Guy VOYER, DO

 

Guy VOYER, DO is a “classically-trained” European Osteopath who remains true to his manual medicine training.  He holds a Doctorate in Osteopathy with an extensive background in the fields of sport, manual therapy and medicine, which includes studies and degrees in physical education, physiotherapy, sports medicine, traumatology, biomechanics, and various forms of body work including massage therapy. In addition, he has a PhD. in educational science. He has initiated and collaborated on numerous research projects, including the studies on intervertebral disc compression and herniation.

Born in Paris, Dr. VOYER has traveled the world since he was six months old. Throughout his childhood his family moved every two years due to the demands of his father’s profession, but these frequent moves did not have a negative impact on him. Instead, it helped him develop his ability to adapt to new environments and make friends. Before his studies in health sciences, he was a competitive athlete in many sports, achieving a high level in Judo.

As a young student, Dr. VOYER was enrolled in a special school where half of the day was devoted toward training and the use of many different exercise modalities, preceded by a half day of academic studies. This helped him understand ‘the role’ that exercise plays in the development of the brain, the nervous system, and connective tissues – fasciae. It was one of the principle reasons that he, as a medical practitioner, began to prescribe exercise after his osteopathic treatment sessions, a practice he continues to teach all his students to use with their patients and clients.

Dr. VOYER began his career as a physical education teacher.  During ten years of effort, the results achieved exceeded expectations; however, there were still problems to overcome, interactions to be studied, and fine-tuning to be developed.

Dr. VOYER then studied the body as “kinesitherapeute”, not only through movement, but also through touch and work that was theoretically considered to be passive.  This stage of study confirmed that micro movement generates macro movement in articular (joint) mobility.  Simply massaging the muscles was of negligible value as long as the aponeurotic (fascia) structure remained hypertonic.  Further study in medicine and sports biology, specializing in physical medicine, traumatology, and physiopathology of the loco-motor system, led him to the realization of the limitations of analytical and therapeutic theory.

While an intern in the Center for Reeducation and Functional Readaptation, Dr. VOYER refused to entertain the concept of prevention and remained obsessed with finding the “magic bullet” to cure a patient’s symptoms. At this time in Europe, back pain was epidemic, causing strain on the economy.  In search of a cure, Dr. VOYER traveled throughout Europe, attending numerous seminars on various approaches to treating back pain.

At the same time, he began to study the biomechanics of the human body, but in a new way – the way of tensegrity biomechanics. It was from his practice of many varied methods that Dr. VOYER was able to select the very best of all the techniques he studied and organize it into a system that he calls the ELDOA. This French acronym translates into English as LOADS: Longitudinal Osteo-articular Decoaptation Stretching.

From a very early age, Guy VOYER, DO was fascinated with the fasciae of the human body, its very precise anatomy, and its links to other structures. It wasn’t until later that he was able to focus his research on the fasciae, understanding the various roles of the fasciae and how to best treat it.  To better understand this, he has done extensive research in dissection and was one of the first to map the fascial chains of the body and the role they play in movement and human biomechanics.

As a result of this work, Guy VOYER, DO organized his own system of therapy (SomaTherapy) with many techniques that he created himself. To compliment his therapeutic system, he designed an exercise-training program (SomaTraining) that respects the organization of the fascial chains and human biomechanics. Today, he is one of the few osteopaths in the world to master the treatment of fasciae and how to prescribe exercise to reinforce these treatments.

“The whole is more than the sum of its part:  one part cannot be properly understood in isolation. Study and research, philosophy, psychology, and sociology led me to the discovery of complexity models. 

Systems theory, as presented by E. Morin, De Rosnay, Watzlawick, Varella and others, confirmed my conviction that the body works as a whole, that only reasoning in synthesis can answer the questions of humanity, that only technology in a network will explain the links that emerge from a holistic base.

In the field of complexity, my research leans on the systems paradigm, the emergence and the constructivism.” – Guy VOYER, DO

After decades of study and clinical practice as both an exercise practitioner and therapist, DR. VOYER organized his unique educational paradigm and teaching method – “learn by doing”. This paradigm includes the principles of complexity and systems theory, tensegrity biomechanics and functional anatomy. This method is used in all of his courses.

His goal now is to teach and pass along his knowledge through the students who have followed his life’s work.

Guy VOYER, DO lecturing at Legacy Sport & Wellness Center in Dallas, TX

It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Guy VOYER, MD, DO.

