What is Ortho-bionomy?
Ortho-Bionomy is a non-invasive form of realigning muscles and joints. Simply, it can be defined as 'gentle bone alignment', a simple way to improve the energy flow to any part of your body, especially the bones and joints. However the technique can also be used on the soft tissue to help correct internal problems.
Ortho-Bionomy was developed in America early last century. The Canadian, Arthur Lincoln Pauls first brought over the technique to England but it did not get a positive reception. This led to it virtually disappearing. However, a few practitioners carried on the work they learnt from Lincoln Pauls and now there appears to be a slow revival.
The subsequent development in England and the USA appears to have diverged slightly. In the UK we look for a painful spot and find the position of 'no pain'. In the USA it appears that the same methods are used but the practitioner finds a position of release rather than relying on client feed-back. I am sure that both methods contribute to the same desired results.
The Eastern therapeutic perception of pain and numbness is that they can relate to the amount of energy in an area. Pain and inflammation will relate to an accumulation of energy and numbness and cold to a deficiency of energy. If there is no pain or numbness then this indicates that there is a free flow of energy, which includes blood, lymph and nerve supply.
So when a part of the body is very gently moved into positions of 'no pain' the energy has a chance to re-establish itself. The increase in the supply of blood and lymph brings nutrients and removes toxins that may have been delaying healing. Trapped nerve pathways can be improved and overall self-healing is encouraged. This means that nearly any pain can be alleviated and the healing process helped.
When people have experienced using 'gentle bone manipulation' for the spine, joints and muscle pains, the pain actually seems to melt away. The result is that your body is able to heal itself, to reduce pain in your joints and increase your energy levels and organ vitality.
The main principles behind Ortho-bionomy
One thought is that as toxic waste builds up in your body it is moved away from your internal organs in order to protect them. As strange as it may seem you do not need your arms and legs in order to be healthy although of course they would be useful. Therefore the body can safely deposit any waste that it can not get rid of in these areas.
As joints naturally move around these waste products could be deposited in space around them like a slow river depositing its silt. As the deposits build up the joints become more inflamed and stiff. They may even become displaced as seen with a bunion. The overall effect is that the joints become painful and sometimes too stiff and difficult for an osteopath to correct without constant visits. Most forms of manipulation involve trying to correct how the practitioner thinks the body ought to be aligned. This takes an expert eye and knowledge of the body' structure to judge where a joint or bone should be. Once assessed the correction usually takes the form of a quick, sharp adjustment.
However with Ortho-bionomy the aim is slightly different. The main premise is to find a position of 'no pain'. To start with the body is assessed to see where it wants to be in order to be out of pain. You may be asked what position you sleep in or how you like to rest. As your body naturally wants to be out of pain these unconscious positions can be good indicators. As a limb is moved very slowly to the position of 'no pain' the joint can open up and allow an increased flow of blood around it.
This can literally wash away the toxins in the joint space like a fast river washing away the sediment. This can then enable the bones and joints to find their own corrected position. At the same time, the surrounding tissue is nourished and the muscles strengthened so that they will support your bones in their corrected position.
How does Ortho-bionomy work?
To find the best position for 'no pain' you need to move the closest fulcrum to the site of your pain, which is often an arm or leg. Having found the correct position a 'spontaneous release' can be used like undoing a hook and eye. In order to release the hook the two parts are momentarily pushed closer together before the hook is clear of the eye and can then be undone. This is the principle behind releasing pain with Ortho-bionomy.
Take for example a sprained ankle, where your ankle has been put under extreme pressure from the whole weight of your body. During an Ortho-bionomy session your foot would temporarily be put back in the same twisted position with force equal to the weight which went behind the sprain. Although this may seem strange, it is a totally painless experience.
The most painful part of the procedure is putting your finger on the painful point while the foot is being slowly moved into the position of no-pain. Whatever happens the foot is NEVER moved through any pain and all movements are very slow to avoid any further damage. If these principles are adhered to then you can not do any harm only good.
What happens during a treatment?
If you want to try to carry out an Ortho-bionomy correction yourself you need to go through the following steps.
To work on a shoulder joint, first place a finger on a point of pain on the shoulder and do not move this finger throughout the whole process. Then very slowly and carefully find the position of no-pain by moving the arm very slowly into a variety of positions – upward, out to the side, behind the body, across the body, out from the socket or in towards the socket. Make sure that the arm is dead weight so that the muscles remain relaxed and at no point should it be moved through pain.
When you have found the position of no-pain so that the painful point under the finger has gone, relax the pressure from your finger and totally support the arm while the flow of blood to the area increases unimpeded. Eventually you will feel a pulse under your finger, which may take up to a minute to feel. Initially the pulse may build up slowly like opening a small crack in a dam and the water trickling through. Or it may be felt suddenly like all the sluice gates being opened at the same time and the water flooding through. Whichever way you experience the pulse wait until it has steadied before slowly replacing the arm to the original position.
The painful point can now be retested and should have disappeared. If it has not, either you had not found the correct position or it was not held long enough, in which case repeat the process. When the first point has gone you may need to find other ones in the adjoining areas and correct them in the same way until the whole area has been cleared.
Find out how to do this in a Ortho-bionomy Work Shop
Can Ortho-bionomy be integrated into other therapies?
During the Diploma Reflexology Course you will be taught how to work on bunions.