Does Rolfing Benefit Runners?
What has 26 bones, 56 ligaments, 38 muscles and 3 arches on each side? Yes, it’s your foot! Feet are generally well equipped for walking and running. Personally, I only run when I’m being chased, but I have many clients who run for fun & for its physical benefits.
Historically, running was necessary for our ancestors to obtain food as well as to avoid becoming someone else’s food. Today, tribes such as the Mexican Tarahumara Indians wear simple shoes fashioned from car tires and are able to cover 400 miles over several days.
Imagine running 2-10 miles a few times a week with absolutely no pain. Has this been your experience?
Running Injuries
Running injuries are common and often keep us off the road. Foot injuries often associated with running include heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. With each of these problems, pain & inflammation signal that the foot is not working well.
Runner’s Heal Cord Pain
In running, the foot makes thousands of subtle adjustments as we move through the many phases of gait. Optimally the impact of running is evenly distributed amongst the bones, ligaments and muscles of each foot. The arches of the feet work as shock absorbers. Healthy feet provide a foundation of support for the body to function well within the gravitational field.
Foot injuries and pain often cause rigidity within the body. Long after the initial wound has healed, the stiffness remains and can take residence in the structure. Constrictions within the foot can travel upwards and set the stage for secondary problems such as back pain.
How does Rolfing help?
Rolfers work to create a balance of tension throughout the structure, restore elasticity to the tissue and improve the overall biomechanics. As the mobility and alignment of the foot and ankle improve, the entire body becomes more resilient.
When these structural issues are sorted out, you can actually run without pain and with increased efficiency. This leads to better timing, fewer injuries and generally more enjoyment while running.
“A man’s tracks tell quite a 
true story. They inform quietly about ankles and knees, but they shout the news about hips and pelvis. If one foot is consistently exerted [tilted onto its inner edge], the ankle, the knee, or, perhaps more likely, the entire pelvic basin is rotated.”- Ida P. Rolf
Image Courtesy:
www.acefitness.org
www.popsugar.com.au
Does Rolfing Benefit Dancers?
“Dancing is the hidden language of the soul. The body says what words cannot” – Martha Graham, Dancer & Choreographer.
Dance is just as much an athletic event as an artistic form of self-expression. If you love to dance, nothing is more frustrating than being sidelined by injury. Whether you dance occasionally, or have a career as a dancer, Rolfing will help you to prevent and recover from injury.
Better breath, better pace and generally better dancing
Since a lot of dancing works against gravity, Rolfing could be of greater benefit since it reorganizes the body so that gravity is a supporting force.
Some interesting benefits have been reported by dancers who have been Rolfed. Helen, a modern dancer reported being able to run more quietly across the stage. This is likely related to the new found healthy functioning of her arches after a Rolfing series.
Photo courtesy – pixgood.com
Gina, a ballet dancer reported that she can now leap across the stage without struggling to catch her breath. After the first Rolfing session, the motility of the rib cage often expands and allows for more oxygen to be inspired.
Better body image
The most touching of comments that I received after Rolfing a young dance student was “I feel so much better about my body. I don’t hate it anymore.”
Rolfing can be effective medicine for negative body image that tends to haunt dancers in particular. Dancers are often taught to scrutinize their bodies in the mirror; the size, the shape, the line.
Breathing fully, standing squarely on both feet, feeling your head reaching heaven ward and your shoulders back allowing for an open heart – these proprioceptive experiences gained from Rolfing create a foundation for self confidence and a transformation of who one is, and how one appears to others.
The sense of self deepens as the physical body is freed of its tension. The mind and nervous system then have a chance to recalibrate.
It is important for dancers to maintain their flexibility and if possible gain more of it. Also, extensive dancing often causes certain kinds of strain on the body. Rolfing helps to counteract this strain and produces increased flexibility and mobility, along with improvements of motor control and better posture. That is a wonderful benefit of getting Rolfed and for dancers, it is invaluable.
By Rebekah Frome • Patient's Stories, Rolfing • • Tags: rolfing, Rolfing For Runners, Running