We were made to move: The study of kinesiology
Samantha Meyeres, Staff Writer
Every swing of a tennis racket, every leap over a hurdle and every pitch thrown over home plate requires the systems of the human body to work together in harmony to produce movement.
What is kinesiology?
Kinesiology is the study of human movement. It evaluates how every body system, such as the muscular, nervous and cardiovascular systems, work together to promote the overall health of the individual.
The science of kinesiology is not to be confused with applied kinesiology. News Medical says that applied kinesiology is an alternative medicine practice that stems from Chinese medicine and chiropractics. It uses muscle testing to detect emotional or nutritional imbalances in the body.
The broader field of study, and focus of this article, is known simply as kinesiology. It focuses on how the body moves and functions as different systems making up a whole.
Jeff Williams is the department chair of health science at North Greenville University and also serves as the university’s faculty athletic representative. He teaches the kinesiology course at NGU.
“Part of kinesiology is studying how we move and part of it is studying what happens when we’re not moving well,” Williams said, “and then how do we get people back moving well, and not only moving well, but how do we get them to move even better and to perform at the highest level.”
Where did kinesiology come from?
Though the term might not be widely recognized by those outside the medical field, the study of kinesiology has existed for thousands of years. The practice has morphed and shifted as new technologies have been discovered and expanded on, but the study of movement itself has been around for centuries.
According to the Alberta Kinesiology Association, the practice of kinesiology can trace its roots back to Ancient Greece. In Aristotle’s study of natural science, he analyzed the movements of animals. He defined motion as the actuality of a potentiality, meaning when we as humans move, we are fulfilling a part of our potential indicated by the way we were designed.
In the late 16th century, the growing discoveries in the fields of anatomy and physiology were used to better understand the mechanics of movement.
Anatomy looks at the structure or arrangement of the parts of the human body, and physiology examines how those structures function and work together. This includes how bones and muscles work together as well as how cells, tissues and organs coexist to make the human body run.
The research in the areas of anatomy and physiology allowed scientists and doctors to evaluate how the different structures in the human body function together to produce and optimize movement, thus beginning to create a more developed field of kinesiology.
For example, in cases of injuries, it is helpful to know how different bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons are supposed to work together to evaluate how bad the injury is and how to get the body back to its optimal state.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, researchers began to build upon those concepts by applying the principles of engineering and physics. Principles such as force, torque and levers were evaluated in the context of the human body and then applied to the study of human movement. This became known as biomechanics.
An article from Marshall University on kinesiology defined biomechanics as “the scientific analysis of the mechanical aspects of human movement.”
During this time of advancement in human physics and engineering, psychologists and neuroscientists were also using their levels of medical expertise to study the mechanics of human movement. They explored how the brain, specifically the nervous system, controls and coordinates movement.
Neuroscience specifically looked at how the nervous system controlled and coordinated even the smallest of movements, like writing with a pencil or playing a musical instrument.
This added another layer to develop a more complete understanding of the way the human body can and should move. Neuroscience researchers studied how the human brain processed information in regards to movement. They also examined how the human brain processed pain and how it caused the body to respond.
Psychologists during this time evaluated how motivation and mental health were affected by the amount and type of movement a person did. They also analyzed how movement impacted attention span and memory, among other cognitive skills.
Movement increases blood flow to the brain, which promotes neuroplasticity and releases neurochemicals that enhance cognitive functions like memory and the ability to focus.
Centuries of researchers have worked to combine the studies of anatomy, physiology, engineering, physics, psychology and neuroscience to develop what we know today as the still-developing field of kinesiology.
What does the kinesiology course at NGU look like?
The kinesiology course taught by Williams has a lecture and a lab component.
At the beginning of the year, the lecture focuses heavily on the biomechanical side of kinesiology. They study things like velocity, displacement, acceleration, forces and levers. As the semester progresses, they dig deeper into different areas of the body and how movement happens.
Towards the end of the class, Williams said they put all those together and study things like walking gait, running gait and jumping gait. They break down the movements in order to better understand how to move.
Williams described the lab component of the class as not just hands-on but “body-on.”
The students spend classes doing different exercises like running, jumping, squatting, etc. and analyze how their bodies move and respond to movement.
“The best way to study is just to move,” he said. “And I think that works well for a lot of our students, because they do tend to be a little more of those hands-on type learners.”
Why is the study of kinesiology important?
Williams didn’t start as a teacher, he began his career in the field of physical therapy. When he was younger, his cousin was in an accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Williams was able to be there with him during his recovery process and said he was inspired to be a positive change in people’s lives the way the physical therapists were in his cousin’s.
Williams worked for seven years as a physical therapist but discovered a love for teaching and returned to teach as an adjunct professor and eventually as a full-time professor at NGU, his alma mater.
In addition to sharing his knowledge on exercise science, Williams integrates his faith into his teaching.
“Jesus was always moving,” he said, “and I think as we study the body that He created us to have and how we were made to move, we learn more about Him and His design.”
Genesis 1 talks about how God created man and woman in His image, and Ephesians 5 says that we are to be imitators of Christ. This includes how we as humans move our bodies and how we learn about movement.
Williams quoted Hebrews 12:1–2, which states: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
He said that humans should strive to use their bodies and movement to learn about the Lord’s creation and glorify Him through it.
With that in mind, the study of how the human body moves is about more than just playing sports or recovering from an injury. It is about developing an understanding of how the different systems within the body are meant to cohesively function at all times.
The University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology has a section on their website dedicated to the importance of the study of movement.
“The way our bodies move affects everything we do,” it says. “On micro and macro levels, activity can help prevent disease, promote physical and mental well-being, and increase the health of our society.”
This illustrates Williams’ point that moving and learning about movement is to the benefit of humans both physically and spiritually.
He said, “We were designed to move. That’s part of what makes us humans.”
