Rolfing Massage Therapy

One of the more popular forms of therapeutic massage, the Rolfing massage therapy has been around for quite sometime now. The following article will tell you more about the Rolfing massage therapy and its techniques.

With more and more importance being given to in the recent times, there are a lot of techniques that have come up to replace the already existing ones. One such technique is the Rolfing massage therapy. The way Rolfing therapy works is that it places importance on the stimulation of the connective tissues of the body. It is used mainly when dealing with pain related to the cervix, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, Achilles tendonitis, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). Read more on

What is Rolfing Massage Therapy?

The Rolfing massage technique was generated by Dr. Ida Rolf, a biochemist. It is also known as the Rolfing Structural Integration. The Rolfing massage therapy aims to bring about vertical alignment of certain organs of the body, namely - the pelvis, head, shoulders, legs, and thorax. This it does by using physical manipulation and movement awareness. The Rolfing massage therapy lengthens the body's trunk and lifts the head and chest. Thereby, the person needs to use less energy and can use his muscle power more efficiently. At the end of the Rolfing massage therapy, a person is able to function better and smoother and his entire body structure is gravitationally rebalanced.

The Rolfing massage therapy unblocks the bound tissues in the body, which become so after going through scarring and injuries. Once these blocked knots are smoothed over, the effect is that the muscles and bones, (which were bent because of the knot) can now correct, realign and balance themselves, in accordance with gravity.

Let us explain this in more detail: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction? Correct? Similarly, the body also has the same theme going on for itself. When one muscle contracts, the opposite muscle lengthens. For example, if I bend my knee, then the calf muscles will lengthen. This is how the balance and alignment of the body is maintained and that is actually how it should work. But many a times, there are unnatural actions which take place in the muscular unity of the system. For example, if a person bends while walking, and continues to do that, then he will develop a hump after a certain passage of time. This is because it is working against gravity and overtime will become out of alignment with the body. So the muscles of the back will not be given a chance to relax, and will shorten and lose flexibility. And the body will get a signal that this is the correct posture to follow. This will then lead to muscular dysfunction and loss of energy. And therefore affect overall health. And that is the reason why the Rolfing massage therapy is given so much importance.

The Rolfing massage therapy also works on the 'hot spots' of the body and treats them. Hot spots are the places in which the physical and mental traumas of the body are situated. This technique will identify these places and then realign the muscles in that area, to the correct posture by the application of the Rolfing massage therapy styles. Read more on

Rolfing Massage Therapy Styles

There are 3 stages to how the Rolfing Massage therapy is carried out. They are as follows:

Palpation
In this, a professional Rolfer will examine the patient's fascia tissues, imbalance in the texture of the tissues, the temperature and quality and to generate an understanding of exactly where the therapy should be administered.

Discrimination
In this stage, the Rolfer will separate the fascia layers which have been strained, injured or scarred and therefore have been pulled out of position.

Integration
This is the final stage where the therapist will realign the body and bring it into balance again according to the gravitational field.

For best results, the therapist will carry out 10 sessions of the Rolfing massage therapy. Read more on
Many patients who have been suffering from chronic pain have reported feeling instant relief after going through the Rolfing massage therapy. The Rolfing massage therapy also generates feelings of rejuvenation, improved posture, coordination, regeneration of core strength, a general feeling of lightness, improved breathing and overall physical harmony. With the therapy offering all that, would you really want to give it a miss?