Physical Benefits of Structural Integration

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Institute for Enhanced Performance

THE PHYSICAL BENEFITSOF STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK

A SHORT COURSE IN HOW OUR BODY STRUCTUREOF BONES, MUSCLES & JOINTS IS DESIGNED TO WORK,

TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE

THEN, HOW IT DEVELOPS PROBLEMSLIKE STIFFNESS, PAIN AND INJURY and

HOW THIS TREATMENT CORRECTS THOSE PROBLEMS,WHILE -ALSO - IMPROVING THE BODY'S ABILITIES

TO BE EVEN BETTER THAN THEY WERE BEFORE.

By Louis A. Gross BSEE, Certified Postural Integrator, Master LevelCall 1-888-299-5973 for more information and free consultation

www.backfixbodywork.com [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pg 2....What Structural Integration Bodywork is and How it can help you.Pg 3....Knowing how our structures are put togetherhelps us know how to make them work

better.Pg 5....What goes wrong? How our fascia gets short and how that misaligns our bodies, which

causes even more problems.Pg 7....Why Yoga and Stretching exercises rarely correct structural imbalance, and how to be

more effective in your stretching.Pg 9...The unique benefits of an integrated structurePg 11....How Structural Integration Bodywork is different from massage, and

how there's a difference between muscular tightness and fascial shortness.Pg 12....Structural Integration isvery compatible with chiropractic and helps chiropractic

work better.Pg 13....How to correct specific problems using "Structural Knowledge," without having to do a

complete alignment.Pg 14....How long will it take to feel results? And how long does it take to become integrated

and alignedPg 15....Where did this treatment originate and How are practitioners trained?Pg 16....My own work and background.Pg 17....How to find out more and schedule consultations and treatmentsPg 17....What other books and products are available and how to order

Attachment:Pg 19....A list of specific conditions that can be corrected very effectively, including what's thecause and how to fix it.

Copyright 1990 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved1-888-299-5973 www.backfixbodywork.com [email protected]

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WHAT STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK IS,and HOW IT CAN HELP YOU

Structural Integration is a personal transformational process that creates significant,long-term improvements in our physical abilities that enables us to get a lot more out of life.

In the process of making this long-term transformation, many physical problems such aschronic pain and tension actually go away permanently, simply because the reasons for thatpain and tension have been eliminated. This booklet explains how and why these improvementshappen, and how it can benefit you, personally.

Structural Integration Bodywork (also abbreviated as Bodywork in this booklet) isthe purposeful and organized manipulation of the soft "connective tissue" of your body, calledfascia (fah-sha), a fibrous, putty-like tissue that surrounds and goes through all our muscles.In the course of daily or athletic activity, this fascia "bunches-up," or gets short, and holdsyour muscles in a tighter form, even if you're mentally and emotionally relaxed. Thisshortness accumulates only a little at a time, so we usually don't notice it's happened until we feelstiff, or very tense, or even get a pain or injury.

Fascia also bunches up from falls, blows, accidents and even emotional tension and

stress. And it starts, for all of us, in childhood. Even little kids and teenagers have a lot ofbunched-up fascia. This limits their abilities in sports and gym class, and it also perpetuates bothhyper-activity and withdrawal.

To correct the shortness, the practitioner uses his or her fingers, hands and arms tospread the fascia, like putty, instead of pressing or stroking over it as is done in massage. Thespreading makes all your muscles longer, restoring them back toward their proper lengths .This lengthening gives your muscles a greater range of motion so your movements will havegreater flexibility and dexterity, even if you've been tight for a long time.

This improves your ability to get around in a more lively manner, and removes stress,tension and pain. Everyone feels much looser and more relaxed, no matter their age. Inathletics, it improves performance and reduces the chance of injury. If you are injured, it can speedyour recovery. People notice they're stronger and more precise in their movements. Mentalawareness and alertness also improve, as does the connection to our own bodies. Instead of feeling

hunched-over or slumped, people actually feel they're standing taller and straighter, without makingany effort to do so.

In my own practice, I've seen this treatment help children as young as five, seniors tothe age of 91, and even Olympic athletes. Everyone finds he (or she) can do his best, easier.One of my specialties is improving seniors' abilities to get around much better. Another isimproving the capabilities of athletes and performing artists. A third is correcting long term painsthat most other treatments can't fix. And a fourth is removing accumulated tension due to longterm stress. I also specialize in personal growth development and improving people's benefits inpsychological therapy and spiritual work.

Structural Integration is formally known as the Structural Integration Method ofConnective Tissue Manipulation, and is not massage, chiropractic, nor physical therapy. In

fact many of these kinds of practitioners have never even heard about it, no less seen its benefits.But it was developed by a physiologist, it's been around for over 35 years, there are a fewthousand school trained practitioners around the world, and it works! This booklettells you how..

KNOWING HOW OUR STRUCTURES ARE PUT TOGETHER

HELPS US KNOW HOW TO MAKE THEM WORK BETTER


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This section will explain exactly what your muscles are made of and how they canaccumulate tightness. A short time after we're conceived inside our mothers, we've developedthree kinds of tissue: endoderm - which develops into our inner organs and glands, ectoderm -which develops into our brains and nervous systems, and mesoderm - which develops into ourmuscles, connective tissue and blood.

The muscles and connective tissue form the actual structure of our bodies. Andconnective tissue, as you will see, is the substance which connects, and holds together, all ourbody parts. While most of what we usually do for our structures is focused on making ourmuscles bigger and our cardiovascular system stronger, we can also improve the condition andshape of our connective tissue, and that can boost the effectiveness of both our athletics andeveryday activities, very much.

Fascia, the softest connective tissue, is all over your body. It's a fluidy, fibrousmaterial containing blood and lymph capillaries, fatty tissue and immune cells. Its fibers arelittle protein pieces called collagen, which primarily gives you form, and elastin, which allows youto stretch and then return to the same shape you were in before.

Every structural muscle cell in your body is surrounded by fascia . That's the cells'avenue to breathe, get nourished and eliminate waste. The fluid in the fascia is the same fluid that'sin your blood stream, and the red corpuscles carrying your nourishment come out of yourcapillaries, cross this fluid, and enter your cells.

As you will see, the shape of your body, from inside to out, is determined by the shapeof this fascia; by the position and density of its fibers within its fluid. We call fascia the"organ of structure." By varying the amount of fluid and the compactness of the fibers, naturealso uses this same kind of tissue to make our bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. These arethe other, tougher forms of connective tissue.

Underneath the skin is a layer of fascia just like that between your muscle cells. Itgoes all around your body, like a big sack, and holds everything together, kind of like ashopping bag. This soft kind of fascia even fills in spaces between our organs.

So fascia is all over our bodies, from the skin down through the depths of everymuscle. It may be a few millimeters thick on the eyelids, or stuff you can grab on your belly. Inthis form of fascia, the fibers of collagen and elastin lie in many different directions, to form a three

dimensional web that will twist, turn, and expand, to go along with any way you move.

Muscles look something like three dimensional corduroy. Muscle cells are fibers.They look like long rods, a fraction of an inch thick and perhaps many inches long. Inbetween and around each one is this fluidy, fibrous fascia. Then, around a bundle of musclefibers, the fascia forms a thin sheath, or sack, to make a bundle, with all the fibers of collagen andelastin running in the same direction as the muscle fibers, so they can stretch along with the musclemovement. On the outside of the muscle there's an even thicker sack, so we can pick the wholething up and hold it, without the muscle fibers falling on the floor like pick-up sticks.

