Fascia

Ida Rolf’s had a hypothesis about why structural integration works. She thought changes in the body arose from changes induced in the fascia. So, what is fascia? Fascia is a kind of connective tissue that wraps muscle bundles and organs. An interconnected sheet of it is just under your skin.You might be familiar with the IT band on the outside of the thigh – that is an example of fascia.

Want to know more about fascia? For general readers, I recommend a Running Times story from last summer. It’s a succinct yet comprehensive overview. Check out the article Understanding Your Fascia.

To go more in depth, visit the International Fascia Research Congress page, or Dr. Robert Schleip’s page. Illustrations (both drawings and dissections) of the fascia of the head and neck can be seen on this page from Tufts medical school.