The Dorn Method
Soft mobilisation of vertebra and joints
according to Dieter Dorn

Before you start:
This Method always works within the limits of the body (never with brute force), helping them to expand by gently redirecting into natural position. The vertebras are NOT put in place by force, but by distracting the muscles, which hold them in the wrong place, with movement. Muscles can only hold OR move. The gentle massaging movement in the ditch NEXT to the vertebra can direct the vertebra to the right place. Never massage ON vertebra!
The method is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness.

There is no absolute counter indication to this method, only two relative ones:
1: acute trauma, like accidents and recent operations, in such cases you should consult the responsible doctor before considering to apply the method.
2: pregnancy from the 7th month onwards, because it is not throughoutly researched what exactly causes contractions and this method might possibly be able to lead to early labour.

1) The leg length

How to measure which leg is longer:

Two person method
The patient lies flat on the back, best on a level surface raised off the ground. The Dorn practitioner stands upright and picks up the others legs by the heels. The hand position is: 4 fingers around heels, thumb on top of foot, where leg and foot meet. Then joggle them lightly for relaxation of muscles. The Dorn applier now gently lifts the legs. ATTENTION! Only lift Legs to height that the treated Person allows by body- or verbal signals.
The hand position changes to: thumb on the base (underneath/middle) of the foot and fingers around leg and span meeting point - as the Dorn practitioner carefully lifts the legs to about 90 degrees and only if that height is possible. Otherwise lift as high as it is possible.
You can see if the legs are straight if you can see the treated’s nose while looking through in-between the legs. This is important to get an accurate measurement. This procedure might take a bit of practice.
Then the practitioner looks at the base of the feet side by side and compares the height of his thumbs. Here one can see which thumb is higher up, as on a scale. This is the “longer” leg.
The legs are gently put down again the longer one is propped up in a bent position.

--The LONGER leg is treated--.

The practitioner finds the bit of the thigh bone which sticks out on the side of the pelvis. It can be felt as a bold round elevation. The applier puts his hand UNDER it and moving the leg from bent to straight and bent to straight …about 6 times. The hand under pushes the elevation in; you can imagine you want to push it diagonally towards the opposite shoulder of the patient.
Then the practitioner measures again and looks if the legs are of equal length now. Should the other leg be longer now treat that one, it means both bones were subluxated (slightly out of place), just one more than the other. So the other side needs treatment as well.

One person method of the leg length correction
The treated can also do the pushing in alone.
In lying position, this is either by pushing the bone in with the palm of the hand or putting the fist under the bone elevation.
The pushing in can be also done standing up, if balance is kept (hold on to something if you feel the need).
This is done by pulling the knee up to easier find of the bone elevation that sticks out at that side of the pelvis area. Then pushing it in from underneath it (towards the opposite shoulder), while you move the knee of the same leg up and down, touching the ground with your foot every time.
The right position for pushing is about underneath the position of a classic jeans pocket.
----If you work WITHOUT MEASURING LEG LENGTH always treat both sides to be sure. ----

What have we done? We now have helped the dislodged thigh bone back into its natural position cupped in the pelvis - and acquired the basis of a healthy posture.

2. The “triangle” or how to unlock the monkey’s tail
You need a chair or surface of at least belly height, that the patient can lean onto whilst bending forward.

The "triangle" finds the blockage in the pelvis area at what used to be the part of the spine that held our tail before we lost it in evolution. It has only recently officially been recognised as a joint called sacroiliac joint. We work on the indentations on both sides of the lower back. You can use oil or cream to help find those.

Measuring which side is blocked:
How to find the two indentations on the backside of the pelvis (lower back):
You work with your thumbs.
The trousers should be loosened at the top or pulled down just a little bit, so the practitioner can find the beginning of the place where the bottom cheeks meet. From there the applier moves the thumbs up in a triangle form (going upwards and outwards from the beginning of bottom) until the thumbs go down into two of little pits.
The points where this happens are approximately the width of one hand span apart.
The thumbs rest firmly (not forcefully) in those points. While the patient bends forward -it is recommended that the patient leans on something with the hands whilst doing this, e.g.: the back of a chair.
------Treat the side where the thumb goes up ------

