Over the past few weeks I have mentioned that I started seeing a Rolfer at my chiropractor’s office. What is Rolfing? Good question. It sounds like a made up word, not to be confused with “ROFL”. I assure you that it’s a real thing. I had read about it before my chiropractor mentioned it to me but I didn’t realize it was covered by insurance. The providers I had come across charged about the same, or more, as a massage therapist and recommended about 10 treatments. That was why I never pursued it, even though I was intrigued. So knowing that this would be targeted specifically to address my injury, and I just had to pay a copay, I decided it was worth a try.
What is ROLFING?
According to the ROLF Institute of Structural Integration website, Rolfing is a form of bodywork that reorganizes the connective tissues, called fascia, that permeate the entire body. It was named by it’s founder, Ida Rolf. Have you ever heard the quote “Where you think it is, it aint?” I have seen this quote on Instagram (referenced often by Stop Chasing Pain) and this is one of the philosophies behind Rolfing. Just because your foot hurts, doesn’t mean that’s where the problem is.
I like this chart that Perry Nickelston shared on Instagram: 
So basically the idea behind Rolfing is to realign the body and restore optimal functioning. Past injuries can play a huge part in how we move even if we don’t realize it. To me the sessions have felt alot like massage, but I can tell that my therapist can recognize which areas need work. Not only does she work on helping to restore balance by physically treating the muscles, but we also talk about why certain areas may be off and how to address some of the issues I’m having.
What have I learned from ROLFING so far?
I went in and explained my ongoing foot/ankle dilemma. I also mentioned how my right SI Joint flares up once in a awhile. As we talked I received treatment on those areas. There were a few takeaways from the experience:
- Obviously sitting all day is not helping the back issue. The more I can get up during the work day, the better.
- I asked if she had any recommendations for shoes. We talked about about the benefits of natural movement. This includes allowing our feet to fully splay out and not wearing shoes with a heel that can bring the body out of alignment.
- We talked about how the right side of my back is probably compensating for an issue on the left side. (Maybe weakness or tightness from my surgery.)
- She thinks that my arches look much better of than most feet, especially for spending a lot of time in shoes. Some of the areas of my ankle are not moving well. She’s been working on getting those spots loosened up.
- She suggested walking around barefoot at home as much as I can handle. I should also think about spreading my toes when I walk and try to put equal weight on both sides.
- My hips/legs are kind of out of alignment. This is probably because of all the stuff going on with my foot and back. She has ever so gently tried to help to get them back to neutral.
Our conversations and sessions have made me more aware of my body and how I’m moving. I’ve also been a lot more focused on my breathing both because of this and my strength program. I’m not sure it this will get me back to where I want to be, but its definitely an important piece of the puzzle.
Have you ever heard of ROLFING?
Would you consider trying something like this?
How do you think your past injuries affect you now?
I’m linking up with No Guilt Life, MCM Mama Runs, and Marcia’s Healthy Slice for Tuesdays on the Run, and Rachel, Susie, Lora, and Debbie for the Coaches’ Corner!
I have heard of it & always wanted to try it; but I like to try pretty much everything! I very much doubt my insurance would cover it. 🙁
I like to try all treatment modalities too! Anything to prevent/recover from injury:)
I’ve never heard of ROLFING before but it makes sense. I have been wondering recently if my right hip is actually a hip problem anymore or if there is something else in the chain that’s off. I’ve had hip problems in the past so I assumed my tight right hip was more of the same, but I’ve been stretching and stretching and stretching and it’s not loosening up like usual. After I get a diagnosis on my calf I’ll probably see what’s going on with the hip if it doesn’t resolve itself. Maybe it’s just angry at the increase in squats/lunges/lower body work recently.
Hmm where in your hip is it tight? If you google ‘trigger points’ there are actually maps of where pain can often be referred from!
I’ve never tried Rolfing but the philosophy is familiar to me. When I kept injuring my feet, I started working with Becky. Turns out, it was my hips and glutes that needed to power up. What a difference that strength training made for me!
Everything Im doing lately is reminding me that my hip flexors are still tight and my glutes are still weak.That stuff can totally cause issues with the feet!
I have never heard of Rolfing. I think it’d give it a chance to see if it would help. You will have to keep us posted!
I will! Unfortunately the appointments fill up quickly so I cant go back for a few weeks. But I do think its helping!
I’ve never heard of rolfing before but I’m totally intrigued now. I do active release therapy every other week (will be weekly soon), an it’s been helpful, but I’m always looking for anything to help with my running, lol.
I like ART too! But its pretty intense. In Rolfing they want you to focus on the area that should be relaxing and breathe into it.
Ooooh SO INTERESTING! I’d definitely try it out if I kept having recurrent injuries/issues, but so far so good. I have the mentality that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
I totally agree! I mean, it feels good but theres no reason to spend the time or money on something that you don’t really need!
So interesting… I think my PT is doing this without using that term. But we’ve been trying to break up the tissue around the tendon to help it release and heal. It’s so true that where it hurts is not necessarily where the problem is!
Im sure other professionals do the same thing or something similar but don’t call it that! I think after an areas been injured it often times needs some help to start moving properly again.
Where it hurts, it ain’t. I started realizing that a while ago, and my current chiro is having me work on my kinetic chain. From the sounds of it, my tight muscles all around my knee are contributing to my ITBS. It’s no joke that everything’s connected.
Yep everything is totally connected! It can be confusing to figure out the actual cause of pain.
I’ve heard of Rolfing before, although honestly sometimes I have a hard time keeping all of the PT treatments straight! And it’s so true that where it hurts isn’t always the injury. My calves have been the culprit of my PF and a problem with my ankle that I had 7 or so years ago. I remember going into my appointments for that and spending so much time just getting bodywork done on my calves!
All these terms can definitely get confusing! I feel like tight calves are often times the cause of foot issues.
It is amazing how everything is connected. I like the flow chart. That flow chart is basically the definition of all of my problems…
Right? I mean its so logical but often we keep treating the same area over and over, but if it doesnt get better we need to look somewhere else.
I have heard of Rolfing – my coworker had it done a really long time ago (like 25 years ago!) and he had quite a spiritual experience with it, so I assumed it was kinda painful and tortuous! 😉 As for me, I’m pretty squirmy during massages, and didn’t care for deep tissue massage at all, so I might not like Rolfing I’m thinking. I’m back to a PT person again and trying something new. Hope this helps you out!
I feel like I would describe it as hurting in a good way. Ive had ART sessions that made me want to cry, and the dry needling was not always fun, but my Rolfer said this should be manageable. I hope the new PT stuff helps you!