Although not quite a household name, Rolfing a.k.a. Structural Integration or Postural Release, has actually been practiced since the late 1950’s. The method and associated philosophy were developed and refined by Ida P. Rolf gradually between the early 1920’s and her death in the 1979. (In case you were wondering, the name came from Ida’s original students who would come back from their therapy sessions exclaiming that they “just got Rolfed!â€) Its philosophy involves the idea that poor postural and movement habits, as well as compensations stemming from injury, often result in the thickening or binding of fascial tissue. This adaptation essentially locks a person into a position of poor posture or misalignment, imprisoning them in their own body and preventing them from existing in gravity without a great deal of often unnoticed physical exertion. The therapy draws on the holistic philosophies of osteopathy, yoga, and chiropractic for the benefit of achieving optimal posture, range of motion and ease of movement.
Have you ever seen those guys in the gym who seem to be doing a chest and shoulder workout every time you see them? You’ll notice how they eventually end up with rounded shoulders, a Quasimodo-esque posture and the inability to wash their own back? How about the person who is always doing rows and lat pull-downs and ends up with bulletproof rhomboids and traps for earrings? Neither of these postures are ideal. They are in fact a bright, flashing sign of horrible muscle imbalance and an injury just waiting to happen. The long, and sometimes short-term effect of these types of postures include predisposition for debilitating injuries, chronic back or neck pain, headaches, hip and knee issues, and that’s just to name a few. Do any of these sound familiar?
The conventional therapy approach for the above examples would be to implement the principle of opposites to create some balance and muscular symmetry in the body. Adding some back exercises to the first guy’s regimen or a chest and shoulder focus to the latter example would be a good place to start. But what happens when the person has been sporting that uncomfortable looking posture for such a long time that the body is resistant to realignment? Rolfing to the rescue!
Rolfing works to free deeply ingrained patterns of myofascial strain that are often responsible for constant pain and postural misalignment. It has proven highly effective in treating and eliminating a long list of chronic pain conditions from neck pain and impaired shoulder mobility to the all-too-common low back pain, repetitive stress injuries, or other forms of nagging tension.
What is myofascial strain anyway? First off, fascia is the connective tissue membrane that encapsulates virtually everything in the body (think the shiny, stretchy baggy part around a piece of meat or the gristle in a thick New York strip). It is a corral-like network of communication, transmitting and distributing forces throughout the entire body. This is also the tissue that accepts mechanical load when postural muscles fail to support the integrity of the joint.
Just to be clear, one thing that Rolfing is not is simply a deep-tissue massage. It systematically incorporates deep myofascial repositioning techniques and directed movement reeducation, gait training, and range of motion, ultimately developing functional balance at strategic points from head to toe. Many high level athletes turn to Rolfing to address residual joint pain or discomfort that they may feel after recovering from an injury or surgery or just use it for periodic maintenance, loosening and freeing areas of accumulated tension.
The well-known exercise principle of “response to increased demand†also explains how fascial tissue will shorten and thicken when the musculature fails to support a given part of the body against the constant downward pull of gravity. Just as a callus will form on the pads of the hands after a few good workout sessions, fascial tissue will also lay down in areas of prolonged mechanical load. For instance, take the bench press happy guy at the local 24hr Fitness (everybody knows one) with the rounded shoulders and forward head posture. If you took a second to watch that person workout, you would notice that every exercise they do involves that same rounded shoulder posture. That person would not only exhibit really tight, overdeveloped pecs, but also perpetually bent arms (short and tight biceps). They would also present an enormous amount tightness on the opposite side of the body, specifically in the rotator cuff complex, posterior deltoids, shoulders, traps, and rhomboids. If they paid special attention to rolling their shoulders back and stabilizing their shoulder girdle while doing their exercises, they probably could, but not without discomfort. The moment that they took attention away from proper posture, their shoulders would shoot forward faster than Justin Gatlin running away from the IOC official trying to recall his gold medal. Why is this?
The simple answer is both muscle memory and fascial restriction. Let’s face it, using proper posture and bio-mechanics while exercising is really important not only to the development of healthy muscles and joints, but also in promoting overall balance in the body and the prevention of injury. Using knuckles and elbows, Rolfers systematically realign the body by kneeding out these areas of fascial binding and joint restriction, often asking for movement to increase the affect. On a 2007 episode of Oprah, Dr. Mehmet Oz said, “Yoga is in many ways analogous to Rolfing because it takes tendons and it stretches them into a position of discomfort. They’re just doing it for you without you doing it yourself.†Although deep and often intense, Rolfing is a fantastic alternative to conventional treatment approaches and offers dramatic and lasting results. The next time that you are in the gym and your hips, back, or neck starts to feel a little funky, take a second to look at your posture and then ask yourself if Rolfing might be able to help.
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This article was featured in the December 2010 Issue of the My Mad Methods Magazine. "Rolfing for Optimal Movement" was written by Jeff Draper. You can purchase this issue by Clicking Here. |
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Jeff Draper B.S. is a Certified Rolfer® and Cold Laser Therapist as well as a Personal Trainer. His background includes intensive study in the fields of sport and exercise science, nutrition, spinal biomechanics, Rolfing®, and Cold Laser Therapy. Utilizing a broad spectrum of treatment approaches, he specializes in relief from chronic pain conditions as well as post-rehabilitation from acute injuries, and performance enhancement. Find out more |
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