Structural Integration Bodywork in Sports, Dance & The Performing Arts

Institute for Enhanced Performance http://www.backfixbodywork.com/Programs_Stretching_Relaxation.
htm 1
HOW TO MAKE YOUR

ATHLETIC & PERFORMING BEST
BETTER
STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK
IN SPORTS MEDICINE, DANCE AND THE PERFORMING ARTS.
How it can raise your level of accomplishment,
No matter how good you already are!
This book will tell you about an injury prevention treatment that simultaneously increases
performance, decreases pain, shortens recovery time and reduces the needed recuperation period for
many existing injuries. And it does it faster and more thoroughly than other treatments you may be familiar
with. This treatment is compatible with all kinds of physical and mental therapy, body rejuvenation and
training techniques. Its application and effects are complementary. And it actually makes whatever else you
do more effective.
By Louis A. Gross BSEE

School Certified Master Postural Integrator since 1983
www.backfixbodywork.com louisryoshin@yahoo.com 1-888-299-5973
For Overview of the whole E-book with more detailed Table of Contents, see
http://www.backfixbodywork.com/Athletic-Performing_Book.htm
Password for the 200+ page E-book is $20, contact Lou, PayPal, Check/M.O.
Included in Structural Stretching & Structural integration hands-on how-to mini-courses
on DVDs – see http://www.backfixbodywork.com/Programs_Stretching_Relaxation.htm
OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK

WHAT IT IS, HOW IT'S DIFFERENT,
AND HOW IT'S COMPATIBLE
WITH OTHER TREATMENTS YOU MAY ALREADY BE USING
What It Is: Structural Integration Bodywork is a very specialized manipulation of the fibrous,
malleable soft connective tissue of the body. From a Sports Medicine perspective this treatment does two
things. First, it lengthens tight muscles faster than any other technique and gets at the deeper ones that most
other techniques can't. And second, it detects and removes "systemic" patterns of tightness that other
treatments rarely detect or resolve. In addition, the Structural Integration process, applied through a series of
treatments, organizes the whole body toward maximum economy of effort and most integrated and least
restricted movement. Used as a therapy for removing tightness, it is also a performance enhancement
treatment.
How It's Different: There are two major differences in approach, between this work and almost
any other kind of treatment you may be familiar with. Almost all other Sports Medicine treatments,
Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

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including chiropractic and stretching, are “neuro-muscular, bone and joint“ oriented, and are usually
locally focused. If you have a problem in the leg muscles, you treat the leg muscles. On the other hand,
Structural Integration Bodywork, formally known as the Structural Integration Method of Connective Tissue
Manipulation, is “soft connective tissue“ oriented and is both locally and systemically oriented.
Practitioners like myself know that pulls, stiffness and tightness are not only local in origin, but are
part of tightness and structural imbalance in the whole body. This is especially true of back problems. We
also know that many muscle and joint problems are actually caused by connective tissue problems,
specifically: short and hard connective tissue in and around the muscles that is rarely stretched out and
almost never massaged out. It is exceptional for hamstrings and other hard to lengthen areas.
While this technique is a very powerful therapy for lengthening individual parts, the greatest and
longest lasting effects come from treating the entire body. The soft tissue network, called fascia (fah sha),
goes around and through every muscle, and is a continuous interconnected web. Shortness or distortion
anywhere in this network pulls and stresses muscles and bones everywhere in the body. In fact, everyone
grows up with a somewhat randomly organized body with varying degrees of shortness and misalignment.
The purpose of Structural Integration is to organize this network into a more integrated set of parts
so that the relationship of bones and muscles gives the best performance. This improved organization
simultaneously aligns us with the constant and very influential force of gravity so that it adds energy to our
own neuro-muscular activity, and to our internal physiology and energy fields. Everything then works
together better, and economy of effort is greatly increased at all levels of metabolism and activity.
Organizing the structure by changing the shape of the fascia also improves physiology in many
ways. It expands the volume of air we can get into our lungs, it increases neurological and organ function,
and it greatly improves the rate and efficiency of cell respiration. A structure of this type maintains itself at a
higher energy level that is also more coherent, or clearly and more harmoniously organized. This has a
tendency to ward off disease, lends itself to creating a positive emotional outlook, raises the level of mental
clarity, alertness and intuitiveness, and adds both power and sensitivity to movement. It also works toward
refining artistic expression. In this regard, we are creating more efficient and higher performing individuals
who are less troubled by pain, exhaustion and injury.
How It's Compatible: Structural Integration Bodywork, which I refer to as Bodywork throughout
this book, is not a substitute for other Sports Medicine treatments. Yet, by improving the competency of the
myo-fascial component, it increases the effectiveness of almost every other treatment and skill. Lengthening
the fascia of the muscles allows them to release back to their full muscle fiber lengths when the action has
been completed. This allows every neuro-muscular and joint manipulation therapy to work with freer and
more accessible muscles. It also improves the physiology of interstitial fluid, just as massage does on the
outer fascia of the skin and external muscles. Only the Bodywork does in down through all the muscles to
the bones.
This is an established method taught in a number of schools and applied by thousands of practitioners on
many continents over the past 30 years. It was developed after much research and practice by a
physiologist-biochemist with in-depth knowledge of yoga, osteopathy and homeopathy.
It directly fixes "spasm" injuries. And while its purpose isn't to treat already damaged tissue, it does
remove tightness that directly causes injury, that "spreads' the pain and that aggrevates tissue that needs to
heal. It also makes stretching much easier.
WHAT THE TREATMENTS ARE LIKE
Sessions are 1-4 hours long: Most practitioners do a visual "body reading" and often use polaroid
photos to show the person where the tightness is, how it's hindering his or her movement and how it's
causing pain or setting up an injury. Then we manipulate the soft connective tissue of the muscles with our
fingers, hands and arms, following a muscle group by muscle group organization. We spread the tissue as if
we're working with putty, rather than squeezing, stroking or pressing it as is done in massage. A number of

