What is Structural Integration and who can it benefit?

What is Structural Integration?

Anatomy Trains Structural Integration, (A.T.S.I.), is a style of myofascial bodywork that helps to ease, lift and align your body organising the anatomical building blocks towards their correct position by manipulating the fascia.

This encourages better posture and for the muscles to be used properly, reducing stress on ligaments and abnormal wear of joint surfaces.

Once in better alignment, your body moves with more ease and efficiency and is much less likely to feel pain.

Unlike massage, A.T.S.I focuses on the body’s fascia. A system of connective tissue that runs throughout the body like a continuous web surrounding the muscles, bones, organs, veins and nerves, helping to give the body its shape and structure. Healthy fascia allows the muscles to slide and glide over one-another, but unhealthy fascia does the very opposite, restricting movement and pulling the body out of alignment, causing aching muscles and joint pain.

• Less muscle aches and joint pain
• Increased mobility and flexibility
• Improved posture
• Better body alignment
• Enables muscles to work correctly
• A sense of lift and less sluggishness
• Long lasting results

A.T.S.I. is best suited to addressing long-term aches, pains, injuries and restrictions, which other therapies may only have offered short -term relief. Post treatment regular movement and exercise, such as Pilates will help to maintain your newfound flexibility, alignment and strength.

Who can Structural Integration benefit?

Pretty much anyone with a skeleton held together with muscles and connective tissue. From five to ninety-five years old, athlete or couch potato, all can benefit from Anatomy Trains Structural Integration bodywork, (A.T.S.I.)

Many factors contribute to the fascial tissues becoming dried, tight and ‘stuck’ . Poor posture, the body’s response to injury and trauma, the constant pull of gravity, or just spending too much time sitting behind the wheel of your car, or hunched over a phone or computer.

Over time this may cause your body to take on subtle bends, shifts, tilts and rotations as it attempts to accommodate the changes in the facial network, restricting muscle functioning, postural alignment, compressing organs and compromising movement patterns.

A.T.S.I. helps to lengthen and unwind the fascia from its tensioned or tight holding patterns, allowing greater ease and efficiency of movement. The skeletal structures then tend towards their correct alignment and long-term joint pain and stiffness is greatly reduced. This is an advantage to any body, but it’s particularly poignant as we age. Staying fit, pain free and mobile has never been so important, as more and more of us are now living to a greater age.

At the other end of the spectrum, many athletes are now trained to master the energy recoil action that healthy fascia offers and use this energy transfer to accelerate and enhance performance. For more information on Anatomy Trains in training email info@northshore-structurlaintegration.com.au

Structural Integration work demands a degree of energy and focus from the participating client. So if you are currently very unwell, or pregnant it is advisable to wait until these conditions have passed before starting an A.T.S.I treatment program.

For more information on Structural Integration – please contact Liane in the studio, or visit          North Shore Structural Integration website.