When a client comes into the
office, the practitioner does an assessment, observing posture, how the
person walks and holds his or her body.
She will ask the client what’s going on that brought them into
the office. The
practitioner will listen to the client about the stress factors in their
life, and then ask how the different parts of their body feel.
For some this can be a difficult
question to answer. Many
times a person will seem to hurt all over and is hard to distinguish or
one part from another. Or a
person will hurt so bad in one spot that they don’t even recognize
there are issues in other parts of their body as well.
The client will be asked to sit or
lie down on the treatment table, remaining fully clothed.
If a client is experiencing definite
intense pain in a particular area, that is where the practitioner will
begin. Once that area is
alleviated, the practitioner will then begin to evaluate the rest of the
condition.
For example, if it was knee pain
that brought the client into the office, the practitioner will evaluate
the area by checking the mobility of the kneecap, gently moving it in
different directions. This
client will be asked which position feels better
“a” or “b”. Whichever
is the most comfortable is the position that is utilized.
Why does one position feel better
than another? When there is
an injury the body creates it’s own splint, tightening the area.
Moving the joint into a position that works against this natural
splint creates pain. The
beauty of the Ortho-Bionomy approach is that this form of treatment is
designed in such a way that the practitioner does not hurt you.
The client’s well-being and comfort is honored above all else.
Using our example of the knee, once
relief in that area is achieved, the practitioner will move to the ankle
and then the hip in keeping with the premise that everything is
connected and interrelated. Pain
or muscle contraction in one area leads to another and so on.
The practitioner does not have any
one approach to treatment, she let’s the client’s discomfort dictate
the treatment direction she will take.
Once again honoring the client’s condition.