practitioners also teach special stretches and "integrated" movement techniques that add to the Bodywork
improvements.
Each session creates improvement in the area worked. And each succeeding session builds on the
work before it by working on other, related muscle groups. We start on the outside of the body and as each
layer of tissue loosens and lengthens, we work into the next deeper sections. As more and more parts of the
body are treated, all the parts benefit further and the whole body maintains the benefits longer. At various
times we compare photos from different sessions to see the progress that has been made and compare what
we see with what the person feels.
Typically, people notice that they're standing straighter, without effort, their reach and stride are
longer, everything feels lighter, more alive and loose, even parts they didn't know were tight, and breathing
is fuller with the spine, pelvis and shoulders participating. There is also a feeling of much greater relaxation,
even in the midst of intense activity.
Almost everyone feels some improvement from the first session, and significant improvement from the first
6-10 hrs. A complete structural alignment for an average size person takes about 10-15 2-hr sessions.
Improvements are long lasting: Very noticeable benefits from even the first few sessions last for
weeks, months and even years. In all cases, any chronic shortness and lack of flexibility or “stretch-ability”
that was removed is gone forever. New tightness from current activity can be removed much easier and
faster than it took to loosen the old accumulations. Tune-up sessions between games, events or
performances immediately remove tightness, restore increased range of motion, flexibility and speed, lessen
the chance of pulling a hamstring or other muscle, and remove tightness from the back. But rather than
being a massage, they are re-alignment tune-ups.
WHAT THIS TREATMENT CAN DO FOR YOU
It makes you look better and feel better and improves your innate ability to perform better! It
noticeably increases speed, power, flexibility, dexterity, mechanics, accuracy, balance, coordination and
mental concentration. It improves economy of effort, posture and "bearing" and lowers one's center of
gravity. It reduces recovery time greatly. Athletes and dancers who have gotten very tight regain quite a lot
of their flexibility, running ability, strength and endurance. It can increase everyone's value during the
season and in the length of their careers.
Musicians, singers and actors can express themselves with greater power of projection, larger
and more articulate range of emotional expression and less tension in the whole body as well as in the hands,
mouth and face. Singers experience a broader range of verbal tone and octave, and, along with actors, more
articulate verbalization.
This treatment also improves the physiology of the fascia and many other metabolic functions,
all over the body. This, in turn, improves cell respiration, blood nourishment and waste removal.
In just a few hours treatment it can remove weeks, months, years and even decades of bunched
up tightness, including tightness you weren't even aware you had, but has been unconsciously limiting your
performance. It routinely removes accumulated stress, tension, soreness, and fatigue, and decreases
generalized pain and trauma from existing injuries.
At the same time, it significantly decreases the chance of non-contact injuries such as back
spasms, disk problems, hamstring, Achilles tendon and groin pulls and, to some degree, shoulder
separations, knee and ankle sprains.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The rest of this book tells you how it's done, and why it works Reading the table of contents and
the introductions to each section will give you a good idea of the subject matter and how the book is
organized. After reading Section I, you can either read the rest of the book in order or skip around to
whatever next section you are interested in.
In the appendices you'll find explanations for how to use this treatment in combination with
chiropractic, osteopathy, acupressure and acupuncture, orthopedic and other surgery and non-surgical
medicine. You'll find an annotated reading list and information on how to find practitioners and check them
out. I also mention how to get in touch with me.
Comments on the book and suggestions for added material in succeeding revisions are welcome.
COMPLETE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION I:
FASCIAL STRUCTURE AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS
OVERVIEW
USING STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK AS A THERAPY TO HELP
ATHLETES, DANCERS AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTISTS
CHAPTER 1
UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF MUSCLES.

