Can Rolfing® help me?

  

Rolfing continually softens and remolds the scar tissue, until mobility is increased. Eventually, bones will realign to a more normal position.

by Deanna Melnychuk — 

Rolfers are asked many interesting questions about what Rolfing can do to correct structural imbalances in the body. Following are answers to some of these questions

Question: Can Rolfing help me if one hip is higher than the other and if my head thrusts forward?

Body misalignment: If you stack building blocks off center, the tug of gravity will eventually topple them. Similarly, if your head is thrust forward, with your ears in front of your shoulders, the muscles supporting the head will come under tremendous strain as your body ages, causing neck and/or back pain. This is a result of the relentless pull of gravity.

If one hip is higher than the other, you are probably swaying as you walk — not a very energy-efficient movement. Rolfing restacks the segments of your body, creating an upward lift, which improves posture and enhances vitality.

Question: I have just had surgery. What can I do about the scars, which are thick and tight?

Surgery scars: Scar tissue is fibrous and tough. It does not just affect the outer layers of the skin but also sends fibers deep inside the body. These thickened “supports” impede the movement and circulation of cellular nutrition, restricting and shortening the area.

Often body segments become misaligned because of the shortening on one side; for example, emergency removal of the spleen may create deep scarring on the left side of the body, causing a misalignment of the hips.

Rolfing continually softens and remolds the scar tissue, until mobility is increased. Eventually, bones will realign to a more normal position.

Question: I was in a car accident 10 years ago. Why do my shoulder and hip still bother me?

Accidents: An injury, even one that occurred years ago, can alter your body mechanics, i.e., the way you walk or reach. The result can be low- or mid-back pain, neck strain and/or loss of arm movement. Seldom would you connect the pain of walking or reaching with a decades-old injury.

It is a fact, however, that years of movement in the restricted pattern causes a disproportionate amount of mechanical stress in the connective tissue, which then becomes drier and thickens into bands. Rolfing and Rolfing Movement Integration help the soft tissue to regain its normal position and length, and redistribute the stresses.

The miracle of our bodies is that they are more “plastic” than generally understood, and they can and will change for the better. It does take awareness, patience and a willingness to make it all happen, however.

Reduction or elimination of pain is a great motivator to get started with a 10-session Rolfing program. As one client so aptly stated, “Rolfing gave me back my life.”

Deanna Melnychuk, B.Sc., is a certified advanced Rolfer and Rolfing® movement practitioner, licensed massage therapist, Reiki master, cranioSacral therapist and reflexologist. 602-404-8685 or www.rolfingcentre.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 4, Aug/Sept 2010.