Guy passed away unexpectedly at his home in Marseilles. Guy and his wife, Lydie, had just returned from teaching and seeing patients in the Dominican Republic. Many members of our community have been touched by Guy’s hand in some fashion. Guy is the Founder of the ELDOA, SomaTraining, SomaTherapy, and the Osteopathic Programs, and has treated or mentored many of the members within the Legacy community.

Claudia is planning a Celebration of Life at a date to be announced.

Legacy also hosted two exercise classes and socials in Guy’s honor. If you missed it and/or want to follow along with the exercise classes, see video of the live streams below.

Guy VOYER, DO – Educational Background

 

Education:

– C.E.S. in Biology and Sports Medicine at the Marseille Faculty of Medicine (1981).

– University Diploma in Sports Trauma, Marseille Faculty of Medicine (1983)

– Intra-University Diploma in Manual and Orthopedic Medicine, Marseille Faculty of Medicine (1989).

– Diploma from the University of Marseille Faculty of Medicine in Locomotor Pathology related to sports (1990).

– University level diploma in Judicial Compensation and Award for Bodily Injury (1991).

– University level Diploma in Physio-Pathology as applied to Physical Exercise (1992).

– Capacity in Hydrology and Medical Climatology, Marseille Faculty of Medicine (1993).

– Medical Intern at the Valmante Functional Reeducation Centre (Marseille – 1982 to 1986).

– Responsible for treatment at the Regional Sports Medicine Centre (PACA) (1982 to 1984).

– Lecturer at the Marseille Faculty of Medicine (Medical Hydrology and Climatology) (1993 to 1996).

 

Osteopathic Training:

– Osteopath DO, Ministerial Training College, Sheffield (1974).

– Diploma from the Academy of Applied Sciences for work in Osteopathy and physical medicine (1980).

– Former MTA student (Robert Bénichou) (1978 to 1980).

– Former student of The European School of Osteopathy, Maidstone (G.B.) (1978 to 1982).

– DO (Distinction) of the Chartered Society of Homeopathic and Natural Therapies (1982).

– Inter-University Diploma in Manual and Orthopedic Medicine from the University of Marseilles Faculty of Medicine (1989).

– Osteopath DO from the Collège D’Etudes Ostéopathiques, Montreal (1999).

– Osteopath DO from the Académie Sutherland, Montreal (2001).

 

Clinical Osteopathy:

– Osteopathic Office at the Résidence des Borromées, Marseille (1976 to 1988).

– Osteopathic Office at the Centre Deltaccord SA, Marseille (1986 to 1997).

– Osteopathic Office and the INTUMotion Clinic, Kingston, Ontario (since 1997).

– Osteopathic Office at the Clinique Physio 2000 in Montreal, Québec (since 2000).

– Osteopathic Office at the Total Balance Centre, Oakville, Ontario (since 2001).

– Osteopathic Office on rue Cambon, Paris (since 2001).

– Osteopathic Office at the HeartLake Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic, Brampton, Ontario (since 2003).

– Periodic consultations in various parts of the world (USA, Canada, West Indies, Jamaica, Belgium, Italy, Morocco, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland, etc.) and during conferences for over twenty years

– Member of several Osteopathic Associations (The Osteopathic Register of Canada, The Osteopathic Association of Quebec, Registre National des Osthéopathes de France, The Federal European Register of Osteopaths)

 

Exercise Science & Physical Training:

– Professor of CP and fitness DE (1974).

– Masters in Diet and Nutrition (1975).

– Masso-kinesitherapist DE (1976).

– Registered as DEA of Physical Education at UFR-STAPS, Poitiers.

– Doctor of Physical Education (London College of Applied Sciences) (1981).

– Director of the Borromées Physical Reeducation Center (1977 to 1983).

– In charge of Functional Reeducation and Physical Rehabilitation at the Chenaie Diet Clinic (1981 to 1984).

– Owner-Manager and Service Provider of the Montgrand Omnisport Club (1978 to 1986).

– President of the French Physical Training Federation (since 1984).

– Student Teaching Director of PARAMED (N° 93-130-531-813) (1987 to 2001).

 

Teaching and Research:

– Director, Collège d’Etudes Supérieures en Somatothérapie et Thérapeutiques Manuelles, Montreal and Quebec City (since 1997).

