The healing power of biokinetics

IT is a fairly quiet afternoon at a popular biokinetics centre in Windhoek. The centre, similar to a gym, is divided into small divisions with different types of equipment and machinery. Each division focuses on different muscle groups and caters to clients’ individual training needs.

“Our medicine is physical exercise. That’s how we treat our patients,” says Denver Murorua from Magg Biokinetics.

Biokinetics is often confused with physiotherapy, he says, and plays a huge role in injury rehabilitation and health.

Murorua says physiotherapists are involved in first-phase rehabilitation to ensure that pain and swelling subsides and that the patient is able to move a specific injured joint.

“After that they are referred to biokineticists. We strengthen the muscles around the specific injury or area so it does not occur again,” he says.

Biokinetics also applies to patients with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, kidney failure and cholesterol, Murorua says.

In addition, people with cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and patients who have undergone heart surgery, as well as children can benefit from biokinetics, he says.

Namibian paralympic athlete Roodley Gowaseb says biokinetics has played a major role in improving his performance.

“Biokinetics can work on muscles you actually don’t know you have,” he says.

Gowaseb trains from home using videos provided by his biokineticist.

“I’m working out sometimes, but don’t always feel I’m building muscle, so I ask my biokineticist to help out with a video,” Gowaseb says.

He uses this in addition to his own training programme.

Sara Moshana, a Windhoek resident who is wheelchair-bound, says she started playing community basketball in 2015 to keep fit.

Basketball “was just to keep my body moving”, but also introduced her to biokinetics through her coach.

Moshana is currently stationed at home due to Covid-19.

“I mainly lift weights, do leg and tummy exercises and stretches, and sometimes we’ll just play with the ball,” she says.

She says due to her limited mobility, biokinetics is crucial as it improves her blood circulation.

“They gave me different types of exercises I can do at home, and they always call in,” she says.

Mike Hamukwaya, head of the paralympic committee, says coaches are starting to realise athletes need specialised training such as through biokinetics, but not many athletes are aware of this option, and many find it costly.

“Most athletes withdraw because they have to pay something and because they have regular trainers at the club,” he says.

Biokinetics is also individually based training and each athlete is treated according to their abilities, Hamukwaya says.

“We used a biokineticist before we went to the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games; there was so much improvement and we got better results,” he says.

Coaches need to be less reluctant to bring in biokineticists and other specialised medical trainers to achieve the best results.

“Coaches often think their training programme is better. We have so many athletes and a bio can work on their strengths,” Hamukwaya says.

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