Anyone been rolfed?

TroyK · #1 08-01-2007, 09:00 PM

That's all, have any of you ever been rolfed?

jallenbass · #2 08-01-2007, 09:24 PM

A friend of mine who plays in the Dallas Opera has. What is it that you would like to know?

TroyK · #3 08-01-2007, 09:42 PM

What his experience with it was? Did it help him? Does he recommend it? Was he doing it for some specific ill or just general fitness? Whatever else.

That sort of thing. I'm looking into several bodywork type therapies for a problem I'm having. I don't know anyone who has done it. It sounds interesting, but a little fantastic at the same time.

Any perspective will be appreciated.

winston · #4 08-02-2007, 02:36 PM

I haven't personally been Rolfed. However, my wife is a certified massage therapist who explores different ways of manipulating the fascia and connective tissues. Some of the deep work she has done literally changed my life in terms of breaking through "body armor" I had for three decades.

I have a good friend (an amazing percussionist) who was Rolfed. He said it did wonders for his posture, and gave strong, healthy arches to his previously flat feet.

Beyond the rather quick changes that manipulative methods like Rolfing can provide, it's important to address your postural habits to make these improvements permanent. I've had great results from the Alexander Technique (particularly regarding breathing habits and DB-related postural isssues).

TroyK · #5 08-02-2007, 03:16 PM

Thanks, Winston. I've already made some calls out to Alexander Technique teachers and will follow that through.

Trying to decide what might help me a little bit more immediately as well.

Troy

Paul Warburton · #6 08-03-2007, 07:53 AM

Talk to Don Higdon, our local Alexander teacher.

anon_6j591b0 · #7 08-03-2007, 08:04 AM

Don hooked me up with an Alexander teacher here in Vancouver.

I was in the process of getting rolfed recently but my work schedule didn't allow for the consistency required.
It's VERY, VERY, VERY painful too and if you aren't ready to deal with that just leave it alone. It does get rid of things much faster than any other way I can think of though. If I had the time I would definitely do it again and probably will at some point.

Uncletoad · #8 08-03-2007, 08:09 AM

I got rolfed in Vancouver on a 3 day plane layover during a brutal snowstorm.

She was amazing but got away with everything I had. I had to wash toilet seats in the American Airlines luxury bathroom for tips enough to get home.

It was humiliating.

TroyK · #9 08-03-2007, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Talk to Don Higdon, our local Alexander teacher.

Don reached out to me 6 months ago when I said that I was starting to have problems. I kept his PM with the referrals in it, but went on about my business.

He and I have reconnected and he has me on the calendar of a respected colleague here in Seattle a few weeks out. I'm very optimisitic about her and AT and wish I had listened to him earlier. Thank you, Don.

I still feel like I need some modalities help of some kind to deal with the problem now. I understand that AT deals with the cause, which is better, but I'd like some relief. My first Alexander appointment is 2 weeks out.

I'll likely get a massage or two and take pills when I need to, although I'm not a huge fan of either. I've also spoken with a few rolfers and it's tempting to me, but I think I'll wait until I'm into Alexander to decide on it or something like it.

Troy

Jake deVilliers · #10 08-03-2007, 12:07 PM

Troy, I see a Registered Massage Therapist who is conversant with Rolfing and uses some aspects of the technique to restore muscles to their former size & flexibility.

It hurts like hell but only for a short while.

I would be in a different kind of pain without him.

I'll ask him if he'd care to recommend a Rolfer in Seattle.

Hang in, Jake

Don Higdon · #11 08-03-2007, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I got rolfed in Vancouver on a 3 day plane layover during a brutal snowstorm.

She was amazing but got away with everything I had. I had to wash toilet seats in the American Airlines luxury bathroom for tips enough to get home.

It was humiliating.

And she called it rolfing, eh?

Uncletoad · #12 08-03-2007, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

And she called it rolfing, eh?

Well....that's what she said.

I guess being from Ohio I didn't know different.

Think I got taken?

Marcus Johnson · #13 08-03-2007, 01:25 PM

Oh yeah, she seriously rolfed you over.

Don Higdon · #14 08-03-2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Well....that's what she said.

I guess being from Ohio I didn't know different.

