The idea of treating the root cause of long-term physical discomfort through Rolf Movement Therapy is not new. The phrase was coined by Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the 1940s when she developed her original Rolfing® technique to help people heal from injuries and chronic muscular pain to maintain their quality of life.
The goal behind this method is to release tension in muscles and fascia, which are often the root cause of chronic muscle pain in areas such as the back or neck that can manifest years after an initial injury or trauma or when there is no physical cause for the pain present.
Rolfing® is a type of massage therapy that focuses on the deeper layers of muscles and connective tissues. It is designed to release muscle tension and lengthen tight structures.
Treating the Root Cause of Long-term Physical Discomfort through Rolf Movement Therapy
Rolfing’s ® goal is to improve the body’s alignment, enhance balance, and relieve pain or discomfort in muscles and joints. It has been used clinically since the early 1971s. However, Ida Rolf, the founder of this technique, has been using it since the late 1940s.
The benefits may include: an increased range of motion, reduced pain, improved posture, and gait, improved circulation, and decreased stress.
The technique is a holistic, non-invasive approach to human structural integration. It was developed by Dr. Ida Rolf, who was born in 1896 and died in 1979. She was a therapist and scientist who pioneered muscle energy techniques on humans and animals in the 1920s to help people recover from physical trauma.
More About Ida Rolf
She began her studies at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in 1920. From there, she went on to do more research in organic chemistry at the Rockefeller Institute. Despite the fact that it was an all-male, for the most part, profession, Ida carried on to develop her structural integration technique.
She soon realized that the body functions optimally when it is entirely in alignment. This would provide her patients with better overall health. She was always intrigued by all forms of homeopathic healing, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, and yoga. This proper alignment is the basis for most of these sorts of healing techniques.
Ida devoted her entire life to perfecting the technique that is known today. This technique works by manual massage that helps relieve imbalances throughout the body and spine to align the patients again. This technique works with the ligaments, tendons, fascia, and muscles to release the tension and help the spine and body return to their natural position.
Ida had discovered that by doing this, the body would take on gravity much better. While a person’s body was out of alignment, this alignment was only made worse over time with gravity. Once she had perfected this technique, she wanted to share it with others. This was revolutionary at the time, and there wasn’t much out there like this. In 1971 she opened her institute. However, she began teaching these methods in the mid-1960s at the Esalen Institute.
This manual manipulation technique is non-invasive, and just about anyone would benefit from it. It is used to treat the body as a whole and not directed at a particular ailment. It is thought that if the body was perfectly aligned that it could function optimally. Ida started studying this to help her and her sons with various ailments.
The technique is usually done in 10 sessions that are called the recipe. The first sessions are used to start at a superficial level. This will help gradually prepare the body. The second one goes a bit deeper into the tissues. During this phase, there is a focus on the hips. It is thought this is a warm-up for the body. Start lightly and gradually get deeper. The last portion focuses on the overall body.
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Rolfing® is a registered trademark owned by the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration