Experience Pain Relief through Rolfing - the Big Picture.
In many cases, bringing the body into a more natural alignment will reduce or alleviate pain issues related to the aches and pains of living. Rolfing works in a series of 10 sessions to bring the body into improved alignment, better balance, greater flexibility and an easing of postural patterns. When the human body is relieved of the negative influences of soft tissue contraint, the opportunity for relief of pain occurs.
This relief is due to the methods of Structural Integration - a manual therapy that focuses on the deep fascia of the body (the connective tissues). Fascia is relatively plastic, which is to say that when force is rapidly applied, it tends to react like a solid, but otherwise like a liquid, and can change its shape and retain those changes.
It is important to recognize the success of Rolfing comes from more than a manual therapy focused on a pain symptom. Dr. Rolf, who developed Rolfing, was an American biochemist and early leader in fascial research as well as a holistic thinker. She developed Rolfing in the 1940s to improve the functioning of the individual as a whole through a process-based approach that includes fascial work, but also movement and sensorimotor education of the nervous system.
This is why Rolfing is so useful in addressing many sources of pain in the human body. Many clients dependent on massage or chiropractic on a weekly basis were able to reduce their need after receiving a Rolfing 10-Series.
Ready to find a Rolfer near you? Or read on for specific pain conditions that can be helped with Rolfing Structural Integration.
How Rolfing Helps Specific Health Conditions
This list of some of the common health conditions that cause pain or discomfort describes briefly how Rolfing SI can make a difference. For more information or to read about client experiences and take a deep dive into the scientific research, follow the links under each condition below.
Pain in the Back, Low Back or Spine
Back pain
Back pain is a common cause of discomfort and disability. There are many possible contributors, including unhealed soft tissue injury, pressure on nerves, chronic muscle tension or insufficient muscle tone, insufficient circulation and fluid movement, and even emotional stress and hostility. Outcomes of treatment — be it medication, physical therapy, exercise, chiropractic or massage — can be unsatisfactory. Rolfing offers a unique premise and method that is effective in reducing back pain and dysfunction. A Rolfer™ believes that many musculoskeletal problems can be mitigated or resolved by balancing the length and tone of the deep fascia throughout the entire body.
Learn more about Rolfing SI for back pain
Scoliosis
Rolfing has a good track record both for improving upon and helping to maintain function for scoliotic patients. Clients of all ages can expect to see improvement both in structure and quality of life. Scoliosis is an incurable and progressive disorder, and the outcomes are dependent on the client’s situation and the stage of the disorder. Rolfing SI and Rolfing Movement Integration have been shown to help.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and Scoliosis
Hip pain
Pain in the hip joint comes from direct injuries such as a fall, prolonged imbalances such as incorrect sitting or standing posture, or complications from pregnancy. Rolfing SI works the fascia that overlaps in the low back to help stabilize and balance the body and connective tissues around the hip. After the manual therapy the movement and sensorimotor component of Rolfing uses techniques to help to stabilize hip joint.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and hip pain
Sciatica
Sciatica is a painful and debilitating condition that can affect anyone. It has no single cause and sufferers often say they simply woke up with it. The condition causes pain in the lower back, hips, and legs, usually on just one side of the body. Sufferers also often find that they experience changes in sensation on the affected side, including numbness and tingling. The sciatic nerve is one of the largest nerves in the human body.
Rolfing to treat sciatica concentrates on the fascia, quite literally the stuff that holds the human body together. If the soft tissues that hold everything together are given priority, and restrictions removed and natural alignment of the hips and pelvis restored, then effective treatment for sciatica is achievable.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and Sciatica
Headaches, Migraines and Neck Pain
Headaches and chronic headaches
Rolfing can often be effective in helping to reduce or eliminate headaches. Some headaches are either caused or influenced by imbalances in the head and neck, pressures on nerves, or tensions in the back, neck, and shoulders. Almost every Rolfing session will do some work with the head and neck to improve these imbalances.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and headaches
Migraines
Migraines are a complex, multi-system disorder. One system involved is restricted blood-flow to the brain and related nerve dysfunction. The Rolfing approach is that through the decompression of the myofascial system and restored alignment normal function to the nerves and arteries can be restored. Rolfing is a methodical treatment to correct postural imbalances and restrictions that feed into the migraine disorder. In some cases that is enough to significantly reduce or eliminate migraines.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and migraines
Neck Pain
Neck pain is one of the most common afflictions people come to Rolfing to address. “What a pain in the neck” is a common expression for a reason! Neck pain can range from being just annoying to debilitating. It can come about for a variety of reasons. Some of the more common ones and how Rolfing SI addresses them.
First, it’s important to note that the head and neck are usually posturally positioned as a result of what’s happening in the rest of your body. Anything from tension in the calves to misalignment of the hips to an overly curved spine can affect how you hold the weight of your head. Rolfers typically work on the neck at the end of every session - changes in the body tend to flow upwards. In order to balance out the neck, it may be important to balance out the rest of the body as well, otherwise the pain may just end up coming back.
