About Rolfing

What is Rolfing? A hands-on manual therapeutic and educational method developed by the American bio-chemist Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1950s. Rolfing works with fascia, the body-wide system that you’ve (possibly) never heard of.

So what is fascia then? Fascia is quite literally everywhere in our bodies: organs are wrapped in fascia, muscles slide along inside their fascial wrappings… even nerves glide in fascial sheaths! It is the connective tissue net that communicates between the tiniest cells to the biggest muscle structures (and all the organs in between).

What can Rolfing do? It’s particularly helpful in addressing patterns of chronic strain/repetitive motion and less than ideal postural habits – like the forward head posture induced by screen-heavy work, the ubiquitous lower back pain from slump-sitting in under-supportive chairs, or the RSI that might come from working with your hands.

How does that happen then? We do this through manual and movement interventions (i.e., hands-on as well as functional movement) and perceptual work. We work together, client and Rolfer, to restore movement to areas that might have been closed off through injury, habit or stress and support greater balance through the whole of your structure. It’s the practice, so far as I can tell, of addressing your individual best potential for dealing with this situation we have on Earth called ‘gravity’.

What does Rolfing help? Long-standing/chronic issues related to lower back pain, disc ‘issues’, scoliosis, RSI-related issues (carpal tunnel, thoracic outlet, tennis elbow… frozen shoulders…) pronated, ‘collapsed’ feet, ‘lordotic’ spines, ‘kyphotic’ spines. It also is ideal for individuals recovering from surgery, injury or generally struggling with ‘undiagnosed’ niggles that worsen rather than better themselves with rest and time. It might also alleviate feelings of limitation in postures (yogic or otherwise!) or particular ranges of movement or ways of sitting at a desk or re-discovering perceptual and gait patterns post-surgery/injury.

I will be based at The Old Surgery on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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