History
Structural integration is a form of bodywork that was founded by Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1920's. She was a very highly regarded biochemical researcher whose focus was on medicine. She also studied different types of medicine such as holistic medicine, chiropractic medicine, osteopathy, yoga and many more. While seeing patients, she combined her academic knowledge with her hands on experience to develop the 10-session approach that is structural integration.
How Structural Integration Works
Structural Integration deals with the connective tissue of the body. This tissue, called fascia, surrounds every strand of a muscle as well as the muscle body as a whole. It also lays between muscle and bone, surrounds your organs and in essence, is the "filler" of your body. This fascia can be found in a liquid, gel, or solid state. Aside from a few rare medical conditions, muscles fatigue fairly quickly (around 15 minutes). Long term postural pain or chronic pain is often blamed on "tight" muscles, but it is not the actual muscle that is tight. The fascia surrounding the muscle has become solid and is tightly binding the muscle, not allowing it to fully expand or contract. Structural integration works by pinning the fascia back as you move to free the muscle, resulting in decreased chronic pain and better posture.
What Structural Integration Helps
- Better posture
- Chronic pain
- Injury rehabilitation
- Set up for better mechanical advantage (less likely to be injured in the future, can aid performance in athletes)
- Better balance and coordination
- TMJ (jaw pain or clicking)
- Migraines and headaches
- Irritable bowl syndrome
- Libido
- Plantar fasciitis
- Enhance breathing ability
- Increase in energy
- Fibromyalgia
There is currently research being done that shows promising results of the effects of structural integration with the following conditions:
- Epilepsy
- Cerebral Palsy
Brief Overview of the 10 Sessions
Session 1: Working the outer layers of the body to free the chest allowing more breath, beginning to free the ability to extend the shoulders and legs.
Session 2: Freeing the lower legs to aid in better balance and grounding.
Session 3: Focus on the shoulder and pelvic girdle, bringing the superficial (outer) body into balance.
Session 4: Supporting the pelvis's ability to swing back and forth without rotation by easing tension in the legs and pelvis.
Session 5: Freeing the front of body core line by releasing the front of the pelvis, abdomen, and chest. This strongly supports the ability to breath and move through ones core.
Session 6: Freeing the back body core line with extra focus on stabilizing the sacrum within the pelvis.
Session 7: Supporting the heads ability to sit back, above the sacrum.
Session 8 and 9: Aligning the core to the outer body
Session 10: Final touch ups
Session 2: Freeing the lower legs to aid in better balance and grounding.
Session 3: Focus on the shoulder and pelvic girdle, bringing the superficial (outer) body into balance.
Session 4: Supporting the pelvis's ability to swing back and forth without rotation by easing tension in the legs and pelvis.
Session 5: Freeing the front of body core line by releasing the front of the pelvis, abdomen, and chest. This strongly supports the ability to breath and move through ones core.
Session 6: Freeing the back body core line with extra focus on stabilizing the sacrum within the pelvis.
Session 7: Supporting the heads ability to sit back, above the sacrum.
Session 8 and 9: Aligning the core to the outer body
Session 10: Final touch ups