For three straight days? We're all proud of you, Toad.

Don Higdon · #15 08-04-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winston

I haven't personally been Rolfed. However, my wife is a certified massage therapist who explores different ways of manipulating the fascia and connective tissues. Some of the deep work she has done literally changed my life in terms of breaking through "body armor" I had for three decades.

I have a good friend (an amazing percussionist) who was Rolfed. He said it did wonders for his posture, and gave strong, healthy arches to his previously flat feet.

Beyond the rather quick changes that manipulative methods like Rolfing can provide, it's important to address your postural habits to make these improvements permanent. I've had great results from the Alexander Technique (particularly regarding breathing habits and DB-related postural isssues).

This pretty much sums it up.
Rolfing can achieve a result relatively quickly, but as I understand the premiss of structural integration, true Rolfing entails working the entire body over a period of ten sessions. The degree of pain frequently encountered means you don't do this more than once a week, so we're talking 2 and a half months.
Rolfing can be profoundly effective in dealing with ancient holding patterns. Many Alexander teachers have been Rolfed, and my own teacher recommended it for me. However, Rolfing, like chiropractic, massage, and other forms of body work, addresses the point of expression rather than the thought process that caused the symptom to occur. After one trial session, I chose to forego the 10 session program. Ultimately, I got to the same place with AT, the difference being that with AT, the problem doesn't come back a month or a year later. Again, Winston is on to this.

arnoldschnitzer · #16 08-05-2007, 07:20 AM

Hey Don, nice to see you back at the keyboard. How are the knees?

Don Higdon · #17 08-05-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

Hey Don, nice to see you back at the keyboard. How are the knees?

Thanks. The worst is over, and I come back a little more every day. I'm able to start cutting back on pain medication. But make no mistake, every rehab provokes some pretty awful screams.
The bad news for you is that I'm driving again. All too soon, I'll be wandering around your bass racks.

arnoldschnitzer · #18 08-06-2007, 06:54 AM

Don, please share with your fans what you've recently been through...

Uncletoad · #19 08-06-2007, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

Don, please share with your fans what you've recently been through...

Yes, do.

Don Higdon · #20 08-06-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

Don, please share with your fans what you've recently been through...

Six weeks ago I underwent surgery for total replacement of both knees. My right knee had deteriorated to where I might dislocate it 10 to 20 times in a day, even in bed. Osteoarthritis had set in, and it was negatively affecting my ability to teach the Alexander Technique (which is a psychophysical process for both student and teacher). My left knee was better, but not by much.
My knee problems were caused by birth defects: I was born knock-kneed, one leg is longer than the other, and my tibias spiraled outward. Over time, I tore the cartilages in both knees and overstretched many ligaments.
My surgeon is part of a hip-knee specialty practice and has done about 2,000 knees.
I’ve had several surgeries, the first one when I was 18 months old. One consequence is that there was an abundance of scar tissue. Between that and the number of problems the surgeon went in to fix, a planned 2 hour surgery ended up being 5 hours.
That was the good part. I was asleep.
It has been truly harrowing, the most pain I’ve endured in my entire life. I don’t want to dredge it up. It’s behind me.
Most surgeons refuse to do both knees at once. However, in researching, I found that most people who do it one at a time never come back for the second. It hurts too much to knowingly submit to doing it again. I’ll also give credit to my surgeon. He and the others are like the Wayne Gretskys of the field.
I’m in rehab 3 days a week, and I can see that I’m gaining on this. But rehab itself can be bloody awful. After an operation like this, there are countless adhesions among the millions of muscle fibers that are meant to slide over one another freely. These must be broken. You can’t do this by yourself. There’s just no way you can force yourself to voluntarily incur the pain. Fortunately, I have a sensitive physical therapist who just seems to know how much force to use. Too little, and you end up with frozen limbs; too much, and you vomit or pass out.
But I’m getting there. And in the rehab hospital, I saw people who had worse conditions and fewer resources than I, so I stopped complaining to myself.
I’ve been walking for a few weeks, and I've been able to cut back on the pain medication. I expect to return to teaching this week or next. The prospect of going back to helping people return to good health is all I need.
Apologies if I've gone on too long.