Rolfing

Rolfing ( )<ref>"Rolfing". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.</ref> is a form of alternative medicine originally developed by Ida Rolf (1896–1979) as Structural Integration.<ref name=recipe1/><ref name=Sherman>,

 Development of a taxonomy to describe massage treatments for musculoskeletal pain, 
 BMC Complement Altern Med, 
 2006,
 Vol. 6,
 pp. 24,
 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-6-24,
 PMID: 16796753,
 PMC: 1544351,</ref> It is typically delivered as a series of ten hands-on physical manipulation sessions sometimes called "the recipe". It is based on Rolf's ideas about how the human body's "energy field" can benefit when aligned with the Earth's gravitational field.<ref name=gospel>{{{last}}}, 
 Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., 
  
 Rolfing and Physical Reality. online version, 
  
 Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-1-62055-338-1,</ref><ref name=sd/> Practitioners combine superficial and deep manual therapy with movement prompts.<ref name="Deutsch" /> The process is sometimes painful.<ref name=acs/> It is not known whether Rolfing is safe.<ref name=aus17/><ref name=barden/>

The principles of Rolfing contradict established medical knowledge,<ref name=clow/> and there is no good evidence Rolfing is effective for the treatment of any health condition.<ref name=aus17/> It is recognized as a pseudoscience<ref name= "pop">

"The idea of vital energy... does not correspond to known facts of how the human body operates. Similarly, there is absolutely no support in psychological literature for the idea of traumatic experiences being repressed in the form of muscle memory, and so the basic ideas of Rolfing certainly fall into the category of pseudoscience."</ref> and has been characterized as quackery.<ref name="agin"/><ref name="Shapiro 2010"/>

Conceptual basis

Ida Rolf described the body as organized around an axis perpendicular to the earth, parallel to the pull of gravity, and she believed the function of the body was optimal when it was organized in that way. She saw the body as continuously in a struggle with gravity; in her view, gravity tends to shorten fascia, leading to disorder of the body's arrangement around its axis and creating imbalance, inefficiency in movement, and pain.<ref name="Houglum">Peggy,

 Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries. online version, 
 4th edition, 
 Human Kinetics, 
 2016, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780736075954, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 432–4,</ref> Rolfers aim to lengthen the fascia in order to restore the body's arrangement around its axis and facilitate improved movement.<ref name="Houglum"/>  Rolf also discussed this in terms of "energy" and said:

Rolfers make a life study of relating bodies and their fields to the earth and its gravity field, and we so organize the body that the gravity field can reinforce the body's energy field. This is our primary concept.<ref name=rolf1976>Ida P.,

Rolfing and Physical Reality. online version,

Healing Arts Press, 1990,

ISBN 978-1-62055-338-1,</ref><ref name=sd/>

The manipulation is sometimes referred to as a type of bodywork, or as a type of massage.<ref name="Sherman"/><ref name= "Levine">Andrew,

 The Bodywork and Massage Sourcebook, 
  
 Lowell House, 
 1998, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780737300987, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 209–234,</ref><ref name= "Cassar">Mario-Paul, 
  
 Handbook of Clinical Massage: A Complete Guide for Students and Practitioners, 
 2nd edition, 
 Churchill Livingstone, 
 2004, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780443073496, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 48–49,</ref><ref name="Gale Mental">, 
  
 The Gale Encyclopedia Of Mental Disorders. online version, 
  
 Gale, 
 2003, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780787657697,</ref> Some osteopaths were influenced by Rolf,<ref name=riggs>{{{last}}}, 
 Riggs A, 
  
 Modalities for Massage and Bodywork, 
 2nd edition, 
 Elsevier, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-0323239318, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 152,</ref> and some of her students became teachers of massage, including one of the founders of myofascial release.<ref name= "Knaster">Mirka, 
  
 Discovering the Body's Wisdom: A Comprehensive Guide to More Than Fifty Mind-Body Practices, 
  
 Bantam, 
 1996, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780307575500, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 195–208,</ref> 

Rolf claimed to have found an association between emotions and the soft tissue, writing "although rolfing is not primarily a psychotherapeutic approach to the problems of humans", it does constitute an "approach to the personality through the myofascial collagen components of the physical body".<ref name=ipr>Ida Rolf quoted in ,

 Rolfing and Physical Reality, 
  
 Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 
 1990, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-89281-380-3, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 26–27,</ref> She claimed Rolfing could balance the mental and emotional aspects of subjects, and that "the amazing psychological changes that appeared in Rolfed individuals were completely unexpected".<ref name=ipr/> Rolfers suggest their manipulations can cause the release of painful repressed memories.<ref name="contro" /> Rolfers also hold that by manipulating the body they can bring about changes in personality; for example, teaching somebody to walk with confidence will make them a more confident person.<ref name=elpsy>{{{last}}}, 
 Roeckelein JE, 
  
 Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories, 
  
 Elsevier, 
 2006, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-08-046064-2,</ref> The connection between physical structure and psychology has not been proven by scientific studies.<ref name=sd>Robert Todd, 
  
 The Skeptic's Dictionary, 
 Online edition, 
  
  
  
  
 ISBN 9780471272427,</ref>

Technique

Rolfers posit that they manipulate the body's fascial layers.<ref name=broc>

What is Rolfing® Structural Integration?(link). Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.