WHAT GOES WRONG:
HOW ACCUMULATED TIGHTNESS DEVELOPS IN THE BODY.
WHAT IT DOES, AND WHY YOU OFTEN AREN'T AWARE IT'S
HAPPENING.
CHAPTER 2
HOW ACCUMULATED TIGHTNESS AFFECTS US ATHLETICALLY,

AND IN THE PERFORMING ARTS.
WHY OTHER THERAPIES AND STRETCHING DON'T ALWAYS FIX IT,
AND HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK DOES.
PART 1: Bunch-up," the negative side effect of successful athletic endeavor. How it decreases
performance and increases the chance of injury

PART 2: Chronic Misalignment, the underlying shortness upon which all bunch-up accumulates.
PART 3: The three degrees of accumulated tightness in the body.
And how different treatments are more or less effective in
removing each of them
PART 4: The relationship of Physical Therapies to the Bodywork
and their limitations in lengthening fascia.
PART 5: The relationship of other body therapies to the Bodywork,
and their limitations in lengthening fascia.
PART 6: The relationship of stretching to the Bodywork
and its limitation in lengthening fascia.
PART 7: Improving joint articulation
and Preventing Tendon, Ligament, Cartilage and Bone Injuries.
CHAPTER 3
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH:
SEEING HOW ONE PART OF THE BODY AFFECTS OTHERS
AND USING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
Hamstrings affect the back and neck
Hamstrings affect the chest and abdomen
The front of the legs affects the torso, head and neck
The Torso affects the legs
The arms affect the shoulders
The lower legs and thighs affect each other
The upper and lower arm muscles affect each other
in the same way
The basic imbalance also affects the arms
The head affects the spine
Watching how we breathe is an excellent guide to seeing the
interconnections in our bodies
CHAPTER 4
A STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION APPROACH

TO THROWING AND RUNNING, TO ARM AND LEG LOOSENESS,
AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE ORGANIZATION OF THE
SHOULDER AND PELVIC GIRDLES
First, here is a brief description of the shoulder girdle and arms,
and how they should "ride" freely on top of the rest of the torso
There are also a lot of restrictions to arm movement that develop in the torso
The hands connect all the way into the torso through their interlocking
muscle-bone-muscle-bone connections
Note that the lower leg and forearm nerves go to the same area of the brain,
and the thigh and upper arm muscles go to the same place