At the ends of the muscle fibers, all this fascia becomes our tendons. They're tougherrods of the same kind of tissue which are used to connect the muscle to the bones. When yournerves activate the muscle fibers, they contract and pull the fascia with them. That pulls onthe tendons which causes your bones to move. (Neat, huh?) This bends or straightens ourelbows, blinks our eyes, makes us speak and enables us to sit down or stand up. When the nervesignals stop, the muscle fibers relax out to their full length, the fascia returns to its original shapeand the tendons release their pull on the bones. This is how we move ourselves around and expressourselves in the world.

I mentioned other kinds of connective tissue. It's a very handy substance. And itmakes up our skeletons, and what holds them together. Bones are connective tissue withmineral salts added, to give them hardness and a fixed shape. Bones determine the size of ourdifferent body parts, and they're also sturdy so they can support our weight. Cartilage is tough


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connective tissue, and somewhat elastic. It makes up things like our ears, that you can flop withyour fingers or lie on while you sleep. And then they still go back into their proper positions.Cartilage is also used as a cushion inside our knees. Ligaments are more like tendons, but thicker,tougher and shorter. They connect the bones together inside our joints, and define the directionsthat the joint moves in, like front to back in our knees and elbows, and all around in our shouldersand hips. Ligaments even hold the bones of our pelvises and skulls together. And finally, there are

thick, wide sheets of tough fascia that give extra support and protection to certain joint areas, likearound the ankles, and in the lower back and over the top of the head.

Therefore, when you think of your actual body, you can think of it as a big, formed"glob" of connective tissue of varying densities and toughness. It can move any which way,and carry along, inside it, all your muscles, organs, glands, nerves and blood and lymphvessels. The softest connective tissue, the fascia, also serves as the conduit for energy,nourishment and waste removal for every muscle cell in your body. Obviously, the way you"motor" this form is by flexing and extending the lengths of your muscles. The "computer" thatdirects this is your brain and the "wiring" that connects it to the muscles is your peripheral nervoussystem. Your respiratory and digestive systems supply the power, and your elimination systemkeeps it "running clean."

When I talk to people about Structural Integration Bodywork, I like to use the image thatour bodies are like giant chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and nut cookies. The nuts, raisins andchips are our muscle fibers, organs, nerves, bones, and so forth. They're held in theirpositions inside the cookie by the dough, which is the fascia.

In fact, the shape of the cookie, and the positions of all the goodies inside it, isdetermined by the shape of this fascia. And this is a key piece of information. The soft, fluidyfascia can, and does, change shape by either physical pressure from the outside, by intensivecontractions of our own muscles, or by holding ourselves in particular positions every day.The forces push the fibers of collagen and elastin closer together, so the length of the wholematerial gets shorter. This makes the muscle fibers themselves stay short, because they can'trelease to their full lengths. The short, putty-like sacks surrounding them are too bunched-up, sothey only let the muscle fibers release partially. Even if you mentally relax or take a hot bath youcan't lengthen fascia because it's not connected to nerves.

Long, or stretched-out fascia, on the other hand, does allow the muscle fibers to releaseback to their full length as soon as the nerve signals from your brain stop. This is what stretchingtries to do. But as you'll see, there are a number of limitations to how much stretching can dowhen the fascia's short.


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WHAT GOES WRONG ? HOW OUR FASCIA GETS SHORT andHOW THAT MIS-ALIGNS OUR BODIES.

WHICH CAUSES EVEN MORE PROBLEMS

Structural Integration Bodywork manipulates the fascia in a good way. As I said, itmakes everything longer. But everyday muscular activity and any bumps, bangs or falls you

may have makes it shorter. This section will explain some of ways fascia bunches up, and thenthe problems that causes you.

As you use your body in a repetitive, even forceful way - in order to accomplish yourathletic feats or daily physical efforts - you also push the fibers of your fascia closer ogether,"bunch them up" so to speak. It all becomes shorter: the outer sack of fascia, the sheaths roundyour muscles, and the deeper fascia within the muscles. And you feel tighter.

The shortened fascia keeps the length of the muscle fibers partially contracted. Evenif they want to re-lengthen when you relax or stop your efforts, they can't because they're held in ashorter sack by the putty. This happens from even mild everyday non-athletic ovements, too, andfrom repetitive behavior and emotional tension. But it gets worse when you "work out," either atthe gym, or in your job, like doing construction, lifting boxes, and grabbing or holding things all

day long.Typical repetitive activities that cause fascia to grow into a shorter shape are leaning ostly

on one leg, holding a baby or school books in the same arm, carrying a heavy purse on the sameshoulder or leaning over a desk every day. Even tensing up emotionally on a regular basis will doit. (Scar tissue from surgeries and injuries also shortens the fascia.)

You gain power when you work out because you're improving the electro-chemicalabilities of your muscles. But you also lose range of motion because the passive fasciabunches up, and that makes your muscle "form" shorter. The muscle fibers can't lengthen backto their full size. We say they have a "shorter range of movement." And when that happens, we allhave less strength - because the muscle fibers can't use all of themselves, less flexibility - becausethe amount of length you used to have is reduced, and more tension - because the result is just thesame as if you were tightening purposely all day long.

This shortness can also cause injuries and pain. As time goes on, the tendons andligaments might be called upon to stretch more than they're designed for. They might be called onto provide the length that your tight fascia can no longer provide. This can cause pulled or tornmuscles, tendons and ligaments. And it can keep a muscle so tight that it's always hurting.

Another thing happens. When the fascia in your structure gets short, the positions ofyour bones and muscles go out of alignment. Locally, joints become misaligned, and that makesthem more susceptible to injury. At the very least, they don't bend or straighten fully and may looka little distorted. And if the muscles and tendons that go across them are really tight, it could causethe bones to rub in the joint, creating a kind of pseudo-arthritis where the joint has pain, developscalcification and doesn't move easily. This is not a chemical or metabolic arthritic condition; it'sjust mechanically caused by the very short fascia.

Overall, when a number of muscles become short, as they usually do, the different

areas (like shoulders, legs or backs) don't work as well, and the whole body's ability to movearound feels limited. Posture also gets worse.

We even find that "compensations" start to happen. In order to counter the effects ofone group of muscles being short and pulling your bones closer together on that side of yourbody, your brain has to make another group short to try to pull you back, or at least hold youin the middle. So we end up getting tight all around. It's a new kind of equilibrium, but atighter one. It's as if the body starts making corsets around different parts.


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This misalignment also affects our vertical balance. Because our bodies are physicalthings, gravity's always affecting us, pulling downward. Ideally, when all our muscles and fasciaare the right length, we can stand up quite straight without having to make any effort and withoutfeeling pain or tightness. We say all our parts are aligned.

In an aligned body, our bones give hard structural support; they support our weight. Themuscles provide the balancing forces that keep the bones in their proper positions. It's like a set of

tent poles held vertical by the balanced tension of the guy ropes. But when the ropes areimproperly set, those on one side go limp while the others must strain, and the pole doesn't stand upstraight.

This kind of misalignment actually happens in most people's bodies, to one degree oranother. As I'll discuss in the section after next, some parts tilt forward while others tilt backward.Some parts tilt to the right and others tilt to the left. The parts that are tilted aren't going straightup; they're like the tilted tent pole. And the muscles, which are supposed to be the guy wires,develop all kinds of strains and tightness, not because you're doing anything wrong, butbecause your body parts are stuck in back and forth tilts.

Structural Integration is a method to correct these back and forth tilts and therebyremove all this tension that's not really helping you do anything you're trying to do. So we'renot just lengthening a few muscles here and there. We're doing a whole body treatment tocorrect everything that's been built up. And we "iron-out" the zig-zags and wrinkles. Afterpeople do the process, they find their bodies stand straighter, all by themselves. And the level oftension is way, way down, on a long term basis.

