Engineered Bodywork is a custom, group of therapies which focus on getting to the root of frozen or chronic musculoskeletal tightness, limited range of motion or scar tissue problems. Your physician may often prescribe pain or muscle relaxant medications and suggest that some injuries are a result of old age and something that you will just have to live with. It is not that your doctor does not want to heal you, it is more that their training teaches them to relieve symptoms through using mostly medications or surgery. Since the root cause is not treated, the symptoms could return or develop into a worse medical condition.
Engineered Bodywork uses stainless steel tools/instruments, cupping (stretch/negative pressure), Rolf Structural Integration and other effective techniques to loosen or release chronic tightness, scar tissue, injured or painful areas to help the body to heal itself and provide long lasting relief. These techniques work well for old or new accident injuries, and with physical therapy treatments to loosen stiffness/tightness, improve range of motion, reduce inflammation and shorten recovery time.
Engineered Bodywork works at the subcutaneous level and varies from light (recent accident injury) to medium work (long term tightness/pain) and is surprisingly less uncomfortable than deep tissue modalities. Depending on the condition being treated, a quick evaluation and custom treatment will be discussed prior to your session. Common areas for treatment include: jaw, head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, hips, legs, knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles.
Your customized office visit may include a combination of any of the following techniques: Rolf Structural Integration, Tui Na (meridian activation), Cupping, Myofascial Gua Sha (metal tools) or Stephenson's Method. Each of these techniques are described below in greater detail.
What is Rolf Structural Integration? This technique was developed by Dr. Ida Rolf for orthopedic alignment and includes connective tissue manipulation and movement education. Fascia is an interwoven, nervous system responding, web that is around every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and all of our internal organs. Rolf Structural Integration is able to release fascia tightness and lengthen compressed areas. This may be followed by strength exercises to tighten the loosen opposing muscle groups, allowing the body structure to align into a more relaxed, effortless position.
The goal is finding better body alignment to eliminate unbalanced stresses on various areas of the body, easing movement and bound up areas to enable participation in daily activities, as well as enhancing performance. Hips, knees, back and neck work more effortlessly when used as designed. Specialized sessions can be performed to provide immediate pain or tightness relief and correction in body alignment. For those interested in complete overall body and structural balancing, the 10 session series, created by Dr. Ida Rolf, is summarized as follows:
The 10 Session Series:
Session 1, Freeing the ribcage and shoulders: To increase the client’s ability to breathe, increasing their vital capacity, to lift the thorax off the pelvis which lengthens the waistline, to initiate freeing the shoulder and pelvic girdles, and to lengthen the spine.
Session 2, Standing, Lengthening the back and organizing the feet: To change the way the weight goes through the client’s body when in a standing position, to organize both the feet and the back, to free the joints of the feet, to improve the alignment of the legs, to lengthen and widen the back, and to soften the neck muscles.
Session 3, Clarifying the lateral midline and lengthening the waist and lower back: To establish in the client’s mind and body where the lateral line of the body is and to establish a balance, to free the rib cage from the upper pelvis for more movement, to free the shoulder girdle from the ribs, and to further lengthen the waist line.
Session 4, Freeing the legs from the lower, front pelvis and horizontal the pelvis: To free the legs from the pelvis; to free the back from the pelvis; to get the pelvis wider from right to left; to get the wings of the pelvis capable of more movement; and to create a balance between the lower and upper body.
Session 5, Balancing the abdominal and deep structures of the lower back: To lengthen and flatten the midsection of the body from upper pelvis to the rib cage; to get more mobility in the pelvis; to get flexibility in the lumbar spine; to lengthen and widen the body at the core level.
Session 6, Freeing the sacrum and lengthening the back: To free the legs further in their relationship to the pelvis (especially the front and back); to gain more mobility in pelvic movements; and in particular, freeing the sacrum from the lower back, legs and the rest of the pelvis.
Session 7, Organizing the head and neck: To put the “head on the body,” to put more softness and symmetry in the face and scull; to widen the face; to soften and align the neck; to further drop the shoulders; to get more space within the mouth; and to have more balance throughout the whole body as the head moves back over the body.
Session 8, deeper freedom and movement in the shoulder or pelvic girdle: To complete the freeing of the chosen girdle (either pelvis or shoulder). To get the core to lengthen, and lift.
Session 9, like session 8 but on the other girdle: To balance and align the remaining unworked girdle at a deep level, and to integrate the two girdles.
Session 10, what remains is to horizontal the joints: To horizontal the major segments of the body and free remaining restrictions to this overall balance. Generally, the whole body is worked in this session.
What is Tui Na? Tui Na (pronounced "twee-nah") is a form of meridian activation. 'Tui' meaning to push and 'Na' to grasp.
Tui Na can be a complete healing system in itself as not only does it work on muscle groups, joints, sites of pain and poor circulation, but it works the same meridians and points used in acupuncture and employs the same basic theory as Traditional Chinese Medicine without the needles: Injury or disease cause blockages in the channels of the body, and these blockages are the cause of the pain.
Tui Na practitioners treat conditions that, in the West, would be treated by osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists or with drugs. Today it has become an advanced treatment for many diseases. In other countries, Tui Na has become the frontline of healthcare and is commonly used as a preventative form of treatment to maintain health and prevent accumulation of stress, disease and injury.
What is Cupping? This procedure involves creating a vacuum with a glass or flexible vessel (cup), on the top of the skin that pulls blood and lymph to a specific area, promoting circulation and healing. In addition, it can help break up adhesions/scar tissue in the underlying connective tissue allowing for freer movement. The cups are placed onto the desired location and either left in the same spot for ten to fifteen minutes, or oil may be applied to the skin and cups are moved over an area loosening and stretching the tissue/muscle. Cellular debris markings may appear as patterns on the skin and will be reabsorbed and disposed of by the body in 3-5 days depending on circulatory efficiency. Please see "After Treatment Care" section in side menu for instructions.
What is Myofascia Gua Sha? Over time, the build-up of toxic chemicals in the system, or muscle overuse can cause the muscles to shorten and fibrous scar tissue adhesions to form inside the muscle fibers. This will cause noticeable symptoms like pain and weakness, chronic tightness, burning or aching; and a possible "freezing" or limited range of motion develops.
Medical grade steel tools, help bring up trapped toxins, treat scar tissue adhesions, muscle tightness, tendons, and nerve pain. They also enhance blood flow and improve fascial nervous system function. During the treatment, olive oil is applied for its protective and detoxifying purposes. The practitioner begins the procedure by light-medium press-dragging a heated, smooth metal instrument along the non or limited-functioning area. Sha may appear as discoloration patterns on the skin. These are not bruises rather, they are old/new internal cellular debris that has been drawn to the surface of the skin by the instrument assisted press-dragging. The debris will be reabsorbed and disposed of by the body in 3-5 days, depending on circulatory efficiency. It is important to note that if the same area is worked on within the next 1-2 weeks, the same pattern markings will not appear again as they have been resolved already. Please see "After Treatment Care" section in side menu for instructions.
What is Stephenson's Method (Creative Healing)? Mr. Joseph Stephenson, the founder of Creative Healing said the purpose of Creative Healing is to assist the body in the process of restoring it back to normal function. It is a natural healing method that can be used to relieve pain and treat ailments and symptoms of all kinds, from cardiac arrhythmias, whiplash, back and pelvic pain, even respiratory problems.Very few other therapies have such rapid and rejuvenating results. Gentleness, modesty and intention are used along with the following four basic principles:
1. An extra light-to-heavy touch is used to bring the body to normal temperature. Heat can be put into the body or unwanted heat can be drawn out to promote healing.
2. "Creating a vacuum," using this touch is used to drain congested glands and organs and help to eliminate inflammation. This is a powerful method, which restores normal function to organs and normalizes blood pressure.
3. Learning to "reposition substance," enables the practitioner to reposition dislocations of the back and help the body to rebuild the disc material between the vertebras; lift organs which have prolapsed; etc..
4. A special "breaking-up" movement releases muscle spasms and disperses toxins. Although this is a very gentle touch movement, it is a highly effective way to dissipate congestion and increase relaxation.
