|
Rolfing, also known as Structural Integration, is a codified series of soft tissue manipulation, which purports to organize soft tissue relationships, with the objectives of realigning the body structurally and harmonizing its fundamental movement patterns. This is said to enhance vitality and well-being. Manipulative therapy involves use of body work or massage therapy and other physical manipulation of the body for healing, such as osteopathy, and chiropractic. ...
Rolfing was developed in the early to mid 1950's by Ida Pauline Rolf (1896-1979). Rolf obtained her PhD in biochemistry in 1922; her dissertation concerned the chemistry of unsaturated phosphatides. The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ...
Phosphatidate (red: phosphate group, blue & green: fatty acid) Phosphatidates are biochemical compounds that consist of a glycerol backbone, with a (usually) saturated fatty acid bonded to carbon-1, a (usually) unsaturated fatty acid bonded to carbon-2 and a phosphate group bonded to carbon-3. ...
She proposed to develop a method of organizing the human structure in relationship with gravity, which she originally called Structural Integration of the Human Body. Early consumers of Structural Integration coined the word Rolfing from the surname of Ida Rolf. Since the early 1970's, Rolfing has been a service mark of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, the school founded by Rolf. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...
According to Rolf, bound up fascia (or 'connective tissue') often restricts opposing muscles from functioning independently from each other. She proposed to separate the bound up fascia by deeply separating the fibers manually, and by re-engaging effective movement patterns. Adequate knowledge of living anatomy and hands-on training were required, she said, in order for a practitioner to safely negotiate the appropriate manipulations and depths necessary to free up this bound-up fascia. Fascia is a specialized connective tissue layer which surrounds muscles, bones, and joints, providing support and protection and giving structure to the body. ...
A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ...
Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ...
Rolfers often prescribe a certain number of sequenced sessions to gradually "unlock" the whole body, usually beginning with the muscles that control breathing. Some people find the experience of Rolfing painful. The Basic Series taught by Dr. Rolf contains ten sessions. A "tune-up series" of a variable number of sessions, and an "Advanced Series" of five sessions is also available, typically after a settling period of time.
Currently the Rolf Institute and a number of other schools teach the method as presented by Rolf. Many modern modalities of "Deep-Tissue Bodywork" can trace their lineage back to Rolfing and the legacy of Ida Rolf's theories about the fascia.
Criticisms Skeptics claim that the theories the program advances (the idea that there is some sort of disharmony in body movement that can cause illness, and the idea of a connection between muscle movement and trapped emotional experiences) are unproven, and that there is no medical value to the program over conventional exercise and massage after taking into account the placebo effect. [1] The placebo effect (Latin placebo, I shall please), first mentioned in 1955 by Henry K. Beecher, M.D. [1] and also known as non-specific effects and the subject-expectancy effect, is the phenomenon that a patients symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment, since the individual...
External links | 
Feeds |
Contact