Accessed 2016-07-13.

</ref><ref>,

 Contemporary Medical-Surgical Nursing, 
 2nd edition, 
 Cengage Learning, 
 2011, 
  
 Volume: 1, 
 ISBN 978-1439058664,</ref> Rolfing also uses a combination of active and passive movement retraining.<ref name=Schultz>, 
  
 The Endless Web: Fascial Anatomy and Physical Reality, 
  
 North Atlantic Books, 
 1996, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-1556432286,</ref>

Rolfing is typically performed in a progression of 10 sessions, sometimes called "the recipe".<ref name=recipe1>Myers TW,

 Structural integration—developments in Ida Rolf's 'Recipe'—I, 
 Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 
 2004,
 Vol. 8(Issue: 2),
 pp. 131–142,
 DOI: 10.1016/S1360-8592(03)00088-3,</ref> The first three sessions of the protocol focus on superficial tissues, the next four focus on deeper tissues and specifically the pelvis, and the final sessions address the whole body.<ref name=Deutsch>Judith E., 
  
 Complementary Therapies for Physical Therapy: A Clinical Decision-Making Approach, 
  
 Saunders, 
 2008, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0721601113, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 266–7,</ref><ref name="Houglum" /><ref name="Levine" />

A session typically lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. The recipient wears undergarments.<ref name="contro">,

 Controversies in the Practice of Medicine. online version, 
  
 Greenwood Publishing Group, 
 2001, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-313-31131-4,</ref> Positions for the work include lying on a table, sitting, and standing.<ref name="riggs" /> 

Rolfing treatments are sometimes painful.<ref name=acs/> For adults, there may be moments of intense sensation during a treatment or soreness afterward.<ref name=Knaster/> However, the technique can be done gently enough for children and the elderly.<ref name=Claire/> Rolf believed fascia tightens as a protective mechanism, and therefore thought an aggressive approach could be counter-productive.<ref name= Salvo>Susan G.,

 Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice, 
 4th edition, 
 Elsevier Saunders, 
 2012, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-1437719772,</ref>

Effectiveness and reception

In 2015 the Australian Government's Department of Health published a review of 17 alternative therapies, including Rolfing, which concluded no clear evidence of effectiveness was found.<ref name=aus17> Baggoley C. Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance(link). {{{website}}}. Australian Government – Department of Health.

</ref> Accordingly, in 2017, the Australian government named Rolfing as a practice that would not qualify for insurance subsidy, saying this step would "ensure taxpayer funds are expended appropriately and not directed to therapies lacking evidence".<ref name=nosubsidy>Paola S,

 Homeopathy, naturopathy struck off private insurance list, 
 Australian Journal of Pharmacy, 
 17 October 2017,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Full text,</ref>

The American Cancer Society says the deep soft tissue manipulations such as those used in Rolfing are a concern if practiced on people with cancer near tumor sites.<ref name=acs>,

 American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies, 
 2nd edition, 
 American Cancer Society, 
 2009, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780944235713,</ref> 

Proponents of Rolfing claim it can be used to alleviate pain.<ref name="Thompson2015">{{{last}}},

 Rosemary Thompson, 
  
 Counseling Techniques: Improving Relationships with Others, Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Environment. online version, 
  
 Routledge, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-1-134-61441-7, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 67–,</ref> However, Rolfing's focus on appropriate "alignment" of structures of the body does not reflect modern science about pain.<ref name="Ernst">, 
  
 Complementary Therapies for Pain Management: An Evidence-Based Approach. online version, 
  
 Moseby:Elsevier, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-7234-3400-9,</ref><ref name="Moseley2013">, 
 Reconceptualising pain according to modern pain science, 
 Physical Therapy Reviews, 
 2013,
 Vol. 12(Issue: 3),
 pp. 169–178,
 DOI: 10.1179/108331907X223010,</ref>

In 2010 The New York Times reported that Rolfing was enjoying a "resurgence" following an endorsement from Mehmet Oz on The Oprah Winfrey Show.<ref name=nyt> Considine A,

 Rolfing, Excruciatingly Helpful Full text, 
 , 
  
 6 October 2010,

</ref>

Because of its dependence on vitalistic concepts and its unevidenced propositions about the connection between physical manipulation and psychology, Rolfing is classified as a pseudoscience.<ref name=pop/> Medical historian Barbara Clow writes that, in common with many other types of alternative medicine, Rolfing takes a view of illness and of therapy which conflicts with mainstream medicine.<ref name=clow>{{{last}}},

