Structural Bodywork

Structural Bodywork improves poor posture, energises you, and releases muscular tension and pain.

Structural Bodywork uses guided client movement and manual therapy methods to improve natural posture and ease of movement for people. This can lead to pain relief, increased ability for overall movement, and elevated wellbeing.

This is achieved by working with the fascia.

Since most people haven’t heard of fascia, let me explain.

Fascia is a web-like connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, organs, and all structures in the body. It consists of collagen fibres and a gel-like substance called ground substance. 

Fascia is crucial in maintaining the body's structural integrity and facilitating movement. It provides support, protection, and allows tissues to glide smoothly against each other during any movement. Be this breathing, walking or your heart beating. Additionally, fascia also helps in transmitting mechanical forces throughout the body and contributes to overall body stability and posture.

So disturbances to the fascia can result in awkward movement and pain. The discomfort can be local or because fascia is connected throughout your body further afield.

Three different packages of Structural Bodywork available:

  • Pain Management Sessions
  • Structural Integration Taster Series
  • Structural Integration

Pain Management Sessions are the best treatment to choose when you have specific pain or ache in one area of your body as they focus on the tissues most likely to be influencing the disturbance.These are great for chronic pain sufferers.

The range of Pain Management Sessions:

  • Wrist, Arm, and Shoulder Discomfort
  • Ankle and Foot issues
  • Leg, Knee, and Foot problems
  • Hip and Pelvis imbalance
  • Lower Backache
  • Back tension
  • Back, Neck, and Shoulder stiffness
  • Jaw, Throat, and Face sensitivity
  • Headache and Migraine 
  • Sciatica
  • Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Pain Management Sessions are a set of four x 60-minute appointments with me. I use the time to pay attention to all the local areas of discomfort and the more generalized tissue structures that influence your pain experience.

My goal is to create change that brings you relief from your discomfort. 

 

Structural Integration Taster Series

This 3 session series allows you to experience the work, get to know your therapist, understand the potential for change and feel some positive movement therapy.

Structural Integration

Structural Integration is a process of bodily change achieved through a series of 12 x 60-minute sessions. It’s aim is to re-establish the natural alignment and movement of your body for vitality and well-being.

At your first appointment, we discuss and assess your natural posture, pain patterns, medical history, lifestyle, and what you want to achieve.I usually take photographs to help you understand your current patterns, record changes, and help in strategising and evaluating your progress.

A full course of Structural Integration follows a holistic pattern and yet is individualized to suit your needs. The 12 treatments build on each other and are not orientated by the symptoms you have. Myofascial techniques are used to rebalance the structures of your body with each other and gravity. I am aiming to align the feet, knees, hips, pelvis, spine, thorax, neck and head so will be working throughout the body during the 12 sessions, regularly reassessing and revisiting different tissues as holding patterns become visible and change occurs.

The first four appointments are about opening and differentiating the superficial tissues on the front, back, and sides of your body. They include work on rotational aspects. This prepares the way for the deeper releases to come.

The middle four focus on deeper fascia through the center of the body and therefore link to breath, emotions, and spirit.

The final four seek to free the arms, jaw, neck, and head, and to increase kinaesthetic awareness. 

 

The Benefits of receiving Structural Integration

As you experience the Structural Integration process you may have fuller easier movement.

You may gain a sense of being more comfortable in your own body.

You may benefit by reduced pain, especially long term chronic pain.

 

How does Structural Bodywork differ from massage?

During most massage treatments you can relax, drift off and even sleep if you want.

The key to Stuctural Integration is that both you and I are both involved in creating change in your body.

I use myofascial techniques and you are asked to notice and refine your movement patterns.

You may receive treatment lying down, seated or standing. You may be asked to walk around  and do specific movement patterns.

Home practice movements are often given to help assimilate the changes into your body and strengthen the mind-body loop of information that creates easier movement.

After you have completed it you need to allow it effects to settle into your body.

Before the first sessionNot yet settled but change is happening

Pictures show a client before session one (left) and a later session (right) when change has happened but has not yet settled into his body.

 

To book, call 07889532982 or use the email link on my Contact Us page.

 

What is the background to Structural Bodywork?

Structural Bodywork originates from Ida Rolf (1896-1979) and her manual therapy work.

Ida had a degree in chemistry, studied mathematics, biochemistry, and atomic physics. She also studied yoga.

Her main goal was to reorganise the human body to align with gravitational force.

She called her method Structural Integration, some of  her students called it Rolfing.

Nowadays, Structural Bodywork encompasses the work of many of her direct students such as Tom Myers who have done as Ida requested and developed her work. His inquiry into the human body led him to publish and brand his Structural Integration as Anatomy Trains.

 

The Science behind Structural Integration

Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI) focuses on re-patterning the connective tissue, or fascia, of the body.

The fascia surrounds bones, muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels , nerves and organs. It creates a network throughout the body, holding some structures together whilst allowing others to glide over each other.

Healthy fascia allows muscle contraction. Injury and stress can cause it to dehydrate, become shorter and denser. Tightened fascia pulls our muscles and bones out of proper alignment, creating postural changes with symptoms of pain, discomfort and weariness.

ATSI therapists use myofascial release techniques to restore hydration in the fascia. This influences your body mechanics and natural alignment.

 

 

 

 

 

Reducing the risk of virus transmission

It is important to make treatments safe for both of us. To that end I have taken an FHT Accredited course in the Control of Cross-Infection in a Post-COVID-19 World. You can be reassured that I am doing all that is currently advised.

Measures will include:

  • COVID-19 health questionnaire
  • quantified risk assessments
  • extra cleaning and sanitising
  • frequent hand washing
  • wearing a visor
  • wearing gloves when needed
  • temperature checks
  • providing hand sanitiser
  • providing clients with masks

If you have an underlying condition that puts you at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 please ensure you discuss this with me.

 

Treatment Fees

Treatment Fees are £50 per hour, payable online at the time of booking.

Some of the SI sessions need to be longer than 60minutes and therefore incur a higher charge.

If you are on a low income please contact me to work out an alternative payment plan or to discuss the possibility of being a case study in my research.

Cancellation Policy

Your massage treatment is reserved specifically for you. I, therefore, ask that you notify me at least 48hours in advance if you wish to cancel or reschedule your appointment. Late cancellations mean it is often difficult to refill a session. If I receive less than 48hours notice, you will get a 50% refund, and if less than 24hours, no refund.