Structural Integration Therapy

Structural Integration therapy can be used to correct years of misalignment

What has affected the structure of your body? In my case, years hunched over a computer made my “natural” stance slightly slumped. As a result, I suffered from acute back pain that demanded weekly massages.

Since changing careers and becoming active in yoga and dance, I notice the pain only occasionally. Yet despite conscious correcting, I still tend to slump, so I was delighted when Ryan Flowers queried me about experiencing Structural Integration.

After meeting the soft-spoken Flowers, I knew I’d be in good hands. He assured me that Structural Integration has evolved greatly since the ’70s and is dependent on gentle, not forceful, pressure.

His credentials are also reassuring. A board certified practitioner and graduate of the Kinesis School directed by Advanced Rolfer Tom Myers, Flowers served on the board of directors for the International Association of Structural Integration. He also has advanced training in Osteopathic Manipulation and was a faculty member at the Finger Lakes School of Massage.

Structural Integration is the name of the practice founded by Dr. Ida Rolf. It is based on the premise that over time unconscious postural habits, trauma, surgeries, injuries and even repetitive tasks make their imprint on our bodies through a network of soft tissues known as fascia.

Fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels and nerves, binding those structures together. It’s sort of like plastic wrap around a sandwich.

As the body adjusts and compensates over the years to the way you use it, so does the fascia. This altered and deformed fascia then “traps” your body in these patterns (think of that plastic wrap image) so you feel most “natural” in habits such as turning your feet out when you walk, bearing all your weight on one leg or slumping. The trouble occurs when these now permanent habits alter your structure to generate pain, discomfort and even disease.