This alignment process is unique among body therapies. What we do is put our body"segments" one on top of the other, so their weight goes straight down a center line ofbalance, like a set of boxes orderly placed, one on top of the other. We say this balances, oraligns us, in the field of gravity.

These segments are the areas of our bodies that can move around in between major joints.Try to picture this. From the bottom up, you have: the legs and feet, the thighs, the pelvis, theabdomen, the chest, and the neck and head. See, you can move each of these parts of your bodyaround, separate from the other ones. When there's shortness in the fascia of the segments, we canstill move our joints, but there's often some amount of restriction, and we really can't stand up

straight without some ongoing tension in many different muscles (especially in the back orshoulders and neck.) So even very flexible athletes and yoga students can still have shortness, eventhough their joints move well.

As I said in the first section, these shortnesses begin in childhood. They're long termconditions that can get worse when routine "bunch-up" is added more and more from your athleticsor daily activities. Even so, a large amount of the condition can be removed by this system. Andwhen it is, the tent poles become properly vertical, or fairly close to it.

People can feel the benefits right away. The first experiences from the initial sessionsare ofgreat relaxation and lots more flexibility. One of the next experiences is having betterbalance and coordination, easier control and greater endurance . Recovery time from exertionand intense effort gets shorter. Finally, when enough muscle areas are treated, we feel the verticalalignment in the form of an "uplift." Instead of feeling we have to fight against the constant pull ofgravity, an aligned structure is lifted up by gravity. Not only isposture better, without having tomake effort, but people feel lighter, taller and actually sense that their bodies are rising up all bythemselves.

However, in an imbalanced structure, the muscles of our bodies end up fighting oneanother just to keep us upright. And this pulls our segments out of vertical alignment. Then thefascia around and through the muscles becomes hard and rigid. And we become "formed" in thisshorter, tighter shape. That's when the tension stays even if we try to relax or get a massage.


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The cause of this ongoing tightness is that our weight is no longer balanced, and supportedthrough a set of vertically aligned bones, from the head to the feet. The bones go out on diagonals,so a lot of the support then has to come by tightening many different muscles. They hold the bonesand segments together in a "somewhat" upright position. This is what creates unnecessary musclestrain and misaligned joints; it's a primary cause of ongoing shoulder and neck stiffness. Thiscontinuous amount of tension, even when we're not yet active, also creates pain and the chance of

injury. And the shape it gets formed into makes our postures either hyper-tense or droopy.As time goes on, an imbalanced, non-aligned structure goes even further out of line,

even when you don't do anything. That's because the body will have big "S" or "Z" shapes to it.The segments go forward and back in zig-zags. As gravity continuously pulls down on the"wings," we have to use even more muscular effort to hold things up. And that makes the muscleseven tighter.

All of the bunching up from physical activities adds to the problem, even if ithappened a long time ago. So the falls you took as a kid, all your gym class activities, the weighttraining and 10-K's you've done recently, and your daily efforts at work, have all contributed toyour increasing tightness.

There is another problem that makes the tightness even worse and prevents mostother methods from restoring a lot of our length. The fascial sheaths around the muscles getstuck together and to the bones. So when the muscles of your thigh, for instance, are stucktogether, you won't have the dexterity and range of muscular movement you would have if they slidover each other in proper fashion. Each muscle holds the other ones from moving as far as they'resupposed to. Therefore, to fix the whole shortness problem, Structural Integrationmanipulations also separate all these muscle sheaths.

Structural Integration Bodywork is "an anatomically designed" method of creatinglength. We treat the fascia all over your body as one big, interconnected piece, which it is. Byproceeding in a particular order, in one muscle group after another, we "reorganize" your"fascial network" into it's proper and most optimal form. This gives your muscles the fullrange and dexterity that their power can use, and it keeps you more in balance with gravity.

WHY YOGA AND STRETCHING EXERCISES RARELY CORRECTSTRUCTURAL IMBALANCE and HOW TO BE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE

IN YOUR STRETCHING.

Stretching definitely helps. But done alone, it rarely aligns structures, and for manypeople, doesn't even create much length. There are two general reasons why. One has to dowith the body's condition. The other has to do with the stretching methods

In the body condition, when the fascia's hard, it doesn't stretch very easily, if at all.Or just the softer areas stretch and the harder spots stay just as short as before. Plus, some tightareas get what I call interlocked; a number of tight parts are keeping each other from lengthening.Further, when the fascial sacks around adjacent muscles are stuck to each other, the stretching

doesn't spread them apart; it tries to lengthen a bunch of muscles that can't fully do so.But I do recommend stretching, and it can be done much easier after these problems

are corrected with the Bodywork. Yet, there are also a number of problems in the way mostpeople stretch.

First of all, many people stretch only for joint mobility; it's so they feel "warmed up."This does not create much new fascial length between the joints where a tremendous amountof shortness remains. This method helps relieve "muscle tightness" but it doesn't improve the


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condition of "fascial shortness". They're two different things and I'll explain the difference in theupcoming section on the difference between this Bodywork and massage.

A second problem is that many people try to stretch long areas all at once. They'llfeel a "give" and think they're done, but they've only gotten some of the softer tissue to giveway. There are also other parts that are being held by other, interconnected muscles located inanother part of the body's "system."

If you modify your technique, a lot more length can be created with stretching thanwith this usual methods. Fascia lengthens when we bring blood into the area to soften the tissue.And you can get the blood and warmth in there by stretching one little section at a time. You justkeep your mind focused inside the area of the muscle tissue you're wanting to lengthen, and youmove along step by step, over a whole body "taffy pull."

A third shortcoming in the way stretching is commonly done, is that lot of yoga, inparticular, tries to create more spinal flexibility, but without doing adequate stretching for thelegs, pelvis and arms. It's physically impossible to get the spine to lengthen fully, and easily,without lengthening the limbs. They have too many interconnections into the torso muscles.Some people even get pains in their backs when they try to do a stretch for the spine while theirthighs and buttocks are still very bunched up.

This problem of interconnected shortness causes lots of other difficulties. Manystretching positions don't allow the fascia in between the joints to lengthen, again because theemphasis is just on stretching the joints. The positions keep some muscles tight while trying tolengthen others. That will indeed create stretch at the joints. But that kind of tensing actuallyprevents the fascia in the other, interconnected areas from lengthening out. To be most effective,we must lengthen the body in an interconnected way. And I'll explain a little of this principlein the next section.

If you do stretch a lot, you can, of course reduce tension and avoid some injury. But allthe athletic trainers I've seen have a lot of bunched-up tissue. And even senior yoga students andteachers I have seen, have misaligned structures. Ive even treated six of them. I've found thatmost stretching instructors don't know very much, if anything, about Structural Integrationand lengthening fascia. So adding this treatment, and information, can make your stretchingbetter as well as your physical performance.

After your fascia has been softened with the Bodywork manipulations and you'vebeen Structurally Integrated, even partially, you'll be able to stretch much better and evenpull yourself back into proper alignment after you bunch-up from daily activities. Firmmassage will also spread more tissue than it did before and move more fluids and waste productsout of the muscles. So they'll do more for you.

In my work I show people ways to lengthen the fascia in all the parts, not just the ones thatgive easily. And I teach where to lengthen to get the body aligned, no matter what treatment youwant to use. Then I teach Integrated Movement techniques, which show you how to use your bodyin a new way, in your daily activities, to take advantage of the abilities of your improved structure.You can obtain my Structural Stretching tape and booklet for your own use.