Even the head should be loosened

The shoulder and arm mechanism as a “vest,” connected with the
shoulder pads, that has the “moveable arms”
Problems in Throwing. Restricted Shoulder Motion Due to Shortness
in Structures Lower Down in the Body
How the bottom affects the top
Another kind of restriction occurs when the buttocks are very tight
The back can't release unless the front is long and wide enough
Parallels between the arms and legs, and how tension in them both
is often related to the basic, or standard “S” misalignment
of the whole body
The latissimus dorsi muscle, the abdominal muscles, the psoas muscles,
the illiacus muscles, the adductors
Integrated Motion; golf swings, tennis strokes, shot puts and javelin throws
The fascia is bunched-up, the bones don't move apart
The pelvic girdle as a “central focus
Lower Back Problems and Uncorrected Leg Shortness
The "Integrated Body" solution
Local treatment "only" is a limitation
Create proper muscular length and skeletal alignment
throughout the whole body
CHAPTER 5
AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS "BODYWORK" AND MASSAGE
IN TREATING TIGHTNESS & PAIN.
WHAT YOU FEEL, WHAT IT DOES.
How tension and tightness are treated
Treating injury
Jabbing or firm pressing of deep massage
fat people
When we’re aligned, we function at a higher level
Alignment with gravity
CHAPTER 6
THE IMPORTANT WAYS STRUCTURE AFFECTS PHYSIOLOGY

AND PHYSIOLOGY AFFECTS STRUCTURE,
AND HOW IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSIOLOGY
PROVIDES ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO ATHLETES AND PERFORMERS
The fluid base of the fascia
The lymphatic system
Hard, tight fascia
Diet

Organizing the relationship of muscles and bones

Organizing the structure so it’s in balance, or aligned, with the
continuous pull of gravity
The brain is also involved
removing waste products
Exercise
The quality of breathing
CHAPTER 7
HOW TO VISUALLY SEE SHORTNESS, MISALIGNMENT AND RESTRICTION WITH

STRUCTURAL BODY READING.
HOW TO ANALYZE WHAT LOOKS GOOD.
AND KNOWING WHAT TO DO ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE.
Included, a brief GUIDE TO THE REST OF THIS BOOK
At any moment in time, when you look at a body, you see what's "going on"
for that individual
What we're always trying to do when we work on a body is create length
Two Types of Structural Body Reading: Static and Dynamic
Polaroid photos and videotaping
Body reading is essential when doing tune-ups or advanced sessions
Body reading is also helpful to the performer's ability to make improvements
From each static Body Reading angle we can see Different Things
In dynamic body reading, the practitioner will look for restrictions
in range of motion and a sense of sluggishness in movements
Sitting and Lying Down Positions
Observing a Person in a Specific Stretch
A GUIDE TO THE REST OF THIS BOOK

WHAT YOU CAN READ RIGHT AFTER THIS SECTION
AND UNDERSTAND WELL
SECTION II:
THE GOALS -- INTEGRATED, ALIGNED STRUCTURES
CHAPTER 8
CREATING A HARMONIOUS AND WELL FUNCTIONING BODY

OUT OF AN INHARMONIOUS AND MISALIGNED ONE

CHAPTER 9
THE ADVANTAGES OF A STRUCTURALLY ALIGNED BODY,

WHY OUR TWO-LEGGED STRUCTURE IS SO ADVANCED,
AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GRAVITY IS OUR FRIEND.
An Aligned Body Works to Keep Itself Aligned
An Aligned Body is a Two Legged Structure that Makes Positive Use
of the Force of Gravity. Human two-legged bodies are designed
to work with gravity
The incorrect assumption that human beings have structural problems
like back pain because we stand on an unstable platform of two legs
instead of four
Dr. Robert Martin MD, who developed the Gravity Swing
Human structures are different from four-legged animals and work better
in the field of gravity
Gravity is not the villain, but a servant of mankind
An intelligent application of the force of to gravity
The spine of four-legged animals
Human spines
Athletic Advantages to having an Erect Two-Legged Structure
More Advanced Mental Abilities, Partly Because of the Advanced
Structural Design of Our Hip Joints.
Our Adductor System Between the Knees and Hip Joints
In an Aligned Body, the Force of Gravity Keeps You Erect
Why we get tired sooner when we're not aligned
The Bottom Line in Athletics and the Arts: Alignment Improves Performance
CHAPTER 10
TENSEGRITY AND MORE

CREATING A VERY EFFICIENT AND STRESS RESISTANT BODY
STRUCTURE
The purpose of Structural Integration is to create the most efficient form
humans are capable of being. This form is known
In each structure there are forces of compression and tension.
Almost all the man-made structures we see around us function
mainly on compression
Inventor Buckminster Fuller devised structures functioning more
on the force of tension; "tensegrity" structures
Being tensegrity structures, we change our shapes without destroying
our basic inter-related form & we can distributes stress evenly throughout.
Skyscrapers can't do this.
In a tightened up body, all the parts also move, or try to move,
in each activity. But many areas move as globed together clumps
It is the FASCIAL length, which allows the body to function with
tensegrity instead of compression
The nervous system is already "wired" to operate our bodies in tensegrity

Structural Integration causes the body to send more correct sets of nerve
instructions at the same time that it enables the muscles to make
more effective use of those instructions
Organization: The forces in our bodies are more balanced and
it makes the relationships between the bones and muscles more optimal
Muscle tone: it also affects mental abilities and emotional demeanor
An integrated body can also receive and process more information
than a misaligned and bunched-up one
Vertical body alignment and integrated movement
Misconceptions
A study of human ligaments, organs and spine shows how our elements
are constructed differently from other animals
The way we're bio-mechanically designed enables us to move along
the surface of the earth very effectively
This is a copy of the same chapter in the How to Make Your Body Work Better book
CHAPTER 11:
THE INCREASING BENEFITS OF THE 10-STEP BODYWORK "SYSTEM"

The first phase of three steps loosens and lengthens the broad outer layer
of fascia all over the body and the large broad outer muscles
The second phase of four steps loosens and lengthens the long, large
middle layers and the smaller and finer inner layers of muscles and fascia
The third phase of three steps loosens and lengthens the deepest layers of muscle
and integrates their initiating and balancing functions with the larger outer
"doing" muscles
SECTION III:
FIXING SOME OF THE MISALIGNMENT PROBLEMS
CHAPTER 12
FIXING THE SECOND OF 2 BASIC THINGS THAT GO "WRONG:" MIS-ALIGNMENT

Tightness is not just a local condition
Structural Integration Bodywork is designed to soften and lengthen
the fascia in specific areas in a way that also frees the networks of
interconnected muscles. And it corrects the misalignments
over the whole body at the same time.
The improvement in the way the body functions is a result of how
the structure has changed.
By removing the restrictions of deeply embedded shortness and
misalignment, we are actually creating something new for us,
with some qualities we never felt before

This is a copy of the same chapter in the How to Make Your Body Work Better book. And I’ve
added the first half page as an introduction
CHAPTER 13
INTRODUCTION TO THE BASIC IMBALANCE,

THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF MANY BACK PROBLEMS.
INVESTIGATING THE ILLIO-PSOAS MUSCLES, AND THE OVERALL
SHORTNESS OF THE ZIG-ZAG.
The basic misalignment almost everyone grows up with, to one degree or another
The "mechanics" of this imbalance and why people have back problems
from it when the misalignment is excessive
Short psoas and illiacus
To Stand Upright, We make What I Call an Initial Body "Error"
and Then Suffer Gravity's Overpowering Response
Why So Many Muscles Tighten
The shortened abdominal cause of misalignment
CHAPTER 14
A STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES OF

SLIPPED & DEGENERATING DISKS, PINCHED NERVES, AND STRESS FRACTURES
CHAPTER 15
HOW THIS ZIG-ZAG MAKES THE BACK TIGHT.

HOW A PELVIC TILT PULLS THE TORSO DOWN.
AND HOW TIGHTENING BACK UP AGAINST IT CAUSES STIFFNESS,
INJURY AND REDUCED PERFORMANCE,
THROUGHOUT THE BODY
CHAPTER 16
A LOOK AT OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS:

HOW SIT-UPS AND CRUNCHES CAN INCREASE BACK TIGHTNESS,
THE MISCONCEPTION OF BACK MUSCLES NOT BEING "STRONG
ENOUGH,"
AND WHY ABDOMENS STICK OUT.

CHAPTER 17
ADDITIONAL BACK PROBLEMS, SPECIFICALLY CAUSED BY SHORT HAMSTRINGS,

ADDED ON TOP OF A BASIC IMBALANCE
CHAPTER 18
SOME INSIGHT INTO

HAMSTRING, GROIN, ACHILLES TENDON, KNEE AND FOOT PROBLEMS,
AND THEIR STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION SOLUTIONS
SECTION IV:
HOW THE TREATMENT ACTUALLY WORKS
CHAPTER 19
MORE DETAILS OF THE BASIC TREATMENT "RECIPE"

HOW IT WAS DEVELOPED AND WHAT IT CONSISTS OF
This is more detailed in the steps than the description in the Back Fix Book
CHAPTER 20
WAYS TO SLIGHTLY MODIFY THE BASIC RECIPE,

IN ORDER TO TAILOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION TO SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS
CHAPTER 21
OTHER KINDS OF TREATMENTS WE CAN USE

TO AUGMENT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK
CHAPTER 22
HOW TO USE PHYSICAL THERAPIES TO GET MORE OUT OF THE

BODYWORK
AND HOW TO INTEGRATE SESSIONS INTO YOUR TRAINING
SCHEDULE.
HOW LONG THE SESSIONS ARE AND HOW OFTEN.

CHAPTER 23
HOW TO FIND AND INTERVIEW A PRACTITIONER
CHAPTER 24
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BODYWORK SESSIONS COMFORTABLE

AND EFFECTIVE
PAIN & DISCOMFORT, FOCUS, STRETCHING, EMOTIONS,
COMMUNICATION
SECTION V
OVERVIEW
THE DISCOVERY, AUTHENTICITY, USAGES AND WIDE

ACCEPTANCE OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK
CHAPTER 25
PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION

DR. ROLF'S SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND AND HER
ANATOMICAL-PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
Dr. Rolf's Credentials
Dr. Rolf's Discoveries About Fascia, Human Structure, Body Tension
and Gravity
THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS, IN THE BODY'S ANATOMY,
THAT ALLOWS FOR A "FIX:"
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THERAPY
Restoring the Body's Natural Balance
Restoring Proper Muscle Tone
The Implementation of the System and the "Ordering" of Random Bodies
Ongoing Study: Learning About Structure by Implementing the System
Improvement of the Hands-on Technique
EVOLVING INTO THE "DYNAMIC" USE OF INTEGRATED BODIES:
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PATTERNING AND ROLFING MOVEMENT
"STRUCTURAL" BODY-MIND THERAPY:
IMPROVED BODY-MIND ATTITUDE,
EMOTIONAL RELEASE, AND MEMORIES STORED IN THE BODY

The Psychological Influence of One's Relationship to Gravity

Structural Integration Releases Old Trauma As It Removes Limitations:
Psycho-Structural Evolution: From Primates to Humans
Releasing Back Problems
Psycho-Structural Development: From Fetus to Adult
SECTION VI
HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION IS DIFFERENT
FROM SOME OTHER BODY THERAPIES AND
USING THE BODYWORK WITH THEM
CHAPTER 26
HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK IS DIFFERENT

FROM MASSAGE AND TRIGGER POINT THERAPY
CHAPTER 27
HOW IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH CHIROPRACTIC

AND INCREASES ITS BENEFITS
CHAPTER 28
HOW IT'S DIFFERENT FROM ACUPUNCTURE

AND INCREASES ITS BENEFITS
CHAPTER 29
HOW THIS WORK HELPS PEOPLE UNDERGOING ORTHODOX

WESTERN MEDICINE, FOR ORTHOPEDIC AND OTHER
SURGERY, AND FOR HEADACHES, COLDS, AND OTHER
TYPICAL AILMENTS

SECTION VII
USING STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION AS A FOUNDATION,
AND ADDING OTHER THERAPIES AS WELL, FOR
PERSONAL AND PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT
Especially for Performing Artists
AND FOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA RELEASE,

INCLUDING ABUSE, LOSS, ACCIDENTS
Including for ATHLETIC INJURIES OR PERSONAL LIFE CHALLENGES
CHAPTER 30
HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK HELPS US

EXPRESS OURSELVES BETTER,
AND ACCOMPLISH MORE IN OUR WORK, EASIER,
WITH A BRIEF SUMMARY OF MOVEMENT EDUCATION TECHNIQUE
CHAPTER 31
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, PERSONAL GROWTH

& STRESS REMOVAL BENEFITS
OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK
CHAPTER 32
TRAUMA RELEASE BODYMIND THERAPY

AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM, TO REMOVE THE RESIDUES OF
SPECIFIC TRAUMATIC EVENTS, OR A SERIES OF EVENTS,
FROM THE BODY, ALONG WITH THEIR THOUGHTS,
EMOTIONS AND FLASHBACKS.
This chapter appears as an article in the Bodymind Section of my Website

