Integrated Bodywork

“Two and a half years ago I was the owner of a very skew body - constantly suffering from acute sciatica!
My Pilates teacher at the time recommended I go to see an IB practitioner.
Since that day I have religiously been going to IB sessions once a week with amazing results!
When I was 6 years old the school doctor discovered I had a 45-degree scoliosis. At the time I went to see an orthopedic surgeon who said that barring surgery which would entail fitting a rod down my spine, there was nothing they could do. I took ballet classes for my posture and led a pretty normal life except for the fact that my shoulders were not level, my one leg was about 4 c m shorter than the other and my abdominal area was very bunched up!
As I persevered my weekly sessions, my sciatica slowly disappeared! What a pleasure not to live in constant pain any more! My S-bend spine that had been set tight in a 45 degree curvature for 50 odd years started to shift - first the upper curve straightened and flattened and then the lower section started to shift!
My posture improved! My shoulders became level! My leg length leveled!
I am now standing evenly on my 2 feet! Something the average human being takes for granted and I yearned to do all my life!
So... What has Integrated Bodywork done for me? It has given me a new lease on life, allowed me to sit through a movie without squirming in pain, given me a better body self-image and made me feel 10 foot tall!
Thank You!”

“ was diagnosed with a severe scoliosis at age 12 by a nurse, who did a routine examination at my primary school. I had a double curvature of my spine with rotation of my vertebrae. My spine was essentially in an S-bend. The muscles on either side of my spine were over developed and tight on the one side in the lumbar (lower back) area and the opposite in the thoracic (upper) area. I experienced migraines and back pain frequently.

I went for various forms of treatment and I experienced relief but my spine did not straighten. I was told by my orthopedic surgeon the only way to get my spine to straighten would be to undergo surgery whereby metal rods would be inserted on either side of my spine.

I heard about integrated bodywork when I was 29. I had treatments twice a week for a few months and then reduced to weekly sessions. Within 6 months my spine had straightened significantly, and I had relief from back pain between sessions. I still go for weekly sessions 4 years later, and my spine is almost straight.

I was so inspired by the bodywork sessions that I have studied integrated bodywork and I am now using the technique in my own practice. I am so happy that there is a modality available that can help those with a scoliosis.”

“A naturopath I consulted in 1998 about an auto-immune disorder insisted that I see an IB practitioner as well. At the time, I considered that to be a ‘grudge purchase’, since I did not understand, or believe in, the interconnectedness of all my various health issues and I had tried various mainstream and alternative modalities over many years without much success.

I had been diagnosed with scoliosis of the thoracic area of my spine in my mid teens, had worn a corset for some time, then had been diagnosed with one leg being slightly shorter than the other and been told, that the solution was to wear a built-up shoe to compensate. This I refused to do and pretty much ignored the situation, visiting massage- and physio-therapists when necessary to manage the pain.

In 1986 I was involved in a car accident, which resulted in fractures of c2 and c3 vertebrae – a ‘broken neck’. Fortunately, there was no displacement and my spinal cord remained intact. A miserable year of traction braces, hard & soft collars and extensive rehab followed. Thereafter, I added serious lower back pain, sciatica and debilitating migraines to my list of ailments, all of which were treated separately.

Then, in 1997, I developed severe ongoing pain in my hands and feet, for which I consulted a specialist. He diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, which is not what I wanted to hear, so I commissioned a second opinion. That was even worse (lupus), so I settled for the first and embarked on a very aggressive treatment regime, which was intended to halt the progression of the disease, but which made me very ill. To help me with that, I consulted the abovementioned naturopath.

It is now 11 years since my first appointment, I no longer see any of the specialists or that naturopath, but still visit my IB practitioner once a week – or more, if required. It has taken a long time, but I have not had a migraine or episode of sciatica in many years. I am officially in remission from the auto-immune disorder (apparently the experts now agree that there is a condition which they refer to as ‘rupus’, which accounts for all the symptoms I presented with) and pain- as well as medication- free in that regard.

Every now and then, things go so well, that I am ‘promoted’ to scheduling visits every second week and have managed to fit in some sport as well – carefully, of course. My measure of the success of my IB sessions is the absence of pain. My IB practitioner, of course, does not see it in that simplistic fashion, but I shall leave him to measure my progress in his own way – as long as the pain-free periods keep increasing, in frequency and/or duration, I am of the opinion that it’s all good.”