Understanding Structural Integration

Structural Integration, also known as ASL, is a form of bodywork which focuses on the fascia, or ligament, of your body. Facia surrounds the muscles, tendons, vessels, nerves, and blood vessels, binding some skeletal structures together while allowing others to slide easily along each other. This helps to ensure that our bodies are well balanced and correctly aligned. However, occasionally fascia can become weakened, for various reasons. If it occurs it can result in serious body asymmetry, called subluxation.

Subluxation of the fascia occurs when pressure builds up in 1 part of your body and does not move out to the location where it's supposed to be. By way of instance, when you have chronic tension or prolonged stress in the throat, the subluxation may cause serious problems, leading to neck pain and headaches. The strain can cause damage to the ligament which allows gravity to pull your nerve and result in headaches. This is the exact same basic principle as what happens when you put a piece of weight before a table and attempt to remove it.

Subluxation is a problem that most people have had or will have in their own lives. Even if you don't suffer from chronic stress or tension, daily life presents many challenges that involve the use of their head, shoulders, back, and neck. Due to all these interactions, bad posture can develop and even manifest itself in a number of ways. These problems can contribute to chronic back pain, headaches, neck pain, chronic pain in the shoulders, shortness of breath, poor balance and coordination, and much more.

The goal of Structural Integration is to eliminate or reduce the force that is exerted on the body by the weight change from one position to another. If there is bad posture, the pressure on the musculoskeletal system is higher than optimal. This creates imbalances that lead to stiffness, pain, and other related issues. The various techniques of the therapy include the Application of Force, Application of Gravity, and Soft Stretching.

The first technique of Structural Integration is what is known as the use of gravity. So as to execute this technique, a professional therapist will take a patient's posture and adjust it in such a manner that forces are evenly dispersed. This leads to a reduction in both neck and shoulder pain, stiffness, and chronic stress. Patients find this kind of integration to be quite helpful in relieving their pain and reducing their risk for injury.

The next technique is soft stretching, also called RFD. When there is poor posture, the RFD technique addresses both stiffness and poor flexibility of the muscles and connective tissues that support the body. The connective tissues are lengthened and strengthened by the stretching exercises, which are then supported by the bodywork. Additionally, once the fascia is lengthened, there's diminished friction between the muscle fibers, thus lessening the chance for further strain and injury.

The third technique is the application of Gravity. The notion of Gravity entails an effective balance of resistance and compression between the bodywork and the individual parts. This is most widely utilized in chiropractic manipulation, in which the manipulation of the joints and the bones results in a decompression of the backbone, reducing the likelihood for additional neck and shoulder pain and stiffness. Other common regions of Gravity practice include the diagnosis and treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), or osteoarthritis of the knee or hips, and Facet Arthropathy or Facet Syndrome. In the case of osteoarthritis of the knee or hips, rolfing techniques such as the application of gravity can decrease stiffness and pain.

So as to apply the concepts of structural integration properly, a certified massage therapist must master both the principles of rolfing and the application of gravity. A set of tests and assessments is necessary for certification by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). To become a certified massage therapist, one must demonstrate a two-year diploma from an accredited massage therapy school, as well as pass state certification examinations. Individuals who are looking to begin a career in the field of massage therapy may be wise to learn both the principles of rolfing and using gravity.