ROLF METHOD OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION
Rolf Method of Structural Integration (SI), is a holistic system of bodywork and movement education that organizes your whole body in gravity. Structural Integration works with connective tissue, also known as fascia. Due to physical injury, emotional trauma, or inefficient, chronic patterns of movement, adhesions can form in the body’s fascia which can result in pain and limit our range of motion. Rolfing aligns and balances the body by lengthening and repositioning the fascia. As fascia is lengthened, it allows the muscles to move more efficiently and with less pain. The practitioner will apply pressure to the body, working the entire fascial system in a systematic way. When restricted fascia is released, the body can return to its structurally optimal position in gravity.
Instead of feeling weighted down by gravity, there is a sense of lift and organization that many people experience. People seek Rolfing as a way to improve their posture, reduce or eliminate pain and relieve chronic stress. SI can literally change the shape of your body, and is used by many professional athletes and dancers to improve performance.
Results include a more relaxed and supported structure, balanced tone throughout the tissues, ease and fluidity of movement, greater breathing capacity, better balance, less effort in activity and increased energy overall. Structural Integration changes lives!
[twenty20 img1=”4419″ img2=”4418″ width=”20%” offset=”0.5″]Before and After of 10 week Rolfing series – Notice Shoulder alignment.
Single SI Session, 60 min – 90 min $200
SI 10-Series Package: 10 Sessions, 60 min – 90 min $2000
***Cancellation Policy: We require a minimum of 24 hours cancellation notice prior to your visit to avoid a charge for services booked.
Scar Tissue Structural Integration
Micro tears, injury and surgery can all produce scar tissue which can create problems, restrict our full range of motion, and create unnecessary pain and discomfort in the acute stages or even years later. Rolfing can work directly with scar tissue and in many cases free up deeply held restrictions and pain patterns. Cesarean, mastectomy or any other scars respond beyond most people’s expectations.
Scar Tissue SI: $200
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is fascia so important?
Fascia surrounds every cell in the body. Fascia enwraps, supports and separates the muscle fibers, bones and organs throughout your body in continuous web of layers. This fascial web is the body’s internal support system which gives strength and shape to our bodies. When the fascia responds to injury, chronic tension and habitual movements it secrets a fluid that protects at first but then dry’s and creates a glue like substance therefore sticking one layer of fascia to another. As the fascia thickens and shortens it limits our range of motion and refers pain either locally or through out other areas of the body. These adhesions can pull the body out of alignment with gravity and enhance the body’s pain response over time. Fascia is continuous like a web so as we apply pressure or stretch the tissue in one area it affects the entire web over the whole body.
How are Massage and Rolfing Different?
Unlike Massage, Structural Integration focuses on the fascia not on the individual muscles. SI looks at the whole body. It addresses chronic patterns in our movement and posture that contribute to the pain felt in our bodies. SI is interested in resolving long term pain responses. It is the process of integrating the body’s segments as it frees up the adhesions in the fascia that have caused restrictions and pain. Structural Integration helps to provide support and efficient movements as we carry ourselves in life. Massage is a broad term that refers to many styles of bodywork. In general, massage promotes relaxation, detoxifies the body, increases circulation and loosens tight tissue. A deep relaxing Swedish massage helps to melt away the stresses of the day. Deep Tissue massage works to release the pain response in certain areas such as the neck or low back. SI works to release those same areas but is also concerned with how the pain got there in the first place. SI addresses what is going on in the other parts of the body that have played a part in promoting the restrictions or painful symptoms. Chronic stresses, strains and discomforts typically disappear as clients transform themselves through the Structural Integration process. Structural Integration achieves results that are visible.
How did Rolfing get started?
Dr. Ida P. Rolf was the founder of Structural Integration. Dr. Rolf received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University in 1920 and furthered her knowledge of the body through her scientific work in organic chemistry at the Rockefeller Institute. Her extensive search for solutions to family health problems led her to examine many systems that studied the effects of the body’s structure and function. Her studies included Yoga, Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Feldenkraise Movement and Alexander Technique among others. Dr. Rolf combined her research with her scientific knowledge to stimulate a deeper appreciation of the body’s structural order in a unique way by working with fascia (connective tissue) to organize the body in its relationship to gravity. She called her work Structural Integration, but others commonly referred to it as “Rolfing.”
How do I know if Rolfing is right for me?
A typical SI client has chronic discomforts or old injuries that interfere with daily activities. Often, clents have tried several other therapeutic interventions with disappointing results. SI clients want to feel differently in their bodies. It is important for SI clients to want to learn how to use their bodies in healthier ways. Most people know that SI is right for them before they make their first appointment. If you inquire and are still unsure, the best way to find out is to try one session. There is no obligation to continue with the series if you decide that Structural Integration is not appropriate for you.
What is the Rolfing (10 series) like?
