kinesiology

Kinesiology is the scientific study of human movement. It examines the anatomical, physiological, biomechanical, neurological, and psychological factors that influence how people move and perform. The field seeks to understand the mechanisms that generate movement, regulate muscle activity, coordinate motor behavior, and adapt movement patterns in health and disease. Kinesiology also considers the social and environmental contexts in which movement occurs, including sport, work, education, and daily living.

Practitioners and researchers use a range of methods, including motion capture, gait analysis, electromyography, force platforms, imaging, and computational modeling, along with observational assessment and test batteries. The discipline integrates knowledge from anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, neuroscience, psychology, and health sciences to analyze movement at levels from tissue to whole body.

Subfields include biomechanics and movement science, motor control and learning, exercise physiology, rehabilitation science, sport science, ergonomics and occupational kinesiology, and health promotion. In clinical settings, kinesiology informs assessment, rehabilitation, and recovery strategies; in sport, it supports performance optimization and injury prevention; in education and public health, it contributes to physical activity programs and policy design.

Education and career: kinesiology is commonly offered as undergraduate and graduate programs. Graduates work in clinical rehabilitation teams, research laboratories, sports organizations, schools, corporate wellness, and government agencies. Professional licensure or certification for specific roles varies by country and region.

Origins trace to the study of physical education and early medical approaches to movement, gaining formal recognition as a multidisciplinary science in the 20th century; contemporary kinesiology is characterized by collaboration across biology, engineering, and social sciences.