Since the development of Rolfing Structural Integration more than fifty years ago, practitioners and clients alike have been curious as to how the work actually impacts the body and creates lasting change. Ida Rolf herself, with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, was intrigued by the observations she made through working with the human body and asked the fundamental question, “What conditions must be fulfilled in order for the human body structure to be organized and integrated in gravity so that the whole person can function in the most optimal and economical way?” However, only within the last 10 to 15 years have we begun to crack the surface to the answers we seek.
Fascia is not a highly researched subject and it is not currently taught about in medical school. In 2007, The Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation (IPRRF) established itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with the mission of encouraging and supporting evidence-based studies of Structural Integration’s effects, their implications for conventional and complementary health care, and the dissemination of those findings to teachers, students, practitioners, and the general public. In 2012, the IPRRF board of directors established Fascia Research Society (FRS) as one of its projects, with the goal of developing FRS into an independent organization that would eventually take full responsibility for producing the triennial International Fascia Research Congresses.
These international congresses provide a unique setting where diverse groups can learn from one another, gain insights that inform and enrich their respective pursuits, and advance scientific inquiry and applied methods. The most recent Fascia Research Congress took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 10 – 14, 2025.
Dr. Carla Stecco, MD was a keynote speaker for 2025, sharing about her findings relating to fascia and lipedema. She discovered that, “affected individuals have thicker, more collagen-rich superficial fascia and larger, poorly supported adipose lobules. Also, Stecco suggested that precise knowledge of which fascial layers are affected by fascial pathology can help practitioners choose the most appropriate manual techniques.” Lina Amy Hack, Certified Advanced Rolfer® and Editor-in-Chief of Structure, Function, Integration, interviewed Stecco at the event. The full article can be read here – https://www.sfijournal.org/article/fascia-insights-an-interview-with-dr-carla-stecco.
As a Rolfer and lymphatic drainage massage therapist, I was intrigued by this information. In the article, Dr. Stecco describes how lipedema affects the superficial fascia and what they call the deep deposition, which is the interface between the superficial fascia and the deep fascia. This is where we face the tricky task of creating more glide between layers without causing too much inflammation in patients.
She also talks about the role of hyaluronan (also known as HA), and how HA can act as either anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory, depending on its molecular weight. This is important because HA has been a bit of a buzzword lately in society. It is often found in health & beauty products, and is even injected into the body on some occasions. Just another example of why this type of research is so important. Not only for those of us who work directly with fascia through hands-on manipulation, but for the wider medical community as well.
Dynamic Approach Bodywork 