THE UNIQUE BENEFITS OF AN INTEGRATED STRUCTURE

Earlier in this booklet, I explained how shortness develops in our fascia to cause chronictightness and misalignments. And I explained that Structural Integration Bodywork is a processspecifically designed to correct these problems. Now I'll explain what we mean by the term"integration," and how "integrating" the body's structural parts helps us move aroundbetter while using up less energy, and getting less tired afterward.

Your whole body is organized in myo-fascial "planes," or networks of interconnectedmuscles and fascia. These layers are arranged like "body suits," in physical layers, from inside toout. They're also arranged in "functional" muscle groups that extend through large areas of your


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torso and out into your arms and legs, neck and head. When you reach out for instance, your bodylengthens in the torso and legs as well as in your arms.

When the different muscles in each of these "functional" networks are all lengthened,your whole movement will go further. And when you watch what happens, you see that eachmuscle can do more. We say each one is more independent of the others, yet they all work

together with more coordination. This is more than the usual amount of joint looseness. Themuscle fibers between the joints move further and in more ways. And there's a much greater depthof openness inside the body parts and even more looseness at the joints themselves.

We say the network works in an integrated manner. Your whole body then worksbetter because each of the parts is working with all the other parts more effectively. And thathappens because the shortness between the joints down through all the muscles has beeneliminated.

This allows an athlete (or anyone else) to perform at a higher level, and have an easiertime doing it. The training has been there. Now, there's more muscle length and betterinterconnected muscle operation. Even people in everyday life notice right away that their bodiesare working better. You can feel it as greater, yet smoother power, longer stride, greater reach,better balance and better agility. Breathing is also deeper and easier, even for the most conditionedand elite of athletes (as well as cigarette smokers). And there's more of "you" in control of precisely how you want to move. Your muscle "tone" will get better, too, giving you greater potential at the same time you are more relaxed. It's like a properly tuned and "humming"automobile engine.

Elderly people move around as if they were decades younger and everybody,regardless of age, moves better and easier at work, at home and in school gym class. We allbecome much more flexible, and we're both more relaxed and more energized at the same time.

There are additional benefits. When you're integrated and balanced, you'll also wasteless energy. Your "economy of effort" is better; you do more and your energy lasts longer. Soendurance is increased. Here's why.

When you're tight, the fascia in the muscles is short, and the muscles are forced into apartially contracted position. Adjacent muscles are also glued, or stuck to each other. So, manymuscles are fighting each other with opposing efforts, theyre becoming tighter because

theyre compensating for each others shortness. And they're also operating with only part oftheir movements.

One of these oppositions is forced upon us just to keep our vertical balance. As Idescribed a couple sections ago, shortness on one side of the body forces the other side of the bodyto contract as well, otherwise we fall over toward the short side.

This balancing function is normal and proper. Regardless of your state of tension oramount of integration, it's always in operation. The cerebral cortex in your brain and other parts ofyour nervous system keep track of the position of your body and issue commands to differentmuscles to keep you in balance and prevent you from falling over when you move. Todemonstrate, just raise one arm over your head and feel the muscles adjust in the opposite side,buttock and leg.

The problem in a misaligned structure is that your muscle compensations are alwaysgoing on. The fascia has grown that way.

The most common structural imbalance and automatic compensation is that the fasciain the front of your legs is too short, causing the muscles in the back of your body to tighten.When the front of your legs are short, your pelvis is pulled down in front, pulling your abdomenand ribcage down with it. Your legs will also lean to the front. (Look in the full length mirror andcheck it out with a side view.)

To keep from falling forward, the calf muscles clamp your legs to the floor and your backmuscles, buttock muscles and the top of your rear thigh muscles all tighten to pull your torso back


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upright. Your side view looks bowed, with either the pelvis or the abdomen sticking forward. Andthis "pulling back" compensation creates ongoing tightness all over the body.

You can try feeling it. If you exaggerate the forward lean of your legs and arch backwardsome more with your torso, you'll notice you've created more tightness all the way down the backof your body, from your neck, through the shoulders, back, buttocks and hamstrings, as well as inyour calves. And you'll even notice tightness in your upper arms. You can feel it in other people,

too, just by placing your hand on these different areas and having them lean forward and archback.

Pain in the back is very common. In this instance, it'll be a symptom of this leaningback compensation. But the original cause for the compensation is the short adductor andquadriceps muscles on the front of the thighs (along with the shortened shin muscles in the lowerlegs). There is also tightness in the muscles on the front and sides of the pelvis.

Since almost everyone has this imbalance, I call it the "basic imbalance." And it is, infact, one of the most common causes of ongoing lower back pain and stiffness.

In addition, the effort to hold oneself up by tightening the back muscles is selfdefeating. To compensate for the front being pulled down and forward, we are forced to pulldown and back. That will, indeed, lift up the chest, abdomen and head and keep us standingupright. But when we try to lift ourselves up in this manner, we are actually pulling ourselvesdown twice as much. (There are no skyhooks.)

And this also makes a corset of our torso muscles. You stand up, but you're tighter allaround; you now have shortness in the back of your body as well as the front.

All this compensating effort requires energy and keeps the whole body staying tight.Any time muscles are held short on two sides of the body, it ends up that both sides have tofight the other. In this case, the front leg muscles now have to stay tighter because they're keepingyour body from falling backward into the backward lean you've created. And, of course, thebackward lean has to stay there to balance the forward lean of the legs.

When you're "formed" like this in the shape of your fascia, as so many of us are, thetightness goes on whether you're standing, sitting or lying down. It's not a matter of being atense person or making athletic effort. The shape of your body has grown that way, and it'sdoing it just so you can stand up, nothing else.

So, on an ongoing basis, your available fuel supply gets parceled out to support threedifferent muscular functions. One part goes to the originally shortened muscles. A second partgoes to the compensating muscles that keep you from falling over. And the third part, what's leftover, can go to power your performance. This is a big waste of energy.

When Structural Integration is performed, the two distorted parts are minimized,your body stands without those leans forward and back, and you have a greater majority ofyour energy available for activity instead of background tension.

There are also physiological or metabolic benefits. The Bodywork makes your fasciasofter and the fluid in between the muscle cells gets cleaned out. The "opening" of the muscletightness also means the fluid channels stay larger. So we've created bigger channels foroxygen, nutrient and waste matter flow. This increases what's called cell respiration andimproves the immune cells' activity and the cardiovascular and circulatory functions. Because ofthis, everybody feels less tired at the end of the day and can do more during the day.

Since athletics involves high levels of respiration, nourishment and elimination, thisimprovement also adds to an athlete's economy of effort, it increases his or her endurance, and itdecreases recovery time after intense activity, sometimes from days to hours, or from weeks to days

The lengthening of the torso muscles also makes the size of everybody's breathingcapacity larger, so you also get to pump more oxygen into your entire body just in the normalcourse of breathing. This is good for general health as well as athletic endurance. Further, breathing with a well loosened torso allows abdominal breathing. That massages the internal


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organs, which is good for health, and enables deeper meditation practice. Fuller body breathingalso moves the spine better. That pumps more cerebro-spinal fluid to the brain which makesthinking better.

HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION IS DIFFERENT FROM MASSAGE, andHOW THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

MUSCULAR TENSION & FASCIAL SHORTNESS.

A massage presses, rubs and strokes the muscles, mostly on the outside of your body,to improve your blood circulation and lymph drainage, and to make you more relaxed. Itremoves lactic acid from tense muscles which gets rid of a lot of achyness. Massages are greatafter workouts, when you're sick and even before Bodywork sessions. Some massage practitionerseven do acupressure, reflexology and energy balancing. Massages improve your health and canmake you feel very nurtured. I get them a lot.

