The functional Integral Technique is a Revolutionary approach to how you move and exist in your body. We've based the method on recognizing neuro-dysfunction in the human movement system. Through various techniques, we unveil where the body is not functioning optimally and how to correct those patterns of dysfunction.
The initial sessions at HPC will begin by breaking down each of the phases listed below so we have a common dialogue to work with. Depending on where someone is in the pain/movement dysfunction spectrum, we assess and determine how best to move forward so function can be obtained. This allows your body/mind to start to integrate perceived sensitivity to where movements originate.
These 6 phases are how we progress someone into an optimally healthy body.
- Flexibility is the first phase of finding the connection to your core structure and gaining higher function in your overall movement function.
A flexibility practice is a crucial part of the re-education phase in our F.I.T. protocol. One has to unwind the neural loading tension in one muscle group to be able to communicate healthily with another. The brain moves through the path of least resistance to make a movement. This is how dominance patterns begin. Time (high repetition), injury, and traumas are all ways we start to compensate for something. Unless you are aware of your compensatory pattern and you re-teach your body the correct way of moving, you will stay in that dysfunctional pattern of movement. Over time those compensations start to wear down or wear out our soft tissue and bony structures resulting in pain
2. Stability. This is where the integrity of our connective tissue has the health to withstand the forces of our natural movement patterns.
Through time, injury, and other neural tension-loading experiences the integrity of our connective tissue can become compromised resulting in a compensatory pattern. One must become aware of where movement stability originates so optimal movement patterns can be supported.
3. Balance. Balance is the body's ability to maintain a center of gravity with its own base of support.
Inhibited muscle or connective tissue function decreases our brain's ability to know acutely where our bodies are in space. With reduced awareness, we are susceptible to injury and chronic pain syndromes. Gently stressing our body through subtle and not-so-subtle balance exercises, we can stimulate or "wake up" areas that have been "turned off."
4. Mobility is where your brain/body connection is synchronized in a balanced way to have control through a specific range of motion.
Control through an optimal joint range of motion is how we obtain mobility. If you are limited in the range of the movement, because of pain or stiffness, you are in a dysfunctional movement pattern, and something else will have to take over the function of what should be working. The body is amazing in how it supports us through the initial phases of compensation, but it can only perform in that state for so long before it gets tired and whatever is "over" compensating starts to give out resulting in a pain pattern.
5. Strength is where we use resistance training to further our ability to support the posture and healthy movement patterns we are trying to create.
Stimulating our muscles, connective tissues, joints, and nervous system through resistance training; We increase our ability to withstand foreseen and unforeseen forces in our natural environment.
6. Function is where we train the body/brain/nervous system to work optimally. Combining multi-planar movement patterns with strength training on an unstable surface, we prepare the body to be able to safely move outside the "controlled environment" without feeling vulnerable in an integrated way.
The strategic importance of how we lead someone out of movement dysfunction and back to optimal, functional movement is crucial. The starting place will be unique to each individual, however, everyone falls on a spectrum of movement capability and we help each person progress from where they are to the next level of function.
Performance Therapy is an evolution of traditional physical rehabilitation protocols. It's where athletic training, physical therapy, osteopathy, medical massage, and mindfulness meet. Imagine having access to the most cutting-edge mindfulness-based movement training techniques with an integral knowledge of how they relate to physical injuries, then adding world-class hands-on treatment techniques, and you've got Performance Therapy at HPC.
Our Quantum Therapy tools are often the first stop in the Performance Therapy process. If the body is in pain, it’s challenging to reprogram the body/mind relationship through movement alone. Therefore, we often begin our process with our clients by treating them with noninvasive modalities first. We have found the Theralase TLC-2000 Cold Laser and the Frequency Specific Microcurrent by Precision Distributing to be extremely effective in accelerating a healing response.
Frequency Specific Microcurrent - Frequency Specific Microcurrent is an exciting new way of treating nerve and muscle pain and many other conditions using specific frequencies and micro amperage current. Each frequency is specific to the condition we are treating. For instance, treating scar tissue developed from old injuries or surgeries would be different from frequencies used for treating a herniated disc. FSM is one of the most effective modalities for treating nerve pain we have seen in over 20 years of practice. At the cellular level, microcurrent therapy stimulates a dramatic increase in ATP, the energy that fuels all biochemical functions in the body. It also bumps up protein synthesis, which is necessary for tissue repair. The ensuing enhancement in blood flow and decreased inflammation translates into reductions in pain and muscle spasms, as well as an increased range of motion.
Not to be confused with E-Stim or TENS therapy or even Microcurrent. The FSM is a nanoamperage, and you will have no noticeable sensation on your skin from this therapy, yet the results can be miraculous. There are two channels, an A and B channel, that create a quantum field of energy around the area receiving treatment. E-Stim, also an electrically-based modality, elicits muscle contractions using electrical impulses. You feel a sensation from E-Stim. TENS therapy (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is used for nerve stimulation for a therapeutic process of pain relief but does not provide any healing response, just blocking the pain signal. Microcurrent, often used by acupuncturists, is one frequency for all conditions intended to stimulate meridians.
The Cold Laser and FSM are very effective modalities in treating inflammation, promoting healing, and reducing pain.
We believe that to have the most optimal human experience, one has to become aware of their mind. The inner dialogue inside the mind can often create a “story” about one’s life situation that may lead to an overloaded nervous system. We have implemented a mindful-based training program via biofeedback tools to help someone become more aware of their minds and how they could be potentially reacting to their thoughts and feelings. We believe that to have the most optimal human experience, one has to become aware of their mind.
This is a BIG deal for anyone who has suffered from pain. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know how fast you can react to what you might feel. It tends to speed the mind up, and our inner fortune teller comes out. The list of all the “what ifs” start to build, and the emotional rollercoaster of anxiety starts to take over, and you are trapped in the “future.”
The only thing we have at any given moment is the “Now” moment. To spend time thinking or worrying about something that hasn’t happened or happened in the past is a waste of valuable energy.
Presence is all we have, this moment, this breath. We will give you exercises that become part of a practice that will help strengthen your ability to stay in the present/aware state more frequently.