Ortho-bionomy: Treatment, Effects & Risks

Ortho-Bionomy is a therapeutic form of gentle bodywork aimed at autoregulation. The targeted techniques are intended to strengthen the self-healing powers and thus enable the body to heal itself.

What is Ortho-Bionomy?

Ortho-Bionomy is a therapeutic form of gentle bodywork aimed at autoregulation. In all techniques of Ortho-Bionomy, the therapist works with the hands. In all the techniques of Ortho-Bionomy, the therapist works with his hands. The method is considered to be the practice of medicine and may therefore only be used in Germany by physicians and alternative practitioners in their own right. Many movement sequences and therapeutic grips of Ortho-Bionomy are reminiscent of osteopathy or Rolfing, also methods of gentle bodywork. The specially trained therapist, the so-called Ortho-Bionomy practitioner, performs specific movement maneuvers with the patient relaxed on the couch. By remaining in these defined positions for a short time or by reinforcing movement patterns, specific muscle groups and tissues are addressed and stimulated. The goal of the methodology is to recognize and release, to decompress, misalignments of the joints, movement restrictions or muscular tensions. The therapist thus gives the direction, but the actual work of regulation is always done by the patient according to the overriding concept of Ortho-Bionomy. Ortho-Bionomy should also not be confused with chiropractic or chiropractic, because this gentle bodywork is not manipulative. Dr. Arthur Pauls, an osteopath and judo instructor who died in France in 1997, is considered the founder of Ortho-Bionomy.

Function, effect and goals

Pauls also defined the overarching concept of the method he developed, which is to approach each person in a completely non-judgmental way and to fully respect them in their uniqueness. As a concept of structured and directable body energy that Pauls continued to refine over the years, Ortho-Bionomy is now understood by many practitioners as a special form of osteopathy. Pauls assumed that a body is initially in harmony and coherent. Therefore, according to Ortho-Bionomy, in the case of disturbances, only gentle support is needed to guide all structures back into the correct paths of movement. Ortho-Bionomy therefore always follows existing movement patterns and merely attempts to reinforce them. This procedure allows the body to reorganize itself without stress or strain. In the USA, the healing method is more widespread and also generally better known than in Europe. The practitioners united in the umbrella organization Society of Ortho-Bionomy International apply Ortho-Bionomy according to the guidelines of its founding father, Dr. Pauls. Since his death, however, numerous modifications of the procedure have become established, similar to those in osteopathy. Dr. Pauls summarized the essence of Ortho-Bionomy in his statement: “You can be who others want you to be, who you should be, who you would like to be or who you are. In Germany, the use of Ortho-Bionomy is not reimbursable, so patients must pay for the therapy sessions themselves. Ortho-Bionomy treatments are particularly suitable for all orthopedic disorders, acute or chronic musculoskeletal pain, functional disorders of internal organs, hormonal and autonomic regulation, or general relaxation and stress reduction. In addition, Ortho-Bionomy is also said to be helpful in improving inner and outer self-awareness, expanding expressiveness and increasing performance, as well as in psychosomatic illnesses as an accompanying and supportive method. The symbol of Ortho-Bionomy is the sand dollar. Although this makes a geometrically very regular impression, the center is not necessarily located in the geometric-mathematical center. The center is therefore different for each sand dollar, and it is precisely this principle that Dr. Pauls transferred to humans, that each individual has his center somewhere else. And it is exactly this circumstance that users of Ortho-Bionomy particularly respect and take into account in the original concept.

Risks, side effects and dangers

In the practical application of Ortho-Bionomy, it is evident that its roots lie in osteopathy, which also originated in America as a healing method. Since it is a very gentle form of bodywork the risks, side effects and dangers are manageable. Since the term Ortho-Bionomy and the professional title Ortho-Bionomy-Practitioner are not protected in Germany, the greatest danger for a patient is to come across a therapist who is not sufficiently qualified. Ortho-Bionomy maneuvers should always be considered and practiced as curative treatment and never as wellness. Ortho-Bionomy always works with the 3 aspects of body structure and posture, movement impulses in muscles and tissues, and with the energy field of the human being. In the latter aspect, the therapy hand does not necessarily have to touch the patient’s skin, which is why there are certain parallels to spiritual healing or Reiki at this point. Patients do not necessarily have to undress for therapy with Ortho-Bionomy, as all the intended movements can also be performed in loose-fitting clothing. In addition, the procedure is also practiced when the patient is free of symptoms in the sense of prophylaxis. Ortho-Bionomy should not be used in cases of severe mental illness. Further limitations of the procedure result from irreversible destruction of body structures that are considered incurable, for example advanced arthrosis or metastasizing tumors. Also, in cases of acute infections of the skin or generalized febrile infections, any form of application of gentle bodywork should be withheld for the benefit of the patient.