The work of Structural Integration is commonly referred to as the “10 Series”. This consists of 10 sessions lasting 60-80 minutes which are designed to balance your body in segments with each session addressing a different aspect of your structure and movement. The results become cumulative as each session adds to the results of the previous session. The amount of time between sessions varies and is determined on an individual basis. The average spacing between the sessions is generally one to three weeks apart. The process begins with a consultation to understand your goals as well as a brief exploration of your health and personal history to help guide the process. You will be observed as you stand and move to assess your levels of balance, alignment, and posture. Pressure is applied to your body in a systematic way incorporating a variety of techniques including slow, deep stretching strokes. The fascia begins to unwind and the strain patterns release their hold on the body. You may be asked to breath into a particular area or to make subtle coordinated movements in response to the pressure. The pressure of the manipulations combined with your attention and responses help to facilitate release and realignment of your body’s segments.
SI will also help you to become aware of inhibiting movement patterns in your body by incorporating movement education throughout the sessions. The subtle movement lessons help to change these habitual patterns and achieve more pain free movement. The aim is to empower you so that the work becomes your own and continues even off the table. Many people experience changes in their daily activities such as sitting, walking and breathing.
What happpens after I’ve finished the 10 series?
After the basic 10 Series is complete, a client usually allows a period of time for the body to adapt and fully integrate before scheduling additional work. This period of time could be anywhere from one month to one year depending on the individual needs of the client. Following this wait period, tune-up sessions will help to refresh the feeling of integration and balance.
Post 10 series sessions are offered in groups of 3 or 5 sessions in order to address acute injuries or imbalances which may develop in response to additional stress, trauma and lifestyle changes. Additional movement work is also offered to help facilitate the changes that occured during the 10 series.
Does Rolfing hurt?
SI does not have to be painful to work. Much of the time SI is relaxing and a pleasurable degree of pressure is applied. At other times there can be brief moments of uncomfortable pressure. These moments of discomfort are brief and associated with the release of deep, chronic tension, rather than the experience of harm. The perception of pain varies greatly from person to person. Clients enter the Structural Integration process with different tolerance levels. The quality of touch is constantly adjusted to the tolerance level of each client. The process works best when having open communication between client and practitioner so the appropriate amount of pressure is used at all times.
How does Movement Therapy help?
Movement therapy can address any restrictions in our daily movements, especially the basic patterns of breathing, sitting, standing, and walking. Movement therapy re-educates the nervous system, the fascia, the muscles and promotes less restriction and less pain. It helps you to become aware of the need to change inhibiting movement patterns in your body. Movement helps to utilize and maintain the structural changes that occur in SI work.
For example, movement work can help you to get out of bed in the mornings with less pain, stand in line at the grocery store with less backache. Movement work addresses the deepest layers of tissue, therefore helping to organize at the core. The more organized our bodies move the better we are at skiing, hiking or biking. We experience fewer injuries and we recover much faster if we do become injured. On some levels the nervous system is like a conductor of an orchestra. It tells the muscles what to do. With small intrinsic movements, we can reeducate our nervous system on how to communicate better with our muscles and joints producing a more efficient system of movement.
Testimonials
“I highly recommend Gene Tkatschenko and the Rolfing 10 Series. I just finished my 10 Series and I feel like my body has been reset! I’m pain free for the first time in years. I’ve played hard for 51 years and my body was letting me know that it needed help. I had chronic heel pain, chronic shoulder pain, and limited motion in many parts of my body. Gene was able to work with me to free up the connective tissue and help me improve my range of motion and live pain free. I was extremely impressed with his ability to identify the source of my problems and know what areas of the body to work on in order clear up one issue after another. Thank you Gene for resetting me so that I’m ready for the next 50 years!”
Barb Walker
Local Salida Athlete
“Ann Casey made a huge impact on me during our Rolfing sessions. I had hip pain for nearly 2 years and one session with Ann resolved the pain. As an osteopathic physician fellowship trained in sports medicine, I have worked with many athletes whose performance is hindered by pain and sometimes subtle structural dysfunction. Rolfing is an excellent treatment modality for many people suffering from musculoskeletal pain. I have recommended Rolfing to many of my patients and will continue to do so!”
Megan Grant-Nierman DO
Osteopathic Physician
Fulvio Faudella was a professional dancer with many different European Ballet Companies. He danced with the Scottish Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet and the Aterballetto Ballet to name a few. He began receiving Rolfing sessions years ago while in the highlight of his career. He later began receiving the 10 series with Ann and said..”receiving the 10 series from you was a great experience for me. I loved the compassion, the great touch, the vision, the respect and sense of understanding and professionality that you put into this work. I’ve been taking Rolfing sessions from many different Rolfers, I can tell you that I put you in the very top of the list. You are a great healer.”
Fulvio Faudella
Professional Dancer
“I just want to endorse the Rolfing technique and Ann Casey with helping me with my pain management and in achieving better movement in my joints and muscles. The ten weekly treatments are definitely worth the time and cost. The ten sessions helped me achieve my goals of less pain, better movement with daily activities, and better sleep at night. I am 55 years old and was a competitive athlete in many dangerous sports for over 46 years. I searched for many years for relief from numerous injuries. The Rolfing technique has been the best in my opinion of all the modalities I have tried throughout the years. It has helped me greatly.
