As a person who has dealt with chronic pain/injuries I have resorted
to many treatments to help alleviate any of my pain. I have gone to massages,
acupuncture, dry-needling, pt and have gotten surgeries but the only thing that
has seemed to help the pain was Rolfing.
Rolfing or structural integration is just like a massage but it
focuses more on myofacial reorganization and looking at the patient as a whole
and not just individual body parts. Ida Rolf who studied biochemistry,
mathematics, physics, and homeopathy developed Rolfing. The Rolfing institute
is located here in Colorado so it’s not hard to find a decent Rolfer in this
state but it is still a very young field that needs time to develop.
My experience with Rolfing has been very different compared to
experiences I have had with massage therapy. With a massage it seemed so
impersonal. You get into the room take your clothes off tell the massage
therapist what parts hurt, they work on your whole body and maybe massage those
painful spots for 3 minutes more than they normally would have. Always going
through the same routine not really caring who was on the table. With Rolfing
it was completely different (and a little awkward at times). Each appointment
you stand in your under garments and the Rolfer will stare at you. They will
ask you to walk around or slightly bend your knees. From this they determine
what parts of your body seem "unbalanced" and they spend the session
trying to correct your body. Sometimes they can see things that you don't even
realize are the problem. They will work for a little bit and then ask you to
stand up and walk around again. Always checking if what they are doing is
bringing your body back into balance. They really focus on correcting the human
body as a whole and not just little individual knots or areas of stiffness that
massage therapists do.
But everyone is different and there is not a whole lot of literature out
there supporting the positive outcomes I have explained above. More studies
regarding Rolfing needs to be conducted but more importantly everyone needs to
find what is best for them and sometimes that doesn't always have to include a
doctor. I have tried surgeries and going the classical route to solving my pain
but the only thing that has seemed to help me is a therapy that not many people have ever heard about.
Jacobson, E. (2011). Structural Integration: Origins and Development. Journal Of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 17(9), 775-780. doi:10.1089/acm.2011.0001
Saranya, V. (2017). ROLFING - A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR FASCIAL DYSFUNCTION. International Journal Of Therapies & Rehabilitation Research, 6(1), 150-151.
I really like that you shared your experience with this and that you are sharing a new technique. I feel like it gives a whole new meaning to personalized medicine. It's interesting that you don't even have to tell them where you're feeling pain and they are able to just sense what areas need to be worked on. I know for me when I'm hurt I can definitely feel that twinge when you move a wrong way and it's cool that someone has come up with a new technique that takes that habit and can actually make you feel better.
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