Massage Therapy

To understand my style of bodywork it is important to gain an understanding of fascia. All of the structures in the body are surrounded, protected and supported by connective tissue a.k.a. fascia. This matrix connects, or binds together, the body's organs and systems, and at the same time provides compartmentalization between them. (Imagine the thin, tough white membrane found when cutting apart a chicken.) The fascia is a continuous elastic sheath that provides structural support for the skeleton and soft tissues (i.e., muscles, tendons and organs). As it surrounds the muscles, it is referred to as the fascial envelope, which is where I focus my intent.

Dr. Rolf's original research on the characteristics of fascia identified its different biochemical states. Subsequent research has added to our understanding of it.  The fibers are made of collagen and elastin.  Collagen is more static, elastin more elastic.  They serve distinct purposes in restricting and damping movement.  In a healthy body, the ratio of collagen to elastin is lower.  That is to say that there is more elastin in healthy tissue.  My bodywork capitalizes on a physiologic response as a reaction to said bodywork to incorporate more elastin in its structure.  Moderate exercise and stretching create a similar stimulus in a different way.  My work, however, destroys scar tissue and overall it frees the body to move and carry correct posture.

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• Elasticity Of Connective Tissue. Connective tissue has a unique quality of elasticity, allowing it to be elongated.  Rubbing, kneading, massaging or compressing the tissue will not change or elongate the tissue. Fascia and muscle are distinct types of tissue requiring totally different approaches of palpation and manipulation. When connective tissue receives appropriate contact and sufficient force, it changes immediately. This dynamic characteristic ensures that a practitioner is either working on muscle or fascia, but not both at the same time.  My work often incorporates the two quickly morphing from one into the other merely by angle of approach.

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• Oblique Angle Of Contact. In order for fascia to be stretched as previously mentioned, it must be contacted at an oblique angle (less than 45 degrees). Rolf was adamant about this point, stating that the tissue responds and lengthens only when the downward, compressive force is eliminated. For example, shortened fascia, like wrinkles in a sheet, can be pulled out and lengthened only when we put a more forward, stretching movement into the tissue. The oblique angle of entry to the body maximizes this stretching quality, while minimizing any invasive or compressive contact.

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• Continuity Of Fascial Planes. Fascia lies in broad, continuous planes in the body. This quality of continuity allows for transmission of structural change via these planes. An example is wearing a wet suit, which represents the superficial fascia. You could pull or stretch the "fascial wetsuit" from any part of it and affect the entire structural fabric. Conversely, without contacting these long planes of connective tissue, a practitioner would be working only on isolated spots. It deserves emphasis that the individual muscles are not our focus. Instead, our primary considerations are the relationships of long, broad fascial planes to one another. This allows us a creative and effective means whereby fascial work in one area affects the entire body.

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• Fascial Layering.  Another important characteristic of fascia is the way it organizes the body through an elaborate three-dimensional webbing of layers. Within this continuous network, Rolf teaches us to address the fascial layers one at a time, progressing from superficial to deep. Only after the more superficial layer has become more elastic, supple and lengthened is it appropriate to work on the next, deeper layer.