But they don't change your structural shape. While massages help your muscleslengthen and loosen, the muscle fibers can only relax or release into the size of the fascial sacks

they're in. You feel very relaxed because our conscious minds can tell the difference betweentension and release of the muscles. So as much as the fibers can release, we feel better. But wehave no conscious control over the size of our fascia. And we don't realize that it's contracted fromwhere it used to be. So we aren't aware of a background of unconscious, chronic tension that wecarry around with us.

Often, after a massage, the tension and soreness of the neck, shoulders and back goesaway, only to come back again a few hours or a couple days later. This is because the bodystructure is still misaligned with the legs and torso leaning and pulling in opposite directions. Andwhen the person stands up and moves around after treatment, the same old tightnesses have toreappear.

Connective tissue manipulation, in a structurally integrated way, removes thechronic, unconscious tension that keeps muscles short and keeps the whole structuremisaligned. And it also organizes the muscles and bones of the body into a more tensionless

relationship. This means the body actually resists tightening up better than before. Once thestructure is lengthened and aligned your muscles will relax even further when you have a massage,and get less tense even when you don't have one.

This allows me to explain the difference between treating what I call muscular tensionversus fascial shortness. Muscular tension happens routinely when we're active or when wehave stress. The blood stays in the muscles and/or some of the nerve signals to keep the musclestensing are still going on. A massage and other muscular treatments like acupressure,acupuncture, trigger point therapy and reflexology release these tensions. They turn off thenerve signals and push the blood out of the muscles. They also push out a lot of toxins and normalwaste products that get created during the activity or stress, and from illness, dietary overload orinhaling chemical fumes.

But even after the muscles relax, the fascia that's been hard and short still remainsshort. And that's where Structural Integration Bodywork plays it's part.

The Bodywork sessions aren't a substitute for the whole body physiological benefitsof massage. So massages are good to get even if you've had a lot of Bodywork. But theyARE a good substitute for massage when your primary goal is to re-lengthen a lot of built uptightness and tension. In THIS regard, they do a lot more and last a lot longer.


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STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION IS VERY COMPATIBLE WITHCHIROPRACTIC, and HELPS CHIROPRACTIC WORK BETTER

A lot of people go to chiropractors. Chiropractic's goal is to restore the properalignment of our vertebrae. When we have excess muscular tightness, or a sudden muscleactivity, or even a toxic condition, vertebrae tend to slip out to the side or to the front or back. This

can cause back pain and decrease proper nerve energy to our organs and muscles.When the muscular tightness that causes the vertebral misalignment is due to

chronically short fascia, the vertebral misalignment is always there, and can be fairly severe.The chiropractor's job is to put the vertebrae back into alignment, but when the vertebraeare out because of short fascia, just manipulating the vertebrae themselves rarely, if ever,creates a permanent fix. This section explains this, and also points out how Structural IntegrationBodywork helps the chiropractor so much.

As I've explained, the back muscles are interconnected with many other muscles of thebody. So chronic back tightness is very often caused by tightness in the legs, pelvis, abdomen,arms, and even the neck and head. After both the back muscles and these interconnectedmuscles are made longer with the Bodywork, the chiropractic adjustments work better. We've

eliminated a lot of the ongoing shortness that pulls the vertebrae out of alignment, and oftenprevents chiropractors from putting them back in.So, after some Structural Integration lengthening, chiropractic adjustments can be made

easier, they stay in longer and there's less or no "side effect" pain.


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Side effects? Some people whose backs are always tight get pain after the vertebrae areput back in by the chiropractor. This is because the length of the fascia in the back muscles isn'tlong enough to accommodate the full height of a properly aligned spine. Some of the back musclesare then pulled too much and that creates pain. Because the Bodywork makes the back musclespermanently longer, it eliminates this problem.)

Back muscles are routinely held very tight by the shortness all over the body caused

by the "basic imbalance." But they're also held very tight by shortness created in athleticand other activity. Bunched-up hamstrings and buttock muscles are a common "culprit." So are bunched-up arm muscles that you don't even notice because your arm joints are still loose.Bunched up abdominal and chest fascia created by sit ups, crunches and weight lifting is anothervery common "culprit." And even tight heads and necks cause vertebrae to be out.

The chiropractors I've worked with, and even the patients who go to otherchiropractors, all notice that adjustments that could not be made even after months ofchiropractic treatment, now go in very easily after the Bodywork. And many people who'vehad severe Lordosis and other back distortions find they don't have to see the chiropractoranywhere near as much.

But even when we're lengthened and loosened, we still pull vertebrae out of alignment withour activities and dietary indiscretions. And that causes back spasms and pain. When we then geta chiropractic adjustment we can feel a lot better right away. The same is true for a chiropractor's"applied kinesiological" treatment. The reason we feel so much better right away is that theincreased length of the fascia, all over the body, allows the chiropractor's manipulations to do a lotmore than they used to. The results of the chiropractic visit are more satisfying for both the patientand doctor.

HOW TO CORRECT SPECIFIC PROBLEMS USING"STRUCTURAL KNOWLEDGE"

(WITHOUT HAVING TO DO A COMPLETE BODY ALIGNMENT)

Besides manipulating the fascia to integrate your whole structure, this treatment can

be used to correct specific problems, fairly quickly.The body actually has a set of interlocks. When we learn the process that integrates

the whole body, we learn that tightness in one set of muscles actually prevents certain othermuscles from releasing, even if we try good stretching and manipulation techniques. So weget to understand which muscles to lengthen first, which second and which third. If weunravel the body's fascial shortness in the order it will most easily give way in, we can do a betterjob, sooner, with more comfort to the client.

Here is another difference between the Structural Integration procedure and themethods used by many massage therapists. Structural Integration does not try to "banginto" muscles to try to "force them to let go." That procedure can help release muscle tightnessfrom activity and correct the cause of muscle tightness from reflexes, such as digestive toxicity andfood allergies. But it doesn't work to correct fascial shortness.

Instead, we warm up and spread the fascia lengthwise. But in order for the fascia tohave a length into which to spread, we have to make sure the muscles we're working on willlet go. That's why we have to do the spreading in accord with the systematic unlocking.


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For example, you can actually think of the back of the body and the spine as a kind ofclothes line with wheels that you can reel out and reel back. The head is at one end and thebuttocks and legs are at the other. If there's significant fascial shortness holding either end tight,then the back and spine can't release, and you can't move the clothesline. The back will remaintight even after massage. In fact, a tight head, neck and shoulders even keeps tension in the pelvisand legs, and tight legs and buttocks keeps

tension in the head and neck. One tight end affects the other as well as the clothesline in between.With a proper knowledge of structural interconnections, we can use the fascial

manipulations to correct a number of common problems in anywhere from 5-10 minutes tofive or six 2-hour sessions. There's a 4-page attachment to this write-up that explains thecauses of many problems and the procedure to fix them. (If you don't have the attachment,please feel invited to ask for it.) The explanations don't cover all the inter-lockings that we learn inthe Bodywork system; a lot of that information is supplied in my longer books. But the attachmentexplains very well the general approach for fixing these common problems.

Here's a list of what the attachment covers.

1.) Tight Shoulders and Necks, and Stiff Arms2.) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tennis Elbow3.) Back problems4.) Tight Hamstrings, Tight Calves and Achilles Tendon Problems (and loosening Ankles and Feetin the process). Plus, improvements for One Leg being Shorter than the Other)5.) Groin and Hip Joint Pains6.) Position of the Knee Caps - Especially while Running and Walking7.) Inability to Breath Deeply8.) Headaches9.) Stress, and Long Term Emotional Problems from Abuse and Adult Trauma

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO FEEL RESULTS ? and

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME INTEGRATED AND ALIGNED ?

