Ortho-Bionomy® Common Questions

Ortho-Bionomy® is a gentle, non-invasive approach to alternative healing. It’s extremely adaptable and  based on one’s individual needs. Though the techniques originated decades ago, the work is progressive and has an innovative quality to it. The techniques can be used on both humans and animals. Ortho-Bionomy® can induce relief from aches, pain, or discomfort caused by a variety of injuries or diseases. Ortho-Bionomy® is a much calmer, and less intense method of bodywork than most are used to. The work may seem subtle at times, yet while working directly with the nervous system the results can be quite profound and long lasting.

Ortho-Bionomy® addresses both the structural and neurological aspects of the body. That is why the sky is the limit as far as what can be effected. This work can impact your body, mind, and spirit. Because it originated through osteopathy, the initial technique was based on the thesis “structure governs function.”

Ortho-Bionomy® utilizes natural reflexes and responses to movement and change. It is a practitioners responsibility to carefully listen to the signals that naturally occur in the body. Self-correction is key, once the body understands what we are asking of it, it will automatically change and adapt. In doing so our hope is that the body will adopt a healthier, more comfortable sense of normal. 

While massage therapy primarily focuses on soft tissue manipulation i.e. your muscles, Ortho-Bionomy® is a scientific and technical approach that addresses the whole body. We work with releasing the muscles from the inside out, where their insertion and origins are attached to bone. We work across the joints, manipulating the connective tissue, and repositioning structure.

Chiropractic adjustments are typically done with more force. Most Chiropractic adjustments are relatively quick and focused primarily on structure, nerve conduction, and alignment of your bones. We work with your structure in a different way, we use compression and traction, as well as reflexes and different degrees of pressure and we take our time, allowing the body to correct when it feels safe and ready. Again, our focus is broad, bones, to connective tissue i.e. ligaments, and tendons, to soft tissue, to fascia.

Reiki is a healing art where the practitioner primarily uses nontangible energy to access the body, and the Reiki Master uses their own energy to “heal” you. With Ortho-Bionomy® though there can be an energetic component and sometimes it is useful to lighten our touch, most OB practitioners will be using tangible techniques which include movement and firm but gentle compression and/or traction. The other distinct difference is that Ortho-Bionomists do not refer to themselves as “healers” or “energy workers”. If we do find it necessary to address an issue energetically, we still use the principles of OB and will not be “channeling” energy. The mantra for Ortho-Bionomy® is for the body to access its own innate ability to heal itself, and your OB practitioner helps your body in that reeducation, in order to restore what has been forgotten.

The answer to this is purely individual. Under extreme circumstances frequent work is highly
beneficial to speed up healing. For example, if someone has sprained their ankle it would suffice to work with it every day, but generally speaking it is recommended that one would allow at least 72 hours of integration between sessions. For practical purposes most clients who are working towards a certain goal schedule their sessions about a week apart. In most cases the condition resolves and your sessions become less frequent. Once you get better and your body is able to maintain self correction and a balance on its own it is nice to receive a session here and there for relaxation and general upkeep, about once a month or so.