Osteopathic Healing Hands in Houston provides holistic osteopathic care for infants, pregnant women, seniors, and adults. Enjoy personalized treatments that focus on your overall health and well-being.
The Story Behind Osteopathic Healing Hands: A Leading Osteopathic Clinic in Houston
OHH was founded by Dr. Payel Banik, DO, with a vision to create a family-focused osteopathic practice that truly values patients’ time, well-being, and overall health. During residency training, Dr. Banik felt frazzled having to see patients late. Many patients showed up late, were roomed late, and insurance companies were ultimately dictating how many patients needed to be seen per hour and how to practice medicine – what medicines or labs or imaging would be covered, never mind what the physician deemed necessary.
The emphasis was that insurance companies paid more for procedures than for prevention, counseling, and educating patients. A clinic nurse told Dr. Banik she would never make it in the real world if she wasn’t okay running late. After practice management lectures, Dr. Banik felt disheartened and disenchanted. She knew she wanted to find a way to practice medicine where appointments were punctual, respecting patients’ and her time, and she could spend quality time with patients. She wanted to practice osteopathic medicine the way physicians are taught, without the bureaucracy and constraints of insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
When Dr. Banik went to osteopathic medical school, she dreamed of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. At the time, her mom had had arm pain for years, and she went to everyone – chiropractors, doctors, massage therapists, physical therapists, and found no relief. One weekend, Dr. Banik’s parents came to visit, and her teacher’s assistant found out her mom’s ribs were pressing on the nerves going down her arm. He treated her with osteopathic manipulative medicine, and she felt her arm pain melt away! Dr. Banik was so amazed, she thought, “If I can learn how to do this, I can help my family, I can help other people, I’m still using my hands, I’m not being invasive, and I can have a better work-life balance than a surgeon!”
Dr. Banik and her husband started their osteopathic practice was a huge leap of faith, and they invested everything they had. OHH opened its doors over 11 years ago, and since then, the practice has seen incredible growth. Their unique approach – focusing on holistic, whole-person, whole-body treatment – has resonated with patients, allowing them to thrive. Patients visit from across the US and abroad. The Houston practice is located centrally in Montrose, a short drive from River Oaks, the Heights, Rice Village, downtown, and the medical center.
Today, the practice serves a wide range of patients, from adults to pregnant/post-partum women and infants, all of whom benefit from the hands-on osteopathic treatments Dr. Banik specializes in.
In essence, the story behind OHH is one of frustration turned into action. Dr. Banik and her husband, determined to bring positive change to healthcare, risked everything to create a practice that prioritizes the needs and well-being of every patient.
Personalized, Multi-Generational Osteopathic Care for All Ages
Every patient has a unique story and has had a unique pathway to feeling the way they do in the present moment. Therefore, the journey to healing is individualized. Dr. Banik learns from each patient she treats as much as patients learn from her.
- For Infants: OHH provides treatment for flat heads (plagiocephaly), twisted necks (torticollis), spitting up (reflux), fussy babies that you can’t put down or hate the car seat (colic), difficulty breastfeeding (painful, cracked, bleeding nipples, shallow latch, tongue ties), goopy eyes (blocked tear ducts), constipation, wanting to avoid ear tubes (recurrent ear infections), developmental delays, injuries (sports or kids just being kids), and sleep.
- For Expectant Mothers: Whether you’re trying to get pregnant, undergoing fertility treatments like IUI or IVF, or pregnant, it’s a challenging time and the body is undergoing huge transformations – hormonally and physically. OHH provides treatment for low back pain, sciatic pain (pain going down your leg), round ligament pain (sudden pain while shifting in bed), pubic pain (pain with walking), rib pain (baby kicking you!), carpal tunnel (pain, weakness, numbness in hands), headaches, heartburn/reflux, constipation, swelling (hard to wear shoes) – the more serious causes of swelling ruled out by your OB/midwife, and prepping the body for delivery.
- For Postpartum Mothers: Birth is traumatic for mom and baby. During the 4th trimester, OHH helps treat difficulty breastfeeding (latching issues, feeling like your nipples are going to fall off, supply issues, blocked ducts, mastitis), low back pain (especially at epidural site), pelvic pain/congestion, postpartum depression/anxiety, c-section recovery, painful sex (dysparunia), stress incontinence, constipation, wrist pain picking up your baby (“Mommy thumb”)
- For Adults: Whether you are recovering from an injury/surgery/trauma, managing knee or back pain, or just trying to stay active, OHH has helped adults stay mobile, typically without relying on pain pills or surgery. Many patients are able to run their marathon, play golf, tennis, pickleball, soccer, volleyball, football, dance, pick up their children, hike on a travel trip, garden, play their musical instrument or achieve their goals again.
- For Seniors: OHH also offers osteopathic influenced stretch therapy for adults and seniors, designed to improve flexibility, posture, and stay active, often without relying on pain pills or surgery. Osteopathic treatment along with stretch therapy has helped patients chase grandkids, travel, and have a higher quality of life.
Osteopathic Healing Hands Recognized as Houston’s Best Osteopathic Clinic
Osteopathic Healing Hands has built a strong reputation for quality care, thanks in large part to Dr. Banik’s dedication to excellence. She has been named to Houstonia Magazine’s “Top Doctor” list for six consecutive years, a recognition that reflects her high level of expertise in osteopathic medicine.
In 2025, Osteopathic Healing Hands was honored with the Consumers’ Choice Award for Top Osteopath in Houston. This award highlights the clinic’s commitment to providing exceptional care and the trust it has earned within the community. Additionally, the clinic received the Exemplary Employer Award from the U.S. Department of Defense for being an“Exemplary Employer.”, further underscoring the clinic’s dedication to serving those who serve our country.
Compassionate Osteopathic Care You Can Trust in Houston
Dr. Banik looks at the body as a whole. Where someone is complaining of pain may not be where the pain is coming from. The best way to understand this concept is to reach across your body with your right hand and grab your shirt by your lower ribs, and then try to lift your left arm. It’s a lot more difficult, and the range of motion of the left shoulder becomes less. A patient might complain of shoulder pain and/or limited range of motion. Traditionally, other professionals look only at the problem complaint – in this case, shoulder pain – but the problem is actually stemming from somewhere else. Osteopathic philosophy and treatments look at the body as a whole unit.
Dr Banik is a guide to each person’s health because each person has health within them. This principle can be seen in the instance of a cut. When you get cut, you don’t stay cut. The body has mechanisms in place to stop the bleeding and heal the cut. Dr. Banik’s treatments point things in the direction of health, and the body continues its healing journey. That’s why Dr. Banik says the osteopathic treatment continues after you leave the office.
What makes OHH stand out is that Dr. Banik’s goal is NOT to have to see a patient forever. How long a patient needs to be seen varies based on what they’re coming in for, but because Dr. Banik and her team help patients get well, allowing patients to achieve their goals, OHH needs a constant influx of new patients. Referrals from patients and the community are key.
If you are looking for care that listens, understands, and addresses the root causes of discomfort, Osteopathic Healing Hands would love to help. To learn more about how Dr. Payel Banik and her team can support your health journey, visit Osteopathic Healing Hands, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