For almost everyone, a very noticeable amount of tightness and pain diminish in thefirst 2-3 hour session. People feel more relaxed, lighter and more flexible. Breathing isdeeper, stress is lower. If enough is done, say about 2-4 hours, even the structure of the torsogets a little straighter (for many people) and the person notices his or her back is lying flatter onthe table. Many of the benefits of this amount of work last for months and even a few years.Children get very big changes in less than an hour. And even in quickie-samples of a few minutes,almost everyone notices improvements that last for many days. The work is cumulative. In 3-5two hour sessions, many problems go away.

To prevent their coming back and to get the most out of the work, many people gettheir whole structure done. Depending on your size and tightness, this takes 10-20 2-hour

sessions. It can be done all at once, in a series of weekly sessions, or in stages of 3-4 sessionseach, all done close together. Some get 4-8 hours the first week right away. Movement andstretching instruction can be incorporated into a Bodywork session, or it can be scheduledindependently.


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It's important to recognize that Structural Integration processing is an investment inyour well being for the rest of your life. And it should not be compared to regular massage oreven chiropractic treatments done for maintenance. Yet its cost is often less for each wholehour of continuous treatment, than an hours worth of chiropractic, and for an MDs hourlycost as well.

Even when Structural Integration is applied to correct a pain or tension, it still makes

very long lasting changes for the future. Besides fixing the pain or limitation by correctingit's cause, the Bodywork is transforming your entire body's state of physical ability. And itmakes great improvements regardless of the age you get the treatments.

Most of the tightness youve accumulated since you were a child gets eliminated, andthat tightness can never come back. Your fascia has been made healthier. So your immunesystem is also improved. Your structure is organized so you do more and yet accumulate lesstension from now on. And stretching, massages and chiropractic can all do more for you ineach oftheirsessions.

After a thorough basic series to align you, your body will take 1-2 years to integrate itself.Ongoing tune-ups, with manipulations on deeper muscles, can serve to guide and deepen thisintegration as well as lengthen you back out when you bunch yourself up with activity or evenmental stress. Deep massage and regular stretching will also help you in this regard.

Bodywork sessions to "tune you up" from repeated job or sports activities take less time tore-lengthen recent bunched-up areas than it took to release the same areas in the first place. Andwhen you do bunch up in, say, the arms or legs, then re-lengthening only those areas makes thewhole body feel released and integrated again.

Athletes can get 1-2 hour tune-ups before events, even on site. Periodic tune-upsthroughout a season for both athletes and dancers can keep them limber and correct the shortterm bunching up from training, touring and performance.

Long term stress relief, including the restoration of deep sleep, can occur with 3-4 2-hour sessions. Periodic tune-ups for business executives help them maintain and even increasetheir productivity at the same time it makes them more relaxed, "more alive," and actually, morestress resistant.

Taking a hot bath or hot tub, getting a massage, or stretching right before a Bodyworktreatment, helps you get more out of it. If you're having chiropractic, you may get more out of that

if you do it after the Bodywork.

WHERE DID THIS TREATMENT ORIGINATE andHOW ARE PRACTITIONERS TRAINED ?

The Structural Integration Method of Connective Tissue Manipulation was developedby Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the 1950's and '60's and colloquially became known as Rolfing. Dr. Rolfheld a PhD in physiology and biochemistry, and drew upon yoga, osteopathy and other practices indeveloping her system.

The "Basic" Structural Integration program developed by Dr. Rolf is designed as a

10-step procedure, with advanced follow-up sessions added on. The procedure is designed sothat the lengthening of the muscle groups treated first enables the next muscle groups torelease easier and further Following this procedure, or recipe, teaches the practitioner how bodystructures are put together, and at the same time it effectively helps the client in a very efficientway. It was scientifically developed over a long period of time.

As I mentioned, once we understand the way the structure works, we can tailor theprocedure for each individual's special condition and use the methods to do tune-ups andspecialized local fixes.


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In the beginning, Rolfing obtained a reputation for being very painful and traumatic because strokes were applied too quickly or with too much pressure, and because many bodyoriented psychotherapists found it could also release old emotional trauma trapped in the tissues.Since the mid-1970's more efficient and less painful ways of working have developed out of agreater knowledge of the Bodywork process and the human structure in general..

My own hands-on method is very unique, and combines a deep massage like push to

loosen muscle tightness with a comfortable horizontal spreading of the fascia. In most cases,for most people, my clients have said it feels very good.

Other schools developed besides the Rolf Institute and Structural Integration is now taughtin perhaps one or two dozen established Centers and Institutes, in the U.S., Europe and a few otherareas of the world. These schools often teach movement training along with the Bodywork, andsome also integrate body oriented psychological techniques.

The basic core curriculum consists of a couple hundred hours of formal instructionand hands-on practice, followed by more practice, on one's own, or with guidance fromestablished practitioners in the field. Other training is added, such as anatomy, physiology,movement, body, and even business skills. Then, experience with bodies becomes a primaryteacher. And most practitioners do independent studies on their own.

Some medical doctors, chiropractors and nurses have been trained in this specialmethod. So have a number of massage practitioners. Yet many people come from otherprofessions, notably engineering and the performing arts. The technical knowledge involved in theapplication and the benefits in our physical performance make these two backgrounds quiterelevant for doing good work in this field.

I, myself, offer various kinds of training, from 2-hour introductory classes andweekend workshops to the full training of all the steps in the process. I also offer one-on-onetutorials for people whove already had the basic training, and I give phone consultations tomassage therapists on ways to better treat their specific clients.

MY OWN WORK and BACKGROUND

I've been a practitioner of Structural Integration since 1982. Before that, I practicedmassage of various forms, both privately and professionally for 15 years. So I've been involvedwith this work for over 18 years, with about 2,000 hours formal training in Bodywork andbody-oriented practices, and with 17,000 hours experience. I have a BS in ElectricalEngineering from Syracuse University and graduate studies in business from Rutgers University.Prior to my Bodywork career, I was an officer and manager in the U.S. Army and worked as adesign engineer and project manager in the communication and aerospace fields for 10 years. Ialso directed membership, finance and correspondence activities for non-profit health and personaldevelopment organizations.

I have Master Certification in Postural Integration, a wholistic form of StructuralIntegration that combines the Bodywork system with Reichian and Gestalt bodypsychotherapy techniques, and with Chinese Medicine Acupressure and Integrated

Movement methods. I also have training in body therapies such as acupressure, massage,reflexology, kinesiology and even hands-on energy healing using breath energy. I'm trained inwholistic health, including living food nutrition, herbology, and special exercise methods such asyoga, Tai Chi, lymphatic improvement, aerobics and light weight lifting.

I also do work in the body-oriented psychological field and in spiritual practices. I'mtrained to do very fast and effective trauma and abuse emotional release therapy, and intuitivecounseling and astrological analysis, especially for major life changes and personal development. Iam an ordained Zen Buddhist Monk with spiritual counseling experience and have been meditatingsince 1969.


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My sessions in athletic and general physical improvement emphasize the StructuralIntegration Bodywork complimented with yoga and my special "structural stretching"exercises. They also include integrated movement training, guided mind into body relaxationprocesses and energy balancing. I explain a lot so my clients understand this process and how touse other treatments to help themselves better.