OVERVIEW OF SECTION I:
USING STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK AS A THERAPY
TO HELP ATHLETES, DANCERS AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTISTS
In this section I treat Structural Integration Bodywork as a therapy, in order to let you
compare what it does to treatments you already know about. The point of reference is the removal of
shortness in the structure, the removal of restriction. Anyone who uses his body knows that tightness
limits the ability to perform, whether that performance is skating a long program in the Olympics or playing
the music used in that program. Tightness also sets up injury, like a pulled hamstring or a spasming back.
This section begins the study of tightness by explaining how it accumulates in the body, what it
does to us and how we can best get rid of it. I also explain why we're usually unaware that it is
accumulating, getting progressively worse until we experience stiffness, pain or injury.
Accumulated tightness is what I call shortness, a bunching-up of the body's soft connective
tissue, called fascia (fah-sha). All non-contact injuries and chronic pain can be traced to shortness,
which also manifests as imbalance and misalignment in the body's physical structure. In this structure,
the positions of the bones, including the vertebrae, and the lengths of the muscles, are determined by the
shape of this soft connective tissue (and not vice versa as some bone manipulation practitioners believe).
Joint misalignments, even when caused by falls and blows from the outside, are held in place by bunched-up
fascia.
Everyone in athletics is quite familiar with shortness, and the need to lengthen any place that
feels tight. This section explains why shortness in any particular area is exacerbated by two additional
problems most of us are not usually aware of. First, a short muscle in one place pulls on muscles in
other parts of the body through the interconnectedness of our bone, muscle and fascial system. And this
shortness often causes a lot of the tightness we feel in the area we're trying to stretch. Second, there is a
continuing tendency for the body to recreate shortness, even after local treatment, because of zig-zag
misalignments in the whole structure. Whenever there is shortness on one side of the body, muscles on the
other side have to tighten in order to keep us balanced. So shortness is not just a local problem.
The interconnected patterns of restriction and misalignment are maintained by tightnesses we
don't feel and aren't trained to recognize even when we look in the mirror. So I've described many of
the most common patterns of shortness and misalignment, with examples of actual problems I've seen
and corrected. Balance between muscle pairs is also important, not only in the flexor/extensor relationship
of the joints but in the muscles that control movement of the trunk and bones of the shoulder girdle. I
describe some of these relationships, and how they are thrown off by tightness.
In this section you will find out why there are significant limitations in almost all other
physical therapies to correcting many of these problems, why stretching and yoga don't do it either,
and how and why Structural Integration Bodywork does. In fact, the Bodywork actually improves the
effectiveness of other treatments. and makes stretching easier. This treatment might look like massage
because the practitioner's hands are on the soft tissue. But it is not! You will find an entire chapter devoted
to reviewing the differences between this treatment and massage in treating shortness and pain. In the
appendices you'll find detailed descriptions of how the Bodywork is complementary to chiropractic,
osteopathy, acupuncture, orthopedic and other surgeries and non-surgical western medicine.
Section I explains the physiological aspects of fascia and how hardened, bunched-up and
injured fascia is unhealthy and reduces performance. It explains how to make healthy fascia with the
Bodywork, exercise and nutrition, and what benefits that health brings to athletics, the performing arts and
general well being. Among these benefits are less restricted movement and greater suppleness, an increased

