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One of the key features to Dorn’s success and its effectiveness is its approach to getting joints to move more readily back into their correct natural positions and then stay there. There is no magic about the Dorn Method, it's really all based on physics, fact and common sense, and a little help from the client who assists the Dorn therapist.

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The correction of a misaligned joint can sometimes prove quite difficult, and a forceful manual correction might cause more damage than good. A twisted or badly seated spinal column may have vertebrae which are displaced, being held out of place by muscles, and any attempt to move the joints back into their correct positions will usually end up a fight against these muscles. However rather than forcefully trying to move the vertebrae back into place, simple Dorn techniques

are employed which cleverly ‘distract’ these muscles whilst corrections are made.

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This muscle distraction is achieved by asking the client to actively participate in the session. This involves the client either swinging a leg, arm or the head from side to side whilst at the same time the therapist guides the joint back into its proper position using gentle thumb or hand pressure. During movement the muscles are in a distracted or relaxed state, and it is therefore then reasonably easy to realign joints without having to overcome too much muscle resistance. The dynamic movement provided by the client working together with the therapist enables logical mechanical principles of counter pressure and levering forces to come into play.

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The beauty of this technique is that the therapist is actually working with the clients body, this form of dynamic correction is therefore usually readily accepted by our bodies. This form of therapy is also completely safe because it requires only light pressure from the therapist. Furthermore, the Dorn Method does not unnecessarily stress muscles and ligaments through jerky manipulation that could overextend those muscles, and therefore also allows the spine and joints to be adjusted much more frequently.

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During or after sessions, clients are also shown a set of simple self help exercise techniques, which they can take away with them to practice regularly at home. These exercises are meant to simulate the corrections made by the therapist and to help maintain balance in the body hopefully preventing re-occurrence of any problems.