Godo Chiropractic | Dr. Jason Godo, DC, RN
Understand What May Be Contributing to Muscle Weakness, Tightness, and Movement Problems
If you have been searching for manual muscle testing near me in Chicago, an applied kinesiologist in Chicago, or an AK chiropractor, you are probably not looking for a technique—you are trying to understand why a muscle feels weak, tight, painful, or simply is not working the way it should.
Patients often come to Godo Chiropractic because the same area keeps tightening up, one side feels weaker than the other, pain returns with activity, or stretching and previous treatment have not fully corrected the problem.
Dr. Jason Godo uses manual muscle testing as one part of a broader Applied Kinesiology and musculoskeletal evaluation. Your assessment may also include posture, movement, joint function, range of motion, orthopedic testing, soft-tissue examination, and an AI-assisted postural scan when appropriate.
The purpose is not to label a muscle as simply “strong” or “weak.” It is to understand how your body is functioning, where compensation may be occurring, and whether those findings help explain your symptoms.
Dr. Godo is a chiropractic physician and registered nurse with more than 23 years of clinical experience. Each patient is evaluated individually to determine whether chiropractic care is appropriate and what the safest next step should be.
Ready to find out what may be contributing to your symptoms?
Do These Muscle or Movement Problems Sound Familiar?
Patients commonly seek this type of evaluation because something does not feel or function normally and they want a better explanation.
- Recurring muscle tightness or weakness
- Pain that returns during exercise or activity
- One side feels weaker or less coordinated than the other
- Muscles that fatigue more quickly on one side
- Difficulty activating a muscle normally
- Postural imbalance or uneven movement
- Recurring sports or overuse problems
- Restricted mobility or stiffness
- Symptoms that improve temporarily but continue to return
- Persistent discomfort that does not fully resolve with stretching or rest
These symptoms do not automatically identify a specific diagnosis. Two people can experience similar problems for very different reasons, which is why an individualized examination matters.
What Is Applied Kinesiology?
Applied Kinesiology is a clinical approach that uses information from the musculoskeletal examination to evaluate how muscles, joints, posture, and movement are functioning together.
The evaluation may include:
- Manual muscle testing
- Postural analysis
- Movement assessment
- Joint mobility testing
- Soft-tissue evaluation
- Functional movement patterns
- Orthopedic testing when appropriate
- Range-of-motion evaluation
Applied Kinesiology is used as one component of a broader clinical examination. Findings from muscle testing are interpreted together with your symptoms, health history, posture, movement, joint function, and other examination findings.
What Is Manual Muscle Testing?
Manual muscle testing is a hands-on examination technique. Dr. Godo places a muscle or muscle group in a specific position and applies controlled resistance while you attempt to maintain that position.
This can help evaluate:
- Muscle activation patterns
- Weak or inhibited muscle responses
- Compensation from surrounding muscles
- Differences between the right and left sides
- Movement and joint function
- How a muscle responds in different positions or movements
A weak response does not automatically mean that a muscle is damaged. Pain, fatigue, joint restriction, inhibition, positioning, or compensation may all affect how a muscle responds during testing.
What Manual Muscle Testing Can Tell Us
Manual muscle testing can provide useful information about how a muscle responds during a physical examination. It may help identify differences in activation, pain response, compensation, joint influence, or movement function.
However, a muscle test is not a stand-alone diagnosis. A muscle that tests differently does not automatically mean it is injured or damaged.
Manual muscle testing on this page refers to its use as part of a musculoskeletal examination. It is not used by Dr. Godo as a stand-alone method to diagnose internal disease, allergies, food sensitivities, or nutritional deficiencies.
Findings are interpreted together with your symptoms, health history, posture, movement, joint function, orthopedic findings, soft-tissue examination, and other clinical information.
Start With an Individualized Evaluation
$29 New Patient Evaluation
If you have been searching for manual muscle testing, Applied Kinesiology, or an evaluation for recurring pain, weakness, muscle imbalance, or movement problems, the first step is determining what is actually happening.
Your $29 New Patient Evaluation may include:
- Consultation with Dr. Godo
- Review of your symptoms and health history
- Posture assessment
- Movement and functional evaluation
- Manual muscle testing when appropriate
- Joint and soft-tissue examination
- Orthopedic evaluation when indicated
- AI-assisted postural assessment when appropriate
- Discussion of findings
- Personalized recommendations and next steps
Treatment is separate from the $29 evaluation. If chiropractic care is appropriate, Dr. Godo will explain your options before treatment begins.
What Conditions and Symptoms May Be Evaluated?
Manual muscle testing and Applied Kinesiology techniques may be incorporated into the examination of patients with:
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip discomfort
- Sciatica symptoms
- Postural strain
- Muscle imbalance
- Sports or overuse injuries
- Limited mobility
- Recurring musculoskeletal symptoms
Because many of these concerns overlap, you may also find these service pages helpful:
Why Do Patients Search for an Applied Kinesiologist?
Most patients are not searching for Applied Kinesiology because they are interested in the technique itself. They are searching because something does not feel right and they want a more detailed explanation.
Common reasons include:
- A muscle feels weak or difficult to activate
- One side of the body feels different from the other
- Pain keeps returning in the same area
- Stretching or massage helps temporarily but the problem returns
- A shoulder, hip, back, or neck problem keeps recurring
- Movement feels uneven during exercise or sports
- Posture feels unbalanced
- A previous injury still seems to affect movement
A structured examination can help connect those findings rather than treating each symptom as an isolated problem.
What Happens During Your Evaluation?