amount of nutrients available to the muscle cells during both intensive activity and rest, faster recovery time
from intense effort and faster recuperation time from injuries.
Section I also explains how the physiology of fascia is greatly affected by the shape of the
structure. Everything from the pressures on nerves and blood vessels to the alignment of the organs to the
gravitational field of the earth is involved. Breathing, especially with a larger rib cage movement, and with
many parts of the body participating, has an immediate effect on the health of all cells and the muscular
power and endurance of performance.
The section ends with a chapter describing many of the things we look for when "reading" a
client's body, both statically while the person is standing still and dynamically while the person is walking,
stretching, moving a joint or actively participating in his athletics or performing art.
This helps us in a number of ways. We can learn to see tension, muscle tone, looseness,
balance or imbalance and various degrees of alignment. Body reading is helpful in spotting shortness so
we can correct it before an injury occurs. Similarly, we can see shortness that is causing existing pain and
reduced ability. It helps us make logical sense out of our situations.
Besides the practitioner viewing the client just with his or her own eyes, we can take Polaroid
photos of static structure and video footage of movement and go over them together. This also allows
the practitioner repeated study which makes his analysis better. We can even read bodies of people
performing on TV.
The point you should get to by the end of this section is that to significantly correct tightness in
the body, we have to restore a lot of length in the deep musculature as well as on the surface. This
requires an optimal re-organization of the entire set of muscle, bone and joint relationships in the
body. The Bodywork does this, to some degree, even when it's only being used as a quick but effective
muscle lengthening treatment. But besides creating length, reducing pain and decreasing the chance of
injury, an improved organization allows the body's innate and coached neurological patterns more complete
control over what postures and movements we want to create.
Structure is therefore a term that defines the form in which our different parts are connected
together, regardless of whether we're standing, sitting or lying down. Posture refers to the positions
we put this structure into. What we generally call poor posture is really shortened structure, and
forceful muscular attempts to correct this condition actually create more shortness and a further
waste of energy. Structural Integration is a way to improve what most people call posture by
improving the shape of the structure. With this organizational procedure, all postures and movements
look, work and feel better. However, when you look at other people's bodies, you'll see that very few people
look and function this way. That's because they're stuck in shortness and misalignment.
In Section II I describe the reasons to restructure or realign a body, and the hallmarks that
make an aligned body much better than a misaligned one. These include greater quality of performance
over a longer length of career.


Structural Integration Bodywork in Sports, Dance & The Performing Arts

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Institute for Enhanced Performance http://www.backfixbodywork.com/Programs_Stretching_Relaxation.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR

By Louis A. Gross BSEE

OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

WHAT THE TREATMENTS ARE LIKE

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

WHAT THIS TREATMENT CAN DO FOR YOU

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF MUSCLES.

HOW ACCUMULATED TIGHTNESS AFFECTS US ATHLETICALLY,

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

A STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION APPROACH

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

Even the head should be loosened

THE IMPORTANT WAYS STRUCTURE AFFECTS PHYSIOLOGY

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

Organizing the relationship of muscles and bones

HOW TO VISUALLY SEE SHORTNESS, MISALIGNMENT AND RESTRICTION WITH

A GUIDE TO THE REST OF THIS BOOK

CREATING A HARMONIOUS AND WELL FUNCTIONING BODY

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

THE ADVANTAGES OF A STRUCTURALLY ALIGNED BODY,

TENSEGRITY AND MORE

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

THE INCREASING BENEFITS OF THE 10-STEP BODYWORK "SYSTEM"

FIXING THE SECOND OF 2 BASIC THINGS THAT GO "WRONG:" MIS-ALIGNMENT

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

INTRODUCTION TO THE BASIC IMBALANCE,

A STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES OF

HOW THIS ZIG-ZAG MAKES THE BACK TIGHT.

A LOOK AT OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS:

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

ADDITIONAL BACK PROBLEMS, SPECIFICALLY CAUSED BY SHORT HAMSTRINGS,

SOME INSIGHT INTO

MORE DETAILS OF THE BASIC TREATMENT "RECIPE"

WAYS TO SLIGHTLY MODIFY THE BASIC RECIPE,

OTHER KINDS OF TREATMENTS WE CAN USE

HOW TO USE PHYSICAL THERAPIES TO GET MORE OUT OF THE

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

HOW TO FIND AND INTERVIEW A PRACTITIONER

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BODYWORK SESSIONS COMFORTABLE

THE DISCOVERY, AUTHENTICITY, USAGES AND WIDE

PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

The Psychological Influence of One's Relationship to Gravity

HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK IS DIFFERENT

HOW IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH CHIROPRACTIC

HOW IT'S DIFFERENT FROM ACUPUNCTURE

HOW THIS WORK HELPS PEOPLE UNDERGOING ORTHODOX

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

AND FOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA RELEASE,

HOW STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION BODYWORK HELPS US

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, PERSONAL GROWTH

TRAUMA RELEASE BODYMIND THERAPY

This chapter appears as an article in the Bodymind Section of my Website

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

Copyright 1995 Louis A. Gross All Rights Reserved

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