from Will Ravenel
Lower back pain is the second most common complaint people bring to their doctors. Often chronic pain is structural in origin, and if it is structural, it is best treated through myofascial release. The structure of the body is determined by the fascia, which is connective tissue that surrounds and connects all muscles and systems of the body.
If the fascia is healthy, then the body is organized. If the structure is unhealthy, then the body is constantly fighting to achieve structural integrity. By working with the fascia, we can organize the body and restore its natural structural balance.
A body that has gone out of structural alignment won’t be fixed by chiropractic, because chiropractic focuses on realigning the skeleton and the skeleton is not what determines structure. The fascia determines structure. If fascial thickening is the cause of pain, only moving fascia will change the quality of the fascia. Stretching, Pilates, and yoga do not move fascia. Neither does Swedish massage nor using a foam roller.
Will Ravenel is the Myofascial Release and Structural Integration therapist at Ha.Le’, offering both single sessions and the full 10 Series of Rolf Therapy. In his extensive experience, low back pain is almost always caused by fascia issues.
Structural Integration as a treatment for chronic pain is not just about the bodywork sessions themselves. It is a collaboration between the therapist and the client. Will can teach an individual a more appropriate way of walking, sitting, and standing more efficiently within gravity, and more efficient movement means less energy expended and more balanced alignment. The client has to be open to learning a new way of living within gravity to do that. Once the sessions are over, the client can continue to achieve structural balance on their own.
Pain relief in general for structural issues like low back pain is best treated with myofascial release generally and with Structural Integration specifically.