Treating the blockage of the sacroiliac joint
The practitioner stands behind the patient
-The treated leans the hands on e.g. a chair back, whilst standing upright.
The applier holds the treated with one arm around the pelvis underneath the belly. This is to support the pelvis during treatment and to have a counter pressure when pushing in from the back. To hold you use the arm on the side not to be treated - on the other side you need your arm for unlocking the blockage.
The side where the thumb went up earlier you treat.
The applier pushes in with the palm or thumb at the indentation on that side, in a gentle massaging way. While this is happening - at the same time- the patient swings the treated side’s leg loosely forwards and backwards.
When done check again if both sides are equal now with same technique as in beginning of 2)

Sacroiliac joint: One Person Method
-Standing up method:
Stand with your legs shoulder wide apart. Stand relaxed and upright, knees stay straight throughout the exercise. Now you just lift one heel (not the whole foot) off the ground, that pushes your hipbone up on that side, then heel down again and the opposite side heel up. So your hips move like a seesaw. Both feet are at all times connected to the ground, you only lift one heel and then the other.
-Lying down method:
Lie on a flat not too soft surface, put your hands beneath your lower back, palms facing down. The knuckle of the index finger is pushing into in the previously described indentation, of the blocked side. Then wiggle your hipbone from one side to the other. You can put both hands under your back with knuckles into those indentations and bend your legs (feet on the surface), moving the hip by waving the knees from one side to the other.

3) The spine:
----From this part of the treatment please spread a little bit of oil or cream on the places where you work for it helps to feel what is going on underneath the skin better.
Here we use our thumbs to feel which vertebra are in a twisted position, by feeling the popped up dorn extensions that are located on each side of each vertebra (exception: the head joint).

The applier spreads massage oil along both sides of the spine. You can e.g. use cream, Almond-, Olive- oil or St. Johns Wort oil. The latter helps the treatment to penetrate deeply, and here it is advised to tell/ask the treated person, because it will heighten the sensitivity of the skin to the sun. Generally it is necessary to ask about allergies.

Then position one thumb on each side of the spine start in the pelvis area. Starting at the lumbar spine and moving upwards SLOWLY with the thumbs along both ditches alongside the spine. Sometimes you might want to move the thumbs backwards and forwards (i.e. up and down) a bit, like when you are looking for a radio station. You do not touch on the top of the spine (the vertebra themselves) only push towards them along the ditch to each Side.
You can linger and wait at each single bone (vertebra) and ask which side the treated person feels more, if there is a difference. Or move up and down a couple of vertebras at a time and feel where vertebras stick out to one side.
--- It is always advisable to ask he treated which side feels uncomfortable, even if it is only a little bit. ----Treat that side —

Treating the vertebra
This happens by SOFTLY massaging towards the spine (or up and down if you want to do it really softly) with the thumb in a wave motion on the uncomfortable/sticking out side (dorn extension) of the vertebra.
While this is done the surrounding muscles must be distracted by moving!! The treated person swings leg, arm or neck while you do the massage movement.

For the lower back/ lumbar spine (up to belly button-/ waist height) swing a LEG,

upper back and shoulder area/ Thoracic spine swing an ARM

and neck area/ cervical spine move the HEAD from one side to the other (like saying no).

At the end you can treat the Atlas vertebra by softly pushing your finger into the places under the earlobe where you can feel it goes in behind your jaw bones wiggle the fingers a bit up and down. The treated person alternately opens and closes the jaw while that is done.

All areas above waist height can be done sitting down, if required.
A little bit of dizziness is a normal reaction, which can occur when locked energy flows again, especially in the neck area it is to be expected. Allow the treated person to rest a bit and stand up in their own time.
After treatment drink plenty (e.g.:water, tea, fruit juice) to support the effect.

It was a pleasure to be able to share this knowledge.
Thank you for the opportunity to practice.

Should there be any questions please feel free to contact me
using the contact form on this site
Contact my teachers: Gabriele Lansink ,Galamod Bazaar, 51491 Engelskirchen, Germany 004922637159340
and Patrick Schricker
http://www.schricker-physio.homepage.t-online.de/ (schricker.physio@schricker-physio.de)

These Instructions are based on my own experience and must only be used after a personal introduction by a Dorn Practitioner!!

for original method Dorn see:
http://www.schulungs-haus-dorn-gross.de/

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Text by Marielle Lansink
This text is constantly being revised so it is worth coming back from time to time