- Forward Head Position: Most people aren’t
on their cell
phones for 8
hours a day, but if we add in your posture while you’re driving, or when
you watch television, or using your computer at work, your head ends up
being forward for a significant portion of the day. The more forward
your head is, the more weight it puts on the muscles and ligaments that
have to support it. For example, a head in neutral puts 15 pounds of
weight on the musculature. A head inclined forward 15 degrees adds the
equivalent of 12 more pounds for a weight of 27 points on the body, and
at 30 degrees forward it surges to a weight of 49 pounds. It’s no wonder
those muscles get sore!
Learn More about Rolfing and Forward Head Posture
- Whiplash and Impact Injuries: Whiplash,
with resultant
injury to the
TMJ, is often caused by rear-end motor vehicle collisions. This type of
accident causes the head to be suddenly thrown back. If the muscles of
the neck have trouble relaxing naturally, this pattern will set into
your body and become your new normal. As you can imagine, this is not a
good thing because it means that the level of pain becomes your new
normal.
Learn More about Rolfing and Whiplash
- Stress: Many people report “holding their
stress in
their neck and
shoulders.” If the stress is held in the shoulders for long enough, it
becomes your new normal. Releasing this long-held tension and returning
your body to a state of neutrality is a necessary component of relieving
the discomfort and pain.
Learn More about Rolfing and neck pain
Pain in the Shoulders, Arms or Hands
Frozen Shoulder and Shoulder Pain
A flexible capsule filled with fluid protects the joint at the top of the arm, where the upper arm bone meets the collar bone, at the front of your shoulder. A shoulder is "frozen" when this capsule, and sometimes the surrounding tendons, ligaments and muscles contract and stiffen.Rolfers will use touch to free the frozen shoulder, working in the fascia (the connective tissue) to loosen the layers and bring mobility. A Rolfer will also bring your frozen shoulder into a holistic consideration of your whole body and posture. Often work will begin work elsewhere in the body, to provide the foundations, stability and flow to let go at the shoulder. This is integral to the holistic approach of Rofing SI.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and Shoulder Issues
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Repetitive Use Injuries
Repetitive use injuries like Carpal Tunnel come about from a lack of adaptability in our movements. Doing an activity the exact same way over and over makes us more prone to injury than if we do it a bit differently every time, using different muscles in different ways and not placing excessive strain on any one muscle or joint. Rolfing can help free up patterns and allow adaptability back into the system.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Pain in the feet, knees, and Plantar Fasciitis
Foot Pain
Modern life takes a big toll on our feet. Between shoes that are often more fashion than function and hard wood or concrete surfaces that we walk on much of the time, your feet take a beating. This leads to feet that are often less flexible than they should be and prone to a number of issues like bunions, plantar fasciitis, and various arch issues. Rolfing can help reduce the pain associated with lost flexibility and strength in the feet, and help with balance issues along the way.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and foot pain
Plantar Fasciitis
A prominent feature of the feet is the plantar fascia, a tendon that stretches in a fan shape from the toes to the front edge of the heel. In cooperation with other structures, the plantar fascia maintains the arch of the foot. This arch support is central to distributing the body weight to the ground and facilitating the impulse of walking throughout the body.
Plantar fasciitis is attributed to excessive muscle contraction, micro tears, and inflammation in the plantar fascia. Symptoms often worsen after periods of rest but improve with exercise. The pain and limitations it causes are undeniable. Traditional treatments focus on local approaches such as ice, rest, and anti-inflammatory medications. However, Rolfing Structural Integration offers a holistic approach that aims to get to the root causes of the pain by treating the entire myofascial system.
Learn more about Rolfing SI and Plantar Fasciitis
Chronic Pain from Pinched Nerves, Fibromyalgia and more
Pinched Nerve Pain
A chronically pinched nerve can send pain responses beyond the source of the pain in the body. Rolfing can reduce both nerve pain and inflammation by opening the tissues that are inhibiting the pathway of the pinched nerve while restoring glide and mobility to the nerve.
Learn more about Rolfing and nerve pain
Chronic Pain
Chronic and re-occuring pain and injury patterns have the potential for relief with connective tissue manipulation and structural integration. Chronic pain due to soft tissue influences can be corrected through a series of sessions designed to progress through the layers of connective tissue. Chronic pain is often a complex disorder and Rolfers also take into account lifestyle habits and include sensorimotor education to help the process.
Learn more about Rolfing and Chronic Pain
Fibromyalgia Relief
Some physicians recommend Rolfing to help with fibromyalgia, which can include widespread pain, fatigue, trouble focusing, headaches, anxiety, and depression. However, because Rolfing uses deep pressure it cannot be recommended unilaterally to everyone with the disorder. There are some studies that examine its potential.
Learn more about Rolfing and fibromyalgia