My unique hands-on technique not only applies Structural Integration but also acts as a

deep massage and stress release treatment in each session.Because I know about other systems of the body, I can detect and help correct the causes

of other kinds of structural difficulties, such as repetitive tightening caused by tense movementhabits, psychological or life-style behavioral habits and even food allergies to substances likewheat.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE andSCHEDULE CONSULTATIONS AND TREATMENTS

I am available for sessions, consultations, lectures and training classes, throughout North

America, and even abroad. I offer a number of books, pamphlets and articles on the subject.See the website.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS AND PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE

To order an annotated catalog list of books, booklets, articles, tapes, products and services,just contact me at the phone number or address above. I will also tell you on the phone whats ineach item and recommend what you should order.

See the website for these free articles, see the Free Articles Section linked in the rightcolumn of the home page Website Menu, and the E-books are available for little cost. See the E-book section of the Website menu for descriptions, table of contents, chapter excerpts of each book.

How-to hands-on DVDs & How-to Structural Stretching DVDs are also available.

See the website as well, the Stretching DVD Video section.

PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE BODYWORK

How to Make Your Body Work Better and Do More for You - book 150 pgs

Understanding the Cause of Back Pain, and How to Fix It - book 100 pgs

How to Make Your Athletic Best Better - book 160 pgs

Removing Stress & Tension with Structural Integration Bodywork - book 70 pages

How to Identify and Fix ACCUMULATED SHORTNESS ,

a Major Cause of Inefficient Performance & Structural Pain - booklet 20 pgs

How to Increase Performance with Structural Integration - booklet 12 pgs

The Physical Benefits of Structural Integration - booklet 22 pgs (THIS IS IT ) How You Can Benefit From Structural Integration Bodywork - booklet 33 pgs

Testimonials from Elite Athletes, College Coaches and Trainers, Recreational Athletes, with

Testimonials of Fixing Various Kinds of Back, Neck, Shoulder and Other Pains - over 20pages

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE BODYWORK


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The Psychological Benefits of Fixing the Physical Conditions alone - article 6 pgs

The Psychological Benefits of Structural Integration Bodywork,

and Why Psychotherapists should Make Use of It - booklet 20 pgs

How Structural Integration Creates a Lot of Personal Growth - booklet 10 pgs

Stress Release, a Body Approach - article 5 pgs

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE BODYWORK COMBINED WITHREICHIAN AND NETHERTON STYLE RELEASE PROCESSING

Trauma Release Therapy - article 6 pgs

Introduction to Release Processing to Correct Past Trauma

and Remove Negative Patterns - booklet 18 pgs

Building on Established Methods; An Advanced Release Processing System,

How It Works - booklet 29 pgs

What a Typical Session is Like - article 3 pgs

Additional articles and booklets in the website menu bodymind section

Testimonials on how the treatments have helped in

Psychological and Personal Growth ways - 10-15 pages

LIVING FOODS AND NATURAL HEALTH

Foods for Structure article on the website

Mr Greens Vitality Program E-book of booklets, available from the Website


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A LIST OF SPECIFIC CONDITIONSTHAT CAN BE CORRECTED VERY EFFECTIVELY

INCLUDING WHAT'S THE CAUSE AND HOW TO FIX IT

1.) Tight Shoulders and Necks, and Stiff Arms: These are easily loosened in a 5-10 minute

tune-up (depending how thorough we want to be). We can spread the tops of the shouldersoutward, come up the sides and back of the neck, and lengthen down the whole width of the backincluding on top of the shoulder blades and between the shoulder blades and neck.

It also helps to do the arms and hands for another 30-40 minutes because, while theirundetected shortness doesn't seem to interfere with arm movement nor feel like arm soreness, oneof the first places that arm shortness shows itself is in stiff and sore upper shoulders and neck.After the arms have been deeply loosened and lengthened from the fingers on up, these two areasthen always lengthen further and easier with direct manipulations and stretching. (The arms thenfeel much better, too. They're lighter, longer, more flexible and there's greater hand dexterity.)

To further help the neck and shoulders, it also helps to loosen the tension in the head thateveryone seems to accumulate. That takes another 5-30 minutes, depending on how thorough wewant to be and whether the head's been loosened before. The head is made up of over two dozen

bones and many muscles. Tension in this structure always puts tension on the neck vertebrae andtightens the entire spine all the way down to the buttocks.I can do this kind of treatment in a chair. And if the person can also lie down on his (or

her) back, I can do some more helpful loosening by opening the chest. We lengthen from the centerout and "lift up" or "lengthen upwards" everything from the bottom of the ribcage through the neckand jaw. I can do an even more effective job by also lengthening the abdomen, sides of the waistand torso, and the front, back and sides of the pelvis.

Doing everything I've described takes about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours. And the good feelinglasts for weeks and even a few months. This can essentially be the first 2-hour session in a groupof 3 or 4 that allows me to create a deep lengthening and integration that lasts for many monthsand, with tune ups, can be maintained for years.

2.) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tennis Elbow: This is an inflammation of the tendon sheaths

for the muscles located in the forearms that move the fingers and the hands. It's caused by bothlots of repetitive arm activity and/or a very tense emotional condition. The muscles in the upperarms and even in the shoulders and rest of the torso are usually very tight (and hard), and so arethe muscles in the forearm and even the hands. This tightness can be significantly and fullycorrected with enough Bodywork.

If there has been inflammation that still stays sore even after the flexibility and relaxationhas been greatly restored, then that inflammation needs to be healed with nutritional support,medicines, physical therapy and so forth. The arm and torso loosening also makes it much easierfor chiropractors to correct the vertebral misalignment in the upper back that often and with anextended arm. To correct this bunch-up, we have to lengthen the interconnected muscles in theshoulders and torso as well as all around both the upper and lower arms and in the hands.

3.) Back problems: Low back pain is most commonly caused by tight hamstrings, a tight pelvisand buttocks, tight adductor muscles and often tight abdomens. Upper back pain is caused bythese tightnesses from a tight chest and from tight arms. This treatment is the only hands-onmanipulation I know that scientifically analyzes and corrects back problems by lengthening thefascia in other parts of the body as well as the back. If your problem is recent, even just 1-2 hourscan make a noticeable difference. If you've had chronic problems, it takes a number of sessions towork deeper and more thoroughly. Even disc problems can be greatly helped.

This treatment works much faster and does a more lasting job than traction. Plus, in theprocess, your whole body becomes more flexible, more relaxed and more capable.


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4.) Tight Hamstrings, Tight Calves and Achilles Tendon Problems (and loosening Ankles andFeet in the process). Plus, improvements for One Leg being Shorter than the Other): This is atreatment for the bottom half of the body. And we can do everything from a tune-up to a thoroughtransformation.

Leg tightness, and specifically hamstring shortness, is an almost universal problem. It can

be significantly improved in just one 1-2 hour session, and I've helped elite runners and jumperswith just a 45 minute tune-up. Three to five 2-hour sessions on the legs, and a couple on the torso,can significantly help even the biggest and tightest of people with chronic leg tightness and pains inthe ankles and knees that other treatments (like massage and acupuncture) couldn't fix.

Besides the fact that hamstrings on the back of the thigh are always bunching up in theirfascia, they're also held tight by shortness in the rest of the leg muscles (including the adductorsand quadriceps in the thigh, the outer thigh and pelvic area and the calves). So hamstrings won'tstretch that much unless you also stretch the rest of the legs a lot and/or get this Bodyworklengthening. After Bodywork on the legs, stretching is much easier and goes much further.

Some leg tightness also keeps occurring because the lower back vertebrae keep going out.And that causes the whole muscle network from the back down, to tighten. This is muscletightness. We could even call it spasming. But one of the reasons the vertebrae keep going out isthe chronic shortness in the fascia.

