Want to learn
more about your personal situation? Ready to try it? “Go local” and
talk to a certified Rolfer near you ….When it comes to back pain, Rolfing aims not just to treat the symptoms but also to address the root causes, promoting overall well-being and alignment that lasts permanently. In fact, one study shows the impact of a Rolfing 10-series is still visible after ten years.
Rolfing is a form of bodywork focused on manipulating the body's connective tissues, also known as the fascial network. The fascial network of body-wide connections between and within individual cells shares loads between muscle and fascia. Basic studies of fibroblast cell shape show that there is an impact of manual therapy at the cellular level. These findings begin to explain how Rolfing works at a clinical level. [from the research paper: Fascia Research from a Clinician/Scientist’s Perspective] By releasing tension and tightness in specific areas of imbalance, practitioners seek to improve posture and alleviate strain on the back, potentially reducing or eliminating back pain.
A second way Rolfing is good for back pain is through sensorimotor education and restored range of motion. Distortions of body structure are primarily caused by responses to life experiences that result in habitual ways of perceiving and moving in the world. For example, a research study showed that Prolonged sitting with slumped posture could increase the risk of experiencing lower back discomfort. [from the research paper: Effects of Prolonged Sitting with Slumped Posture] Over time, such patterns of response distort the body’s natural form and movement so that structural imbalance becomes self-perpetuating, and may even block opportunities for change. Sustainable transformation of imbalanced structure involves revising the movements and perceptions that underlie the imbalance, after the structural work has been completed. Rolf Movement Integration, a somatic sensory-motor approach to movement education, helps clients optimize and sustain structural ease through balanced movement behavior.
Rolfers will assess additional factors in a client’s lifestyle habits, such as their breathing, how they sit, how long they sit in a day, and so forth, to identify underlying causes of back pain. By addressing these factors comprehensively, Rolfing can provide long-term relief and prevent future discomfort.
Rolfing is most effective for back pain when the full 10-series is complete, but you can see benefits even with fewer sessions. It is recommended to take at least sessions 1 - 3 and notice how your body responds.
Rolfing aims to realign and balance the body's structure by manipulating the myofascial system and re-awakening our awareness of our postural habits to restore full range of motion. However, it's essential to consult with a qualified Rolfing practitioner and, if necessary, a healthcare professional, to determine the most appropriate treatment approach for your specific condition.
After years of clients and colleagues asking for a
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"I cannot recommend Rich enough to anyone interested with liberating their fascia, and reinvigorating their horizons!”
-- EK, College Student
Since I started the Rolf Method of Structural Integration, I have not had any back spasms. In addition, my posture has improved and the tension in my shoulders and back is gone. I have not had any spasms in over eight months."
-- John Kromminga, Ultra Marathoner
Reading articles and especially research takes effort… but sometimes you have to do the deep dive. This list of articles and research papers explore back pain in more depth and describe clinical studies and the other research ongoing in the field of Fascial work And Structural Integration.
There is a substantial body of research on connective tissue generally focused on specialized genetic and molecular aspects of the extracellular matrix. However, the study of fascia and its function as an organ of support has been largely neglected and overlooked. Fascia, or dense fibrous connective tissues, nevertheless potentially plays a major and still poorly understood role in joint stability, in general movement coordination, as well as in back pain and many other pathologies.
One reason why fascia has not received adequate scientific attention in the past decades is that this tissue is so pervasive and interconnected that it easily frustrates the common ambition of researchers to divide it into a discrete number of subunits, which can be classified and separately described. In anatomic displays, fascia is generally removed, so the viewer can see the organs nerves and vessels but fails to appreciate the fascia, which connects and separates these structures.
H James, L Castaneda, ME Miller, T Findley - Journal of Bodywork and …, 2009 - Elsevier … The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rolfing structural integration (RSI) in neck motion and pain levels of 31 subjects who received RSI. RSI is a type of therapy that …
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2011; 4(4): 1–6. Published online 2011 Dec 31. doi: 10.3822/ijtmb.v4i4.158 Fascia Research from a Clinician/Scientist’s Perspective - Thomas W. Findley, MD, PhD
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P Prado - Structural Integration, September, 2008 - Citeseer … in structural integration since Ida Rolf’s founding of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration®. … As an illustration of how the three paradigms work, consider a person with back pain. He …
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Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Jan; 57(1): 3.
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$1.15 USD
By Kalen Hammann, Ph.D. Reprinted from Osteopathic Physician (March 1972). Rolf store reprint
by EE Jacobson · 2015 · Cited by 20 — Rolfing structural integration treatment of cervical spine dysfunction. Journal ... Outcome measures for low back pain research: a proposal for https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4405211/
Structural Integration as an Adjunct to Outpatient Rehabilitation for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Pilot Clinical Trial.
Eric E. Jacobson, Alec L. Meleger, Paolo Bonato, Peter M. Wayne, Helene M. Langevin Ted J. Kaptchuk, and Roger B. Davis
as an addition to the current standard of outpatient rehabilitation (OR) to OR alone for chronic low back pain (n=46). These outcomes suggest that the addition of Rolf® Structural Integration to outpatient rehabilitation is likely to result in a significantly greater improvement in disability at least in the short term, with no significant increase in the incidence or seriousness of AE.
H. Baur, H. Gatterer, B. Hotter, and M. Kopp, “Influence of structural integration and fascial fitness on body image and the perception of back pain.,” J. Phys. Ther. Sci., vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 1010–1013, Jun. 2017.
Sep 7, 2018 — Two small studies in 2014 and 2015 and found that Rolfing can decrease pain levels for people with fibromyalgia and lower back pain, at least in … Chronic low back pain may be due in part to connective tissue dysfunction. These connective tissue problems can cause mobility issues or make back pain worse. The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute reports that many people with chronic back pain have benefited from Rolfing.Feb 7, 2023
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Structure, Function, Integration (SFI) is the leading journal of the structural integration (SI) and movement integration profession, which is a community of health practitioners who provide somatic education and manual therapy to their clients based on the legacy teachings of Ida P. Rolf, PhD (1896-1979). Published by the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® (DIRI).SFI is a place where manual therapists, movement practitioners, medical professionals, and members of the public can find meaningful content about optimizing the structure and function of the human body, as an integral part of everyone’s health and well-being.
Important Note: It's important to note that Rolfing, like any alternative medicine, may not work for everyone, and its effectiveness can vary from person to person. It is recommended that individuals consult with their healthcare provider should they have any health issues before beginning any new treatment approach, including Rolfing, to ensure it is appropriate for their condition.