Tom Small
Professional Weight Lifter/ Speed Boat Racer
“I don’t think of my body in separate “units” like I did before. I don’t compartmentalize it anymore. It now feels like it flows together smoothly and as one. I think of it as working together now where before my body felt as if it were separate pieces. I have so much more awareness of my body and how it flows through space. I feel less “mechanical”, more organic. Thank you so much for the experience, I am honored.”
Tracey Wagley
Psychologist
“I started the ten series with Ann per recommendation from my doctor to address chronic pain I had been experiencing for many years. Not only have I gained relief from pain all throughout my body but I am experiencing a more correct and upright posture. I also had an issue with my right shoulder drooping. This was corrected in the ninth hour and was like a miracle as I can’t remember how long I lived with that. I absolutely would recommend this treatment to anyone. This is a non invasive, relaxing, enjoyable, effective way to address many ailments and I really like that I am not putting pharmaceuticals in my body. Good for body, mind and soul.”
Dionne Rudney
Mom and Hard Core Mountain Biker
“A year ago I made up my mind that I would find a way to recover my ability to be active in life. I was so limited that I couldn’t even take a walk if the ground was uneven without throwing my back out. My knees would ache and I would get siatica pain shooting down my legs. As a consequence, my only physical options were to walk on a sidewalk, swim, and do yoga. Anything else set off too many problems. I had been dealing with this issue for three years and nothing I tried resolved the issue. After going through my ten rolfing sessions with Ann Casey, I have improved dramatically, I can now hike up and down hills, ride my bike, and even do Zumba classes. I am looking forward to getting back into cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. I am back to living the physical life I always took for granted before. This is the most important thing I did in all of 2010.”
Jennifer Joyce
LeadershipSmarts Coach
“I had chronic lower back, knee, ankle and elbow pain for over five years. By the end of the fourth session, I was pain free. As I continued with the rest of the sessions, it became easier to move and my body seemed to loosen up, as if all the friction was gone. My mindset also began to change. I no longer thought having aches and pains were a natural part of getting older, but I now believe I can live pain free. Thanks so much for the great work.”
Steve Redmond
Retired US Military
“For at least 5 years I had a neck issue. On my best days, I had shooting pains when I would turn my head to the left, on my worst days, I couldn’t turn my head to the left. I tried everything, and at last I contacted Ann to work on my neck. She suggested Rolfing and it worked. Not only can I now turn my head to the left without pain, but I feel better overall. My back and legs feel better and more aligned. I notice when I am off kilter and correct it, so that I don’t fall back into the bad posture and pain that I used to have, and my body feels right when I correct it. I have recommended Ann to my wife and friends, I can’t think of any better way to feel better overall than a full series of Rolfing.”
Bill Smith
Attorney
“Just wanted to tell you how much the Rolfing I received from you helped me become more aware of where my body was ‘holding’ tension. More than once following a session, I noticed that certain movements–everything from doing pushups to sitting up straight–felt more effortless. And I have rarely felt so relaxed after receiving bodywork. Thanks again!”
Carol Ahuna
Psychologist
“I am a 29 year old statewide property/wildlife technician for the CO Div. of Wildlife and alot of my duty is to hike with signs and weight and mark property boundaries with signs. My job requires a lot of lifting, hiking, post pounding, and other various labor. I also live an active life full of hiking, skiing, ice hockey, among others. I had arthroscopic shoulder surgery and after treatment (and all during) from Ann Casey through the 10-series rolfing technique, I have improved motion and less pain in my shoulder and supporting muscles in my upper back, shoulder blades, neck, and traps. My posture has improved and I have a better awareness of how my body works as one unit, rather than separate parts. Even old sports injuries from high school and college that had started to affect my body as I’ve gotten older, are now a distant memory due to the way rolfing “resets” the body’s holistic connective tissues to a natural state, which has allowed me to re-train and improve my posture and structural body movements for the long-term. I highly recommend Ann Casey and the Rolfing 10-series. Rolfing is intense at times, but Ann adjusts the intensity accoringly to avoid working the body into pain and extended soreness. Thanks to Ann for being great at her profession, helping to ease the pain during my shoulder rehab and for the long-term!”
Zack Spezze
CO Wildlife Technician
One individual may perceive his losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain
in his back, another as the unflattering contour of his body, another as
constant fatigue, yet another as an unrelentingly threatening environment.
Those over 40 may begin to call it old age. And yet all these signals may
be pointing to a single problem, so ubiquitous in their own structure as
well as in the fellow men that it has been ignored: they are off balance.
They are all at war with gravity.
– Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D
For more information on Rolfing visit http://www.rolfguild.org/ or www.salidawellness.com call 719.539.2700 or email: info@integrateyourself.com.