– Teacher, CEO Montreal; CCO in Toronto; and DOK in Munich (1994 to 2000).

– Student Teaching Director at the Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal and Marseille Sutherland Academies (since 2000).

– Student Teaching Director at the Sutherland Institute, Toronto (2002 to 2003).

– Director of Study and Research of the Fascia at the ESHF (European School in Health and Fitness) N° 93-130-676-613 (1984 to 2002).

– Teacher of Fascial Dissection at the Anatomy Department, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario (sponsored by INTUMotion) (2003-2004).

The History of the ELDOA, According to Guy VOYER, DO

(Part 1 of 2)

 

More than thirty years ago, upon completion of my medical training and at about the same time I began my Osteopathic studies, the subject of “back pain” was very popular throughout all of Europe. The fields of medicine, physical therapy, and Osteopathy all spoke and wrote articles about back pain, attempting to answer the question,

“How is it possible to correct back pain, the pain of the world?”

For this reason, I too, became very interested in this subject and spent the next ten years traveling to take many different seminars on back pain. They were good, but something was missing in each.

In each course, I picked up one or two key points to add to my practice, mixing them all together, trying to see what worked and what did not, always searching for the best approach to resolve back pain. At the same time, I began an intensive study of biomechanics, but in a new way – the way of tensegrity – that began in the 1980’s with Buckminster Fuller.

I came to understand that the current view of the spine and spine biomechanics was limiting. The view of the spine – “one vertebra in relation to another vertebra” – was incorrect. Instead, in the way of tensegrity, the spine and the vertebrae are in relation to all of the body – the spine, the pelvis, the skull, and all of the bones. I began to speak about C-S-S-C, or Cranial-Spinal-Sacral-Coccygeal spine.

“All is in link from the tailbone to the skull.”

For back pain, I found that the primary cause was due to compression, compression from gravity or from an accident or impact.

It is possible to compress a nerve between two vertebrae, like classic sciatica, but because there is a nerve between each vertebra, it is possible to compress any one of these nerves – the intercostal nerve, the radial nerve, or femoral nerve, etc.

It is possible to compress the disc and create a disc herniation; at first, a bulge progressing to a protrusion, and finally a herniation. And it is possible to compress a joint, the zygopophysial joint, and when a structure is compressed it creates “a lot of rust.” The name of this rust is osteoarthritis.

If I want to resolve all of this there are two solutions and I studied both of them. The first solution is to treat medically and the other is to use exercise and training.

The medical approach has two groups. The first group is to use surgery but this creates another trauma to the body. The second group treats the symptoms with medication -“You have pain, okay… painkiller” – but that doesn’t change the cause.

For the exercise-training approach there are two groups as well. The first group uses exercise and therapy to treat the symptoms, such as physical therapy, but that does not address the cause either; the second group uses very specific exercise to address the cause – that is what I wanted to do.

For example, if a patient has a problem at the vertebral level of L5-S1, I want to find a way to open this specific segment with a precise exercise, and I want to teach the patient how to do that for himself – “auto-normalization”.  I organized many exercises to do this – the ELDOA is one example.

That is the first part of the story

History According to Guy VOYER, DO (Part 2 of 2)

 

The second part of the story took place many years later in my hometown of Marseille, France. It was here that I opened a big center with a gym and over 2000 patients. I used the ELDOA with each patient to create research and statistics to better understand what was working and why, and I used x-ray imaging to track their progress. It came as no surprise to me that after I gave the ELDOA exercises to a patient their back pain improved, but I was surprised when some of the patients would come back and tell me that other physical ailments improved after starting a regular practice of the ELDOA.

When I met with a patient, I would ask, “How is your back pain?” They would answer, “Yes, thank you, it is better, but even better…” – “…my menstrual pain is gone”, or “the burning sensation when I eat has improved”, or “my headache is gone”, or “now I breathe better when I sleep.”

My intention was to give an exercise for a mechanical problem – for the bone, the joint, or the disc – and a patient’s physiologic problem improved. What happened?

I had to stop and think, “What happened, how is that possible?”

I realized that I had forgotten about the relationship with all the nerves and the visceral organs via the spinal cord; there is an attachment for all the viscera to the spine. For example, the kidney attaches to the spine via the fascia of Zuckerkandl**, and the liver attaches to spine at the level of L1-L2 via the diaphragm. I know now, that when I gently move a specific vertebra with an ELDOA exercise that I can improve the function of the organ.