 Clow B, 
  
 Negotiating Disease: Power and Cancer Care, 1900-1950. online version, 
  
 McGill-Queen's University Press, 
 2001, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780773522107,</ref> Psychologist and attorney Christopher Barden has numbered Rolfing among "dangerous and controversial" methods that pose a risk to the public.<ref name=barden>{{{last}}}, 
 Barden RC, 
  
 Parental Alienation: The Handbook for Mental Health and Legal Professionals, 
  
 Charles C Thomas, 
 2013, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-398-08750-0,</ref>  Biologist Dan Agin has identified Rolfing as a popular kind of "quack medicine" in the "raucous bazaar" of the United States's alternative medicine scene,<ref name=agin>{{{last}}}, 
 Dan Agin, 
  
 Junk Science: How Politicians, Corporations, and Other Hucksters Betray Us. online version, 
  
 St. Martin's Press, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-1-4668-3853-6,</ref> Health journalist Rose Shapiro lists Rolfing among the many popular "quack treatments" that rally today under the banner of integrative medicine,<ref name="Shapiro 2010">{{{last}}}, 
 Rose Shapiro, 
  
 Suckers: How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All, 
  
 Random House, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-1-4090-5916-5,</ref> and skeptic Robert Todd Carroll has said the vague health claims made by Rolfers are characteristic of those made by "quacks".<ref name=sd/>

History

Ida Rolf began working on clients in New York City in the 1940s with the premise that the human structure could be organized "in relation to gravity". She developed structural integration with one of her sons and by the 1950s she was teaching her work across the United States.<ref name=Salvo/> In the mid-1960s she began teaching at Esalen Institute, where she gathered a loyal following of students and practitioners.<ref name="stillerman2014">Art,

 Modalities for Massage and Bodywork, 
 2nd edition, 
 Mosby;, 
  
  
  
 ISBN 978-0-323-26079-4,</ref> Esalen was the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement, allowing Rolf to exchange ideas with many of their leaders, including Fritz Perls.<ref name=Claire /><ref>, 
  
 In and Out of the Garbage Pail. online version, 
  
 Real People Press,</ref> Rolf incorporated a number of ideas from other areas including osteopathic manipulation, cranial osteopathy, hatha yoga, and the general semantics of Alfred Korzybski.<ref name=Jacobson>, 
 Structural integration: origins and development, 
 J Altern Complement Med, 
 2011,
 Vol. 17(Issue: 9),
 pp. 775–80,
 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2011.0001,
 PMID: 21875349,
 PMC: 3162380,</ref> In 1971 she founded the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.<ref>

Business Search (search for 'Rolf Institute')(link). {{{website}}}. Secretary of State, CA.

</ref> The school has been based in Boulder, Colorado, since 1972, and as of 2010 included five institutes worldwide.<ref>Peggy,

 Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries, 
 3rd edition, 
 Human Kinetics, 
 2010, 
  
  
 ISBN 9780736075954, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 174–175,</ref>

Since Rolf's death, the field of Structural Integration has fragmented into various schools as a result of legal disputes among her followers.<ref name=recipe1/><ref name=Jacobson/> Of these schools, the Rolf Institute is the only one with the use of the trademarked terms "Rolfing" and "Certified Rolfer".<ref name=recipe1/> Other schools of Structural Integration certify "Practitioners of the Rolf Method of Structural Integration" including the Guild for Structural Integration,<ref name= "Claire">Thomas,

 Bodywork: What Type of Massage to Get and How to Make the Most of It, 
  
 William Morrow and Co., 
 1995, 
  
  
 ISBN 9781591202325, 
  
  
  
 Pages: 40–56,</ref> Hellerwork Structural Integration,<ref name=Levine /><ref name=Knaster /><ref name= "Claire"/> Aston Patterning,<ref name=Knaster /><ref name= "Claire"/> SOMA,<ref name=Knaster /> KMI,<ref name=recipe1/> and a dozen other Structural Integration schools.<ref name=recipe1/> A professional membership organization exists called the International Association of Structural Integration, which has certified practitioners by exam since 2007.<ref name=Jacobson/>

See also

• Pierre Bernard (yogi) – an influence on Rolf<ref name=Jacobson/>

Further reading

• ,

 Rolfing, 
 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 
 2004,
 Vol. 15(Issue: 4),
 pp. 799–809, vi,
 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmr.2004.03.008,
 PMID: 15458753,

• {{{last}}},

 Williams WF, 
  
 Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy, 
  
 Routledge, 
 2013, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-1-135-95522-9,

External links

• Rolf Institute website

• 
  Rolfing