Mechanical Link Therapy

A Form of Manual Therapy

Mechanical Link is a form of osteopathic treatment that addresses the entire body and every system. Paul Chauffour, D.O., who lives and practices in France, developed it. Mr. Chauffour has developed and refined Mechanical Link for over 25 years and teaches his techniques all over the world.

Practitioners of manual therapy are trained to feel the body for osteopathic lesions. A lesion is defined as something in the body that should move freely but does not. The body is in perpetual movement at all times. Even when we are still, we have many internal rhythms. There are the obvious rhythms of the pulse and the breath, but there are many others as well, including the rhythm and movement of the digestive organs, the pumping of the lymphatic fluids and the rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid as it bathes the brain and spinal cord. Any disruption of these rhythms can cause impairment in the body’s ability to function and adversely affect health and well being.

Lesions can occur at any time during a person’s life, beginning at birth, and can be the result of accidents, such as car crashes, falls, a blow to the head, birth trauma and the aftermath of surgery or dental work. They can also be caused by poor habits of movement or posture, and emotional issues, such as grief after the loss of a loved one, stress and diverse emotional trauma.

A typical Mechanical Link session consists of gentle palpation on the body to determine where the lesions reside. The therapist will then determine which lesions are primary by using a technique called inhibitory balancing. On testing, one lesion will release and the other will remain blocked. The lesions that do not release are the primary blockages. They are the ones that are targeted for treatment.

Once the primary lesions have been isolated, the practitioner is ready to begin treatment. Treatment consists of a technique called recoil. The practitioner very gently positions the affected body part containing the lesion. Using a precise amount of direction, speed and vibration, the practitioner then releases it, by recoiling using the hands. This action triggers a response in the mechano receptors in the area, which sends signals to the central nervous system and frees the blockage. Because treatment focuses on the primary lesion, it has a profound effect on the areas depending on it as well. Other areas in the body will also release in response and begin to heal themselves. Since Mechanical Link addresses the whole person and releases lesions that contain emotional components as well, treatment can have a global effect on the person’s health, happiness and ability to function.