What is the difference between Structural Integration and Remedial Massage?

Similar look, different goals. If you’ve been wondering whether to book Remedial Massage or Structural Integration this is a short guide for you.

Remedial Massage is a hands-on therapeutic ‘remedy’ for a specific problem. Often this is a musculoskeletal pain that is localised - an injury or repetitive strain.

Or it might be a problem that is broader and more systemic - the tightness of stress and tension, or symptoms related to a chronic health condition.

The aim of remedial massage is to target specific muscles and soft tissues to address the background cause of the pain or problem.

We begin by getting to know the issue from the background information you share - along with an assessment - and will then use techniques to relieve pain, tension, and inflammation in muscles, joints, and other soft tissues. A range of techniques are commonly used (I’ll use anything from myofascial release, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, lymphatic drainage, movement education and stretching depending upon the condition).

Structural Integration on the other hand, is a ‘big picture’ project and works on a whole-body scale. With Structural Integration we aim to improve whole-body alignment and movement efficiency, and to develop proprioceptive awareness, your inner sense of movement and positioning in space.

In addition to understanding your health history and using simple movements and postural assessment, the approach of Structural Integration is to work with the connective tissue system (the fascial system to be precise) as this is the structural soft tissue that hold our form.

Structural Integration sessions are often more active for the client than remedial massage. Our work style is to ‘put it in it’s place and ask for movement’*.Often there will be small, simple movements such as flexing or extending feet or arms, or walking as a check in on the changes as they happen during a session.

Structural Integration is commonly sought for chronic pain, postural problems, and movement restrictions. It is also used to improve performance or to enhance and extend our healthspan and hold the line on age related changes.

Remedial massage and Structural Integration are valuable and effective ways for managing pain, reducing stress, and improving overall health and wellbeing.

The choice of which approach to use will largely depend upon your specific needs and goals. If you are experiencing chronic pain or postural problems, structural integration may be the right choice for you. If you are recovering from an injury or experiencing localised pain, remedial massage may be more appropriate. If you are up for a bodywork project that yields profound changes then Structural Integration is for you. If you don’t have the resources right now (whether they be time, energy, or other) but you want to feel better then remedial massage is likely the place to start.

* This comes from Dr Ida Rolf, the originator and founder of Structural Integration, an instruction she gave to her students and is a cornerstone of the Structural Integration method.