Your visit begins with a discussion of your symptoms, health history, activities, previous injuries, and what you are having difficulty doing.
Dr. Godo may evaluate:
- When and how your symptoms began
- Positions or activities that improve or aggravate your symptoms
- Posture and movement patterns
- Manual muscle testing
- Joint mobility
- Muscle and soft-tissue findings
- Functional movement patterns
- Areas of compensation
- Orthopedic findings when appropriate
- AI-assisted postural findings when appropriate
After the examination, you will receive:
- An explanation of the findings
- Clinical interpretation of the examination
- Recommendations for care when appropriate
- Referral or additional evaluation recommendations when indicated
How Applied Kinesiology Is Used During Your Care
The purpose of the examination is not simply to collect muscle-test results. The findings help Dr. Godo decide where treatment should be directed and whether another area of the body may be contributing to the problem.
Depending on your examination, care may include:
- Chiropractic adjustments when appropriate
- Hands-on muscle and soft-tissue treatment
- Trigger-point work
- Muscle balancing
- Movement correction
- Stretching and mobility work
- Corrective exercise
- Postural recommendations
A major difference at Godo Chiropractic is that Dr. Godo performs the evaluation and hands-on treatment himself. You are not examined by the doctor and then passed to another provider or placed on machines for the majority of your appointment.
Applied Kinesiology is one clinical tool. It does not replace a complete examination, and treatment recommendations are not based on muscle testing alone.
Chiropractic Physician and Registered Nurse: A Broader Clinical Perspective
Dr. Jason Godo is both a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Registered Nurse.
This clinical background contributes to:
- A structured approach to musculoskeletal evaluation
- Experience evaluating muscle, joint, posture, and movement function
- Awareness of findings that may require additional medical evaluation
- Clear explanation of examination findings and treatment options
- An individualized approach rather than a predetermined treatment plan
Why Patients Choose Godo Chiropractic
- More than 23 years of clinical experience
- Direct evaluation and treatment by Dr. Jason Godo
- Chiropractic physician and registered nurse
- 500+ hours of Applied Kinesiology training
- Hands-on muscle and soft-tissue treatment
- Manual muscle testing interpreted as part of a complete examination
- AI-assisted postural assessment when appropriate
- Individualized treatment rather than a standardized protocol
- Clear explanations of examination findings
- Referral when a condition requires additional medical evaluation
- Same-day appointments may be available
- Convenient Lakeview Chicago location
You should not receive the same treatment as every other patient. Your care should begin by understanding your individual findings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Applied Kinesiology
Below are answers to common questions patients ask about manual muscle testing and Applied Kinesiology before scheduling an evaluation.
What is manual muscle testing used for?
Manual muscle testing is used to evaluate muscle activation, strength patterns, compensation, and movement function as part of a broader chiropractic examination.
What is an applied kinesiologist or AK chiropractor?
An applied kinesiologist or AK chiropractor is typically a chiropractor trained in Applied Kinesiology techniques, including manual muscle testing, posture evaluation, movement assessment, joint evaluation, and other musculoskeletal examination procedures.
Does Applied Kinesiology really work?
Applied Kinesiology may provide information about muscle and movement function, but it should be incorporated into a complete clinical examination rather than used as a stand-alone diagnostic method.
What does a weak muscle test mean?
A weak response may be associated with factors such as pain, inhibition, joint restriction, fatigue, positioning, or compensation. It does not automatically mean that a muscle is damaged.
Can muscle testing diagnose disease or allergies?
No. Manual muscle testing on this page refers to its use as part of a musculoskeletal examination. It is not used by Dr. Godo as a stand-alone method to diagnose internal disease, allergies, food sensitivities, or nutritional deficiencies.
Is manual muscle testing painful?
Manual muscle testing generally uses controlled resistance and should not be painful. Tell Dr. Godo if any examination movement causes discomfort.
Can manual muscle testing help with sports injuries?
Manual muscle testing may be incorporated into the evaluation of sports and overuse problems when Dr. Godo is assessing muscle activation, compensation, movement, joint function, and side-to-side differences.
What happens after my evaluation?
Dr. Godo will explain the examination findings and discuss recommendations and treatment options when chiropractic care is appropriate. If additional testing or referral is needed, he will explain the recommended next step.
How many visits will I need?
The number of visits depends on your condition, examination findings, goals, symptom duration, and response to treatment. There is no single treatment plan that is appropriate for every patient.
What is included in the $29 New Patient Evaluation?
The evaluation includes a consultation, health-history review, posture and movement evaluation, doctor examination, manual muscle testing when appropriate, discussion of findings, and personalized recommendations. Additional procedures may be included when clinically appropriate.
Can I schedule my appointment online?
Yes. You can call Godo Chiropractic at (773) 525-0007 or book an appointment online .
Applied Kinesiologist Near You in Chicago
Godo Chiropractic is located at 3118 N. Sheffield Avenue, Unit 1S, Chicago, Illinois 60657 .
Our Lakeview office serves patients from:
- Lakeview
- Lincoln Park
- Wrigleyville
- Northalsted
- Roscoe Village
- Uptown
- River North
- Other Chicago neighborhoods
Ready to Get Started?
Schedule Your $29 New Patient Evaluation
If you have been searching for manual muscle testing near you, an applied kinesiologist in Chicago, or help understanding recurring muscle weakness, tightness, pain, or movement problems, the next step is an individualized evaluation.
Call our office today to ask questions or schedule your appointment, or choose an available appointment time online.
Individual results vary. The information on this page is educational and is not a substitute for an individualized medical examination, diagnosis, or emergency care.