured populations to assist in returning the individual to their pre-injury abilities.
    • Note: The coverage is subject to no open water exposure ( eg.. lakes, rivers, ponds), and the pool should not be owned by the insured - services should take place in a community setting.
       
  • Assistive device utilisation and design involve sourcing and developing equipment to support the client’s ability to independently meet their functional requirements in sport, work and life. 
     
  • Manual Therapy includes assisted stretching, joint mobilizations and soft tissue manipulation; modalities include Fascial Stretch Therapy.  
    • Note: Manual therapy massage techniques are within the Kinesiology scope of practice. If a Kinesiologist practices as a professional massage therapist or a Registered Massage Therapist (in BC, ON, NB, PEI or NFLD), then the member must carry separate Professional Liability coverage as required by Provincial Regulatory Colleges.
       
  • Modalities
    • Electrotherapy
    • Laser Therapy
    • Proprioceptive Taping
    • Biofeedback
    • Surface EMG
    • Cupping

Wellness

Kinesiologists who focus their practice on wellness adopt a client-centred approach to building skills and habits that lead to overall improvements in health and prevent injury and disease. In this area of work, Kinesiologists generally work with clients to figure out where to start to build an active and healthy life. This includes lifestyle counselling, and making progressive, sustainable plans alongside their clients to move better, eat healthier and improve overall function and quality of life. Services may also include educating clients to help them build skills to manage their physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. Kinesiologists practising in wellness may also facilitate wellness programs and workshops or be asked to speak to a group on various healthy living topics (lunch and learns, speaker at conference, etc.).

Services and Recommended Skills

• Lifestyle Assessment and Coaching: Client-centred method of assessing lifestyle factors compared to population norms. Client-centred communication approaches build a collaborative and safe environment for client-kinesiologist interactions and are essential when providing client services. The ability to analyse, through consultation, a client’s current lifestyle habits and, through a client-centred approach, foster sustainable behaviour change improvements. The AKA has developed a sample lifestyle assessment form (under “Forms”) that assesses physical activity history, sleep, nutrition, sedentary behaviour, and goal setting. In addition, many skills can assist in developing the skills needed to create this safe and collaborative environment, including:
  • Motivational Interviewing: A client-centred approach to addressing ambivalence towards behaviour change. This approach is intended for one-on-one delivery. 
     
  • Cultural Safety: Ability to create a safe environment that respects all cultural norms and values. 
     
  • Coaching: Ability to facilitate goal-directed behaviour-change that results in the desired outcome (Ex: health improvement, performance, etc.).
    • Function First Coaching - Coach Approach
       
• Workplace Wellness Solutions: Objective-based approach to intervene on at least one element of health/wellness at the individual level. Typically this will involve the creation of population-based programs concerning a health-related objective for the community. This service is most effectively delivered when supporting data is gathered throughout the intervention to quantify the efficacy and make adjustments when necessary. To do this, one must possess the knowledge required to systematically compile and cross-examine multiple sources of information to determine the best course of action for your client(s). A course designed to help you do this includes:
  • Ergonomic Analyses: Assess and intervene in the human-environment interaction to promote productivity. This includes evaluation and intervention on the multi-variable interaction of physical, cognitive, environmental, system factors, etc., to optimise the environment to fit the individual’s needs.
    • Office Ergonomic Training - Metiks on demand
      •  Videoconference and in-class options are available
         
  • Evidence-Based Practice: Teaching you how to recognize “bro-science” and “pseudoscience” proficiently and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of research articles to lead a more evidence-based practice and client dialogue.
    • Please email us to be waitlisted for our next course hosting: admin@albertakinesiology.ca.
       
• Education: The provision of education sessions to groups or individuals to help improve their resources and knowledge necessary to empower healthy behaviour change. This requires public speaking skills to effectively speak to a group about a topic in a knowledgeable, engaging and digestible manner. An example would include providing educational sessions to help improve health literacy. Kinesiologists may address many issues such as diet, exercise, sleep, injury management, mental health, skill acquisition, ergonomics, human development, and lifestyle factors.
   
• Group Exercise Therapy: Includes a wide variety of group classes that aim to improve overall wellness. There are many schools of thought when it comes to group facilitation, but below are some skills that can make you an effective leader:
  • Bio-anatomical analysis and treatment methods provide tools to identify and give corrections to attendees when completing movements. Some common approaches include:
    • Functional Assessment of the Spine & Extremities (FASE)
    • Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
    • Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
       
  • Yoga, pilates, meditation, and more.
     
  • Teaching other healthcare professionals about any practice-related skills or services. 
     
  • Note: Additional coverage is needed when Instructing courses to other kinesiologists, whether for accreditation, certification, or continuing education.

Health Promotion

Kinesiologists who practise health promotion typically use a population health-based approach, meaning they focus on interrelated factors that influence the health of a population. Health Promotion practitioners focus on implementing evidence-based interventions that improve health across the population.  

Factors beyond the individual’s control affect the choices they make. These factors could include social & community connections, socioeconomic, environmental conditions, and the social determinants of health. These factors can either support good health or create barriers. Kinesiologists focusing their work on health promotion often identify, develop,  implement, and evaluate health promotion initiatives and strategies to help make healthy choices easier for the population.

Work in this area can be focused on: healthy public policy, strengthening community action (building community coalitions) and creating supportive environments for health. Supportive environments include improved pathway lighting, well-maintained and easily accessible community centres, active transportation plans, and improved access to healthy food or opportunities for social connection. Some practitioners may also work specifically in injury prevention and risk assessment within the population health model.