So, if we improve the structural "system" of the fascia, we help other treatments likechiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and massage be more effective in what they do.

And after the legs are lengthened to a deep level, people find they stand taller andstraighter and their legs feel lighter as well as more supportive.

Achilles Tendon problems are related to tight calf muscles to which they attach and to thetight hamstrings which attach to the other end of the calf muscles. Hamstring shortness keeps calfmuscles from lengthening fully into the ankle and heel. It's like somebody pulling back on the otherend of a rope you're holding on to. ("Going upward" in the body, calf and hamstring tightnesscreates the back problems and neck tightness I mentioned.)

A long term build up of fascial shortness in both the calf muscles and hamstrings tightensthe achilles tendon and ankles, and even restricts foot movement. This shortness that doesn't goaway with hydrotherapy and rest is a major cause of Achilles tendon tears; the fascia in the belly of

the muscle is too hard to lengthen, so the tendon tissue is pulled on too much. (This is a primeexample why it's so beneficial to do stretching to lengthen the fascia in between joints, not just atthe joints!

So ankles get much more flexible when we lengthen the whole leg down through the deeperlayers of muscle, and also deep within the foot. And Achilles tendons move so much better.

The feet have more than 20 bones each, which are controlled by muscles in both the footand lower leg. We can make the feet much more flexible, and even enable runners to push off withtheir toes better.

Fallen arches and flat feet are a symptom of tight muscles in a number of places in a"plane of fascia:" on the outside of the lower legs, on both the inner and outer sides of the thighs,on the outside of the pelvis and in the internally located hip flexors. Most people can get somedegree of arch restored when enough Bodywork is done in this network and throughout the legs andpelvis in general.

Many of us have one leg noticeably shorter than the other. If it's caused by polio, then thebones are indeed shorter than on the other side. For the rest of us, this difference in length is morelikely caused by short fascia, a more misaligned knee joint and perhaps a slightly bowed lower leg.The Bodywork can almost always lengthen this leg and often reduces the difference in the heightsbetween the two.

5.) Groin and Hip Joint Pains: These occur because the muscles in the front of the pelvis anddown through the thighs have been getting short and perhaps even hard and stiff over a long period


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of time. This can be caused by lots of athletic running or by bracing the legs very tightly againstmovement in a boat or racing auto. Recent pains can sometimes be alleviated in one session,particularly for people who are athletic, stretch a lot and have healthy, soft fascia. Long termproblems that have become somewhat of a debilitation usually take a number of sessions in orderto get down through the deeper layers of tissue in the entire network.

6.) Position of the Knee Caps - Especially while Running and Walking: Spread your legsalmost shoulder width apart and look down. Are your knee caps and feet in line, that is, do theyboth point in the same direction? And do they point forward, or splay out to the side?

Many people have their hip rotator muscles located deep inside the buttocks too short,making their whole legs twist outward. This puts a strain on the lower back and tightenseverything above it. When people with this distortion try to run with their feet pointed straightahead, they're making additional effort that tightens their legs and puts a strain on their hips. Thisproblem is routinely corrected, or at least significantly, in the course of the Structural Integrationprocess.

Another situation occurs when the feet are splayed outward from the line of the knee caps.When someone shaped like this runs with toes pointed forward, they have to twist their knee capsinward to do it. This can put a strain on the ligaments in the knee as well as the muscles and jointsaround the hips. Structural Integration releases this kind of extra added tension and can correctsome degree of the twist, especially if the person also does therapeutic stretching. I also suggestthat people try to run with knee caps pointed forward, instead of toes and see how that feels. It'salways at least somewhat better after Bodywork.

7.) Inability to Breath Deeply: This is routinely corrected during the course of the StructuralIntegration series. And a lot of improvement occurs in the very first step of the process. Weliterally enlarge the muscles on top of the ribcage, in front, back, on the bottom in the abdomen,and on the sides, and we loosen the outside and back of the pelvis. The first step also includestreating the arms which, if done deeply, not only loosens the shoulder, neck and some of the back,but also loosens the whole inside of the chest quite a lot. In the third step we lengthen deeper intothe whole sides and open and loosen the whole shoulder girdle. In the fifth step we lengthen theabdominals.

We can combine elements of all three of these steps, plus some work on the neck, head andback, to enable the breathing to get very deep and full in just a 1-2 hour treatment.

8.) Headaches: Many headaches can be relieved by lengthening the shoulder, back, neck andhead muscles including down into the face and around the eyes. This can be done in a chair. As Iproceed with loosening these areas, I keep checking with the person how far down the pain hasgone from where it first was. I can remove many headaches in 15-20 minutes, and the person getsmuch looser and more relaxed, for the long term, at the same time.

Chronic headache conditions often cause a bunch-up in this whole area and I usuallyrecommend a more thorough treatment to release the whole body. Three or four 2-hour treatmentsusually does it.

Migrane headaches do not respond well to surface rubbing and that even aggravates theperson's pain. To correct migraines, we go very deep along the spine, and it helps even further todo deep acupressure, with the elbows, on each of the acupuncture points in the hollows where thenerve bundles come out from the vertebrae. This acupressure takes about 15 minutes.

However, sick headaches from bad food or food allergies may still go on, or come backright after the manipulations. The bad stuff has to get cleaned out of the body. But sometimes,these body treatments combined with a strong foot reflexology treatment and some additionalacupressure can help the internal organs enough so that the headache and stomach ache go away.


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9.) Stress, and Long Term Emotional Problems from Abuse and Adult Trauma: The affectsof stress accumulate in the body as increasingly short fascia, especially in the head, neck, back andsurprisingly, the legs and pelvis. Actually, stress accumulates as shortness all over the body. So adeep and thorough lengthening helps a tremendous amount. In just a few hours we can clear yearsof tension.

Stress shows up especially as a tight head. So a treatment starting on the head and neck,

and including the arms and pelvis, can do a very effective stress release "tune-up" that will last forweeks, in just 2-3 hours.

A more thorough treatment of two more 2-hour sessions, to include the legs, the sides ofthe torso, and deep into the shoulders makes all the manipulations last longer, even for months.And the experience is, of course, much greater. People find they can do much more, more easilyand creatively, they don't get tired as quickly, and they have a more resilient and positive outlook.And all this happens with no additional psychological or stress management therapy.

By doing this amount of fascial shortness removal and structural re-organization, evenmonths of tension from hard work, illness and emotional difficulties gets totally cleared out. Thisdegree of long term improvement also enables a person to relax very quickly with massage,stretching, hot water or steam baths and even guided relaxations.

If the stress is aggravated by other psychological issues, say from an abusive childhood orfrom a very pressured job or family responsibility, then some more sessions to make the releasemore complete and the re-organization more powerful will help. Even in a few weeks time, a seriesof sessions will loosen the fixation to negative attitudes and correct long term blockages in one'smost creative and self-regenerating energies. This will also facilitate the correction of theemotional problem with psychotherapy. And we can do even more to release old negativeexperiences with what are called body-oriented emotional release processes.

These treatments are very effective in removing the ongoing effects of both childhoodabuse and adult traumas from circumstances such as serious auto accidents and other injuries andillness, life threatening natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods and tornados, muggings,rapes, wartime action, loss of a parent, child or spouse, serious financial losses, and even difficultmarriages and divorces. I have other articles and booklets that explain these methods and benefitsvery thoroughly. Please feel invited to ask for them.

Copyright 1990 Louis A Gross All Rights Reserved

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Physical Benefits of Structural Integration

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