I recently had the opportunity to spend time at
Kripalu studying Integrated Positional Therapy (IPT) with Lee Albert, author of
Live Pain-free without Drugs or Surgery. I was very
impressed with both the simplicity and effectiveness of this treatment. I’ve been incorporating IPT into my massage practice,
as well as using it personally to treat some chronic aches and pains. I continue
to be amazed with the results and want to share some information with you about
this incredible therapy.
Designed to eliminate pain at its root cause,
Integrated Positional Therapy incorporates the osteopathic techniques of Muscle
Energy Technique (MET) and Strain-Counterstrain (SCS) to realign the body’s
structure. It is based on the research
of osteopathic physician Dr. Lawrence Jones.
The heart of IPT lies in getting the pelvis, “the foundation”
of the body, in perfect alignment. If
the foundation of a house is not structurally sound the imbalance will show up
throughout the entire structure. The
same is true in our body. If the pelvis
is out of alignment it will affect everything from head to toe.
What causes this misalignment or imbalance in the
body? The answer is muscles that are
either too short or too long. Both short
and long muscles will feel tight. Since
every muscle is attached to a bone these tight muscles pull the frame of the
body out of alignment. Misalignment of
the skeletal structure leads to compression of the fascia, nerves and discs
which results in less oxygenated blood getting to these tissues or
ischemia. It is estimated that 80% of
all pain that you will experience in your life is related to these muscle
imbalances and ischemia.
Each session of IPT begins with a thorough
postural assessment. The treatment itself
involves placing affected muscles in a position of comfort/passively shortening
the muscle for 90 seconds (SCS) and assisted stretching using active isometric
contractions (MET). IPT achieves its
benefits by means of an automatic resetting of muscle spindles. Relief is often immediate and long
lasting.
One of the most
important parts of this therapy is that the client must become an active
participant in their own healing process.
Each client is assigned simple exercises and stretches along with
suggestions for changing contributing habits or improving his or her workspace. This “homework” is designed to change or
manage what has been causing the pain.
Integrated
Positional Therapy effectively treats conditions such as:
- headaches
- fibromyalgia
- neck & shoulder pain
- tennis & golfer's elbow
- low back pain
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- knee pain
- plantar fasciitis
- thoracic outlet syndrome
- sciatica
For more information on
Integrated Positional Therapy please visit Lee’s website - www.leealbert.com
