Biokinetics originated in South Africa in the 1980’s. Here in the UK the titles exercise physiologist or exercise rehabilitation specialist may sound more familiar.

Biokinetics is the primary health care profession concerned with:

• Preventative medicine

• Physical activity as medicine

• Orthopedic rehabilitation

• Sports performance

• Total well being

• Functional movement

The primary function of biokinetics is therefore to improve physical functioning and health care through the use of exercise. This is achieved by the prescription of a scientifically based physical activity program.

For a more detailed description, please visit www.biokineticssa.org.za

A Biokineticist is an exercise specialist who increases a person’s physical condition and quality of life by means of physical assessment and the prescription of healthy exercise habits.

As a Biokineticist I am trained in chronic disease management, orthopaedic rehabilitation, special populations and sports performance.

• Chronic disease management encompasses clinical exercise prescription for chronic diseases such as, but not limited to, heart disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia and many more

• Orthopaedic rehabilitation includes treatment of acute injuries, chronic/overuse injuries, pre and post operative treatment, sports injuries and biomechanical issues

• Special populations include the elderly, children and pregnant women.

• Wellness management is another aspect taking into account risk factor screening, fitness assessments, injury prevention, posture assessment and retraining.

As mentioned above, biokinetics focuses on movement and, in order to go about our daily lives, movement is essential. Movement has an influence on our development, learning, communication, our capacity to work, health and our quality of life. Therefore the better we are able to move, the more efficiently we can go about our activities of daily living.

Movement can be hampered or even lost due to injury, age, lifestyle, disease or it may be hereditary. This loss can also either be caused by an acute or traumatic incident or it can gradually deteriorate over time.

A biokineticist will evaluate you from a biomechanical perspective and prescribe an intervention based on the root cause of your problem, rather than treating the symptoms. A biomechanical perspective takes into account how the bones, joints, and soft tissues interact with each other, and the whole body is examined rather than just a particular area.

It is important to take into account that no two bodies are the same and that injuries which have the same symptoms, may present very differently. Therefore there is no one size fits all and the treatment and exercise prescription needs to be tailored individually in order for an individual to most benefit.