Rolfing – What’s In A Name?
“You’re a what?” people often reply when I tell them what I do for a living. They usually look uncomfortable because they think their hearing is amiss. I go for it again, “I am a Rolfer.” I have had many conversations during which I have attempted to demystify the word “Rolfing” and give people a sense of what it is that I do for a living. Rolfing is actually a slang term coined by Ida Rolf’s students during the 70’s. Dr. Rolf, the founder of Rolfing, was a biochemist who graduated from Columbia University and became a research scientist at Rockefeller University. Her work evolved from her desire to tap human potential through the physical body.
Dr. Rolf was not happy with the word “Rolfing” because she feared that it did not sound scientific. I’m afraid she was right. In my experience, the word ”Rolfing” brings forth looks of confusion and doubt. “What is that exactly?” is a common response. Dr. Rolf wanted her work to be known as “Structural Integration,” which is, without doubt, a more scientific description and more appropriate.
Rolfing involves manipulating fascia. Historically, the American Medical Association viewed fascia as nonessential. Medical students would routinely cut it away to view other more important structures during cadaver dissection. Now, do to Dr. Rolf’s influence, the AMA is beginning to understand fascia’s significance. Fascia is the connective tissue that plays the most central role in holding the entire body together. A major component of the soft tissue, fascia runs throughout the body in planes that tie together the entire network of body parts.
Structural integration consists of physical manipulations to reposition those fascial coverings that hold muscles in place. You can think of it as intensive treatment that is done to enhance overall bodily organization. Breathing, posture, alignment and movement can all be improved as the result of a Rolfing series. But that is not all. Most people store years of accumulated physical stress in their bodies. For example, you might have rounded shoulders due to years of leaning forward when working at a computer. Many people feel that one side of their body is the “bad “ side meaning the side that keeps becoming injured or is more compressed than the other. These are just a couple of examples of how stress shapes out bodies.
Rolfing also enhances your mental and psychic functioning. Picture yourself breathing more fully and moving with greater ease and stability. This mental exercise will give you an idea of what Rolfing can do for you. Rolfing improves posture and body alignment, bringing your head, pelvis, knees and ankles into a new relationship, with the vertical axis directly in front of your spine, leaving your body with a longer, leaner look.
The integrative aspect of Rolfing helps you to feel stable and connected to the ground you stand on, while providing your body with a sense of lightness and upward lift. Rolfing helps to improve your relationship with gravity so that it no longer exerts a relentless downward pressure on your body. Additionally, Rolfing has a calming effect on the nervous system, rendering you more at peace with yourself.
You can think of Rolfing as a physically restorative process that brings with it the mental and spiritual benefits of a body at peace. Whether you call it Rolfing or Structural Integration it represents an opportunity for positive transformation.
For help with tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464 • 212.529.1901 or book on line to schedule an appointment.
Spectacle Induced Trauma
As I dashed down the stairs I had the fleeting sense that the stairs looked funny, followed by the thought, “Oops, I should have taken my reading glasses off.” Suddenly my right ankle turned mercilessly under me and I plunged to the floor. I waited for the excruciating jab of pain to subside so that I could breathe again. When I did catch my breath, I wondered what the damage would be.
Sooner or later everyone has an injury, but I have always assumed that my role was to support those in need of healing! Now I was the one needing help.
I was in pain. The ligaments and tendons of my ankle were overstretched. Additionally, the muscles of my lower leg went into spasm. I received a Rolfing session soon after the accident. The Rolfing decreased my pain and hastened my recovery.
Muscles tend lock up to protect an injured area. It is the body’s way of limiting movement when trauma has occurred. Soft tissue injury results in painful muscle spasm and fascial shortening, which in turn creates pain, in a vicious cycle. Interrupting that pattern will hasten the healing process.
Initially, the Rolfer does not work directly on an inflamed joint. Instead, we choose to work on the surrounding areas, which reduces swelling, muscle spasm and joint stiffness. Rolfing facilitates the process of tissue repair even when the work is not directly applied to the injured area.
Over the next six weeks, the soft tissue and ligaments of the ankle gradually heal. As swelling goes down a sense of normalcy sets in.
However, with this healing there is a caveat. Your body forms its own natural connective tissue splint supporting and preventing further injury while the ankle is healing. Long after the original injury has healed this internal splint remains, inhibiting full mobility. We become chronically stiff.
We are not meant to live our lives post injury with parts of our bodies that have become mummified. This is where Rolfing does an amazing thing. Rolfing reestablishes the normal elasticity of the connective tissues, restoring mobility and circulation to the area. Rolfing removes this internal splint.
Does hobbling around on a sprained ankle affect the rest of your body? You bet. The whole body tries to compensate for the imbalanced movement pattern of the foot and ankle. The Rolfer restores the alignment and biomechanics to each joint so that your entire structure is singing again.
Rolfing helps to restore the breath and calms the nervous system. Mobility is your birthright. You deserve to breathe deeply and to move with ease. So, don’t hesitate to call us if you slip on a banana peel. For help with tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464 or book online to schedule an appointment.
By Rebekah Frome • Physical Therapy, Rolfing • • Tags: ankle sprain, connective tissue, myofascia, pain due to spasm, structural integration, swelling, tissue repair, trauma