Services and Recommended Skills

• Group Facilitation - the goal of facilitation is “to make easy” in the context of group facilitation, it is the ability to make a group's work more accessible by providing neutral leadership to help the group create a shared understanding and reach decisions on a topic through consensus. There are many schools of thought when it comes to group facilitation, but below are some skills that can make you an effective leader:
  • Bio-anatomical analysis and treatment - methods provide tools to identify and give corrections to attendees when completing movements. Some common approaches include:
    • Functional Assessment of the Spine & Extremities (FASE)
    • Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
    • Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
       
  • Conflict Resolution - the ability to manage and resolve conflict in a group as it arises. Skills needed include recognizing stress/tension, managing emotions, and strong communication skills to allow each perspective to be heard and understood to come to a solution.
     
  • Public Speaking - for provision of educational sessions to help improve health literacy. Kinesiologists may speak to many topics such as diet, exercise, sleep, injury management, mental health, skill acquisition, ergonomics, human development, and lifestyle factors. This service requires the ability to effectively speak to a group about a topic in a knowledgeable, engaging and digestible manner. *Note: Additional insurance coverage may be required*
  • Group classes - Yoga, pilates, meditation, and more.
     
• Research & Data Analysis - Ability to critically analyse new evidence, gather reliable data and systematically compile and cross-examine multiple sources of information to determine the best course of action on population health. This includes performing risk assessments, safety audits and policy development. 
  • Evidence-Based Practice: Teaching you how to proficiently and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of research articles to lead a more evidence-based practice.
    • Please email us to be waitlisted for our next course hosting: admin@albertakinesiology.ca. 
       
  • Safety Planning: Kinesiologists design safety programs in the workplace informed by best practices for preventing injuries and focused on maintaining a healthy safety record. A safety program will have different industry-specific needs, including written policies, training schedules and communication plans. Safety plans help to identify shortcomings of a health and safety program by evaluating injury statistics and creating a plan to address the high injury areas.
     
  • Risk Assessments, Safety Audits & Investigations: Kinesiologists perform risk assessments to identify personal, environmental, and organisational risk factors associated with physical and cognitive job demands. Kinesiologists can recommend and implement strategies to reduce risk and avoid unnecessary injury.
     
  • Workplace Wellness Solutions: As described under “Wellness,” the Kinesiologist may compile common risk factors and interventions identified in their assessments to provide effective solutions. Delivery to populations at large may involve education, resource, policy, and procedure development. This service is most effectively delivered when supporting data is gathered throughout and following the intervention to quantify the efficacy and make adjustments when necessary.
     
• Population Health Approach focuses on improving the health status of the population. Action is directed at the health of an entire population, or sub-population, rather than individuals. Focusing on population health also necessitates reducing inequalities in health status between population groups.

Disability Management/Case Management

Kinesiologists proactively assist clients by planning and arranging services to facilitate a safe return to work and to improve other activities of daily living. In cases where a return to work is not feasible, assistance is provided to determine the impairment level and explore alternative occupations concerning the client’s functional tolerances. Other related services can include job coaching, insurance, or health benefit claim management.

Recommended Skills & Services

• Psychosocial communication skills: are required to provide the services outlined below effectively; however, the following psychosocial communication tools have been proven effective in practice:
   
  • Motivational Interviewing: A client-centred approach to addressing ambivalence towards behaviour change. This approach is intended for one-on-one delivery. 
     
  • Cultural Safety: Ability to create a safe environment that respects all cultural norms and values. 
     
  • Coaching: Ability to facilitate goal-directed behaviour-change that results in the desired outcome (Ex: health improvement, performance, etc.).
    • Function First Coaching - Coach Approach
       
• Medical-Legal Consultation: the provision of expert opinion on various topics related to the profession of kinesiology. 
   
• Claims Consultation: the review of medical and employment information to provide professional opinions and recommendations. 
   
• Knowledge of “Assessments” as described under the recommended skills and services for Clinical Kinesiology. In best practices, these skills help effectively and objectively guide and support a client’s recovery.

Research

A Kinesiologist may also work more formally as a researcher for an academic institution or as part of a private business. Kinesiologists working in a research setting may be responsible for various operations such as identifying gaps in current research, writing a proposal to fill the gap, obtaining approval from the appropriate ethics committee, carrying out the project, and analyzing, interpreting and publishing the results.

Recommended skills or experience include

• Professional writing is required to write grant applications, recruit research participants, apply for an ethics certification, and do academic writing.
   
• Biomedical Technology - Kinesiologists provide gait or biomechanical analysis services to assist with footwear selection and orthotic fitting, along with assistance in selecting and fitting bracing products, typically for the foot, ankle, knee, and hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist. Many kinesiologists also serve as sales representatives for biomedical technology companies and conduct research for private companies, universities, and non-profit or government agencies related to the human body's interaction with the environment.
   
• Research & Data Analysis - Ability to critically analyse new evidence, gather reliable data and systematically compile and cross-examine multiple sources of information to determine the best course of action on population health. This includes performing risk assessments, safety audits and policy development
  • Evidence-Based Practice: Teaching you how to proficiently and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of research articles to lead a more evidence-based practice.
    • Please email us to be waitlisted for our next course hosting: admin@albertakinesiology.ca. 
       
• See “Assessment” under Recommended skills and knowledge under Clinical Kinesiology for some additional recommended skills.
   
• Note: Many of these fundamental skills are included in undergraduate kinesiology degree streams, with the more specialised skills present in postgraduate education.