To start: What’s Rolfing?

More than30 percentof adults in the U.S. are living with chronic or severe pain. If you’re part of that statistic, you know how devastating living with severe or daily pain can be.

治疗chronic pain定义为持续12周或更长时间的疼痛，取决于根本原因。例如，对于肌肉骨骼问题和炎症，抗炎药，冰，热和拉伸可能是有益的。

For many people, taking prescription drugs long-term may not be the best option to treat pain. The good news is, there are other methods of managing chronic pain.

不同的事物适用于不同的身体和伤害：针灸，深层组织按摩，泻盐浴，抗炎饮食，瑜伽等等。

Rolfing Structural Integrationis one technique people who live with daily pain might not have explored yet. Developed in the 1960s, Rolfing is increasing in popularity again in the alternative health community.

To understand how this method is helping people get relief from chronic pain, you’ll need to an overview of Rolfing and how it’s different from just getting a deep tissue massage.

According to Certified Advanced RolferJenny Rock, Rolfing is a systematic and holistic method of manipulating the muscle andfasciato help the body return to structural balance in movement and gravity.

Once this happens, Rock says the body’s natural mechanisms take over and finish the job of correcting these imbalances.

Makes sense, right? But how does the practitioner accomplish this?

“In a basic 10 series of Rolfing sessions, a Rolfing practitioner systematically addresses the places of strain, misalignment, and restricted motion that exist within the body pattern as a whole,” explainsRussell Stolzoff, Certified Advanced Rolfer and senior faculty member at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.

“Sometimes where you feel pain is a point of strain within a larger pattern,” explains Stolzoff. That’s why working with the whole pattern can help diminish pain that is maintained or kept in place by the strain.

How is Rolfing different than a deep tissue massage?

  1. While Rolfing might feel similar to a very deep massage, Rolfing practitioners will massage the muscles and fascia not only where you’re feeling pain, but all over your body. The goal is to fix your body’s posture and structure so that your body will correct any lingering imbalances that are causing the pain.

With chronic pain, there’s a good chance you struggle to understand why your pain persists. Stolzoff says this is a common concern for both the practitioner and the person seeking relief.

“If pain being caused by a form of serious illness can be ruled out, the chances are good that Rolfing Structural Integration can play a positive role in the treatment of the condition,” he says.

Here are seven things that Rock and Stolzoff say you should know about Rolfing and chronic pain before deciding to move forward.

“You should know that Rolfing can be an effective non-medical, non-drug method to address chronic neuromuscular pain,” explains Stolzoff.

俄勒冈健康与科学大学医学院综合疼痛中心已有incorporated alternative and complementary therapies，包括Rolfing，进入他们的实践。

However, there’ve been limited studies on Rolfing’s effectiveness. Two small studies in 2014 and 2015 and found that Rolfing can decrease pain levels for people withfibromyalgia和lower back pain, at least in the short term.

“It took time to get into chronic pain, it will take some time to recover,” explains Rock. Her advice: be patient.

A good rule of thumb, she says, is that for every year of pain, allow yourself one month of weekly sessions. Although Rock says you should notice improvements with every session.

It’s also likely that you’re going to need to make ongoing lifestyle changes to assist in maintaining and furthering the changes from Rolfing. “This may include ergonomics, footwear, pillows, yoga, nutrition, etc.,” explains Rock.

Rolfing can be helpful when chronic stiffness, compression from injury or surgery, held postures that inhibit fluid motion, or repetitive motion are keeping your pain levels up.

罗尔夫是经常深,有时强烈nd uncomfortable, yet Rock says that it’s never meant to be painful. “Rolfing should never be more uncomfortable than the chronic pain you’re already in,” she explains.

If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain, chances are that is the area you focus most of your energy on.

However, with Rolfing, Stolzoff says you’ll discover other places in your body that may be playing a role in your pain. Knowing this information can be helpful in your overall treatment plan.

Rock说，要知道您的组织保持并释放肌肉记忆，您可能会在桌子上和桌子上表面表面表面表面表面。她解释说：“这通常是康复过程的一部分，因此看起来似乎很奇怪，实际上是有帮助的。”

Rolfing, especially for chronic pain, needs to be done by a certified and skilled practitioner. Rock suggests you find a Rolfer that you connect with since it’s a very personal process.

And the best part? There’s virtually no risk to trying Rolfing, and there are no side effects.

“I always tell my clients that it’s an experiment,” says Stolzoff. “If it works, then great. But if it doesn’t, there is no harm done.”

To find a certified Rolfer, visit the Rolf Institute’swebsite.

Sara Lindberg, BS, MEd, is a freelance health and fitness writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in counseling. She’s spent her life educating people on the importance of health, wellness, mindset, and mental health. She specializes in the mind-body connection, with a focus on how our mental and emotional well-being impact our physical fitness and health.