27October 2020
With regard to Rolfing Portland, you may wonder – what is Rolfing and how can it help you reduce chronic pain? Dr. Ida P. Rolf developed this form of alternative medicine body treatment in the 60’s that deals with what she calls Structural Integration. She believed by aligning the entire body’s connective tissues the body can heal its own energy field. Instead of treatment of one issue individually, Rolf’s techniques or Rolfing treats all the body’s tissue to help align the body in its entirety to a healthy structure in a series of 10 sessions.
This system deals with the myofascial structure, soft tissue in the body, and deep manipulation. When the 10 sessions are complete your posture is the key to the changes in your body relating to stress, pain and tension.
Why is Rolfing in Portland different than deep tissue massage? When you go to a massage therapist, they will deal with the immediate issues, such as, you are experiencing pain in your back or shoulders. Rolfing breaks down why you are having pain in that area, and works on your structural framework collectively to relieve the pain. For example, you may have a hip misalignment that causes pain in your knees, lower back and shoulders. If you are treated for the pain in your knees, lower back and shoulders but no one looks at the structural body as a whole, your pain will return. Correcting structure imbalances or integration is the key to this holistic approach to overall wellness and chronic pain reduction.
Rolfing utilizes manipulation of the deep tissues to break up your connective tissues that may be restricting motion to aid the realigning of your body and reduce your muscle and tension.
Finding out if there is an illness or injury causing your chronic pain is an important first step before getting any alternative treatment. If you have eliminated those questions, then there is more than a good chance that Rolfing can be successful with your chronic pain.
In session one, the focus is on breathing and your lungs. Your Rolfing Portland practitioner will ask about your history and begin assessment of issues. They will start soft tissue massage of your general regions and evaluation of your movement challenges.
Session two is focused on your feet and legs. Working with your body to release any restrictions that you may be experiencing your Rolfing practitioner performs movement and tissue massage. At this point suggestions on standing, walking and sitting may be advised.
Session three is what is considered first integration ending. Structurally your ear, shoulder, as well as your hip, knee and your ankle should be in alignment or lateral line. Additional treatment from the previous two sessions is built on to bring your body in balance.
Session Four and five work on your core treatment and alignment. In session four, your feet to your pelvis alignment are worked on. Session five concentrates on your alignment of your pelvis extending to your head. This is all a general description of the steps, but deep tissue massage and manipulation is used to achieve the goals of these steps.
In session six, the nuts and bolts of Rolfing begin. This is the step where your hip and leg regions are worked on to assist the posture building and balance.
The seventh session involves emphasizing intense work on your head, neck and your shoulders. The deep massage utilizes releases that are focused on any restrictions in this region that will reduce the tension and stress and movement freedom.
The last three sessions reinforce all the previous sessions working with the body to bring your structure into harmony.
After you complete your Rolfing sessions you will notice a difference, visually and physically. Successful alignment should give relief to chronic pain and tension in your body. Rolfing Portland can vastly improve your spinal heath, increase your freedom in movement, and change your life.