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A few weeks ago, I profiled this client when we were working on getting her hips level back in September. This session since her hips held level, we worked on getting length on her left and right side and creating lift.  Often when working with people carrying extra weight this is an area that gets very compressed, and my client here is petite, and weight is not the issue. This client makes the point that even slim clients have the opportunity for expansion and more lift. Making space where it is needed and whole-body integration is part of the focus in Rolfing Structural Integration.

A before and after from a single session showing marked improvement. My client had been involved in a serious auto accident from 50 years prior involving injuries to his right side which included a broken pelvis, ribs, collar bone, and ankle. The lengthening in his right side is dramatic in the after picture as his hips move to a more horizontal presentation which is one of the major themes in the Rolfing integrative process. It is important that clients pay attention to the shifts happening in their structure which helps considerably in the process of retaining more of it as we progress to more whole-body integration.

Clear example of a before and after image from a first session working with an athletic client. Her left leg moves medially to a more supportive position for her pelvis. Although my client is in very good shape she was compressed in the top of the hip crest to the 12^th rib. After the session significant length was gained on both sides which you can easily see on the graph. The more extra weight one is carrying the more working in this area can be helpful and necessary for your structure. In this case it was not weight driven as it is for many. Some of this shortness in this area can be genetically driven and even in those cases there is much one can do to improve the span in this area for more length.

This is a clear example of nice movement in my client’s structure from before and after a single session. One of the primary goals we discussed was finding ways to make room to allow his head to move back on top of his shoulder girdle which you can see in the after picture.  My client has spent a lifetime of working out with weights and developing dense muscle tissue contributing to his head’s forward position. Having a forward head presentation increases compressive loading on connective tissues in the cervical spine, including the facet joints and ligaments. Respiratory function is also weakened and can even have a negative effect on static balance. His structure is more balanced, and his lateral line are much improved in the after image.

Before and after image from a single session showing a very nice shift in my client’s structure. The heel of her left foot moves medially, left posterior lower leg muscles rotate medially, and her adductor compartment of her thigh moves to a more supportive position for her pelvis. The heel of her right foot moves outwardly and her entire foot moves to a more parallel position, posterior lower right leg muscles are rotating laterally, her upper thigh repositions to a more supportive position for her pelvis. This translates to more equal weight distribution down each leg creating a more horizontal pelvis girdle and the direction of movement in the pelvis is left to right.

Another great example of the emerging lateral line in the Rolfing experience. Here, in this before and after of my clients first session is a clear example of that. The entire lateral line is moving to a better position toward a more integrated structure. Fibularis longus, (peroneus) fibularis brevis, (peroneus) fibularis tertius (peroneus), move back as well as less flexion in her thigh. Her frontline moves back, and she has lift and much less rounding in her shoulder girdle and her head sits on top of her shoulder girdle in a better position as her posterior neck lengthens.

Great example in this before and after from a single session showing significant shift in my client. His left lower leg rotates medially, and his foot moves more toward a parallel position. His gastrocnemius moves to the back of his leg where it belongs. His right leg moves in and is more supportive of his pelvis. It’s always interesting of how working the lower body effects the upper body and, in this case, creates lift in the torso and allows more length in his sides from the hip crest to the axilla creating a taller structure in an already tall individual. The basis of support starts at your feet, and one can’t overstate this concept as it is built into the Rolfing paradigm.

A clear before and after picture from a single session showing lift in my client’s lateral profile. It is common to have compression in the mid-section,12^th rib to hip crest for a variety of reasons so creating space in this area is often going to be of interest in this process-oriented bodywork. Creating length in a person’s connective tissue is part of the plan. In Rolfing we are working with clients to provide a more integrated structure. Very few people come with that being their primary interest. Mostly, I see people coming for pain issues in their foot, leg, hip, back, shoulder, or neck. Working from a holistic perspective and rebalancing a person's structure we often can change the original complaint that brought them initially to RolfingIowa seeking help.

Nice representation of a before and after from a single session. My client had hurt her back and right hip in a home construction project that led to significant disabling pain for several months. The movement is left to right and up. In the after picture there is ability to bear weight into the injured right hip and right leg and there is a little less lateral rotation in that lower leg. One of the goals in the Rolfing process is to get more equal weight distribution going down each leg into the ground. More balance and getting structurally integrated will always be on the agenda in one way or another. Many of the things that create distortion in our structure will create patterns of imbalance and much of what we are doing in the Rolfing process is restoring the balance to enable better movement with less pain.

Nice before and after from a single session from a young athlete that was in town for a short time and so only had a single session with him and got some good improvement in his structure. His lateral line is much improved by reducing his locked leg profile allowing more play in the knee area and less flexion in his thigh. In Rolfing we are trying to have an equal amount of body mass forward and behind an imaginary lateral line that would be different for each person, so it is not a plumb line. In this example there is a more even amount of body mass behind and forward of his line with his head moving back which is helpful to his structure and his eyes remain level in trajectory.  Over time if I could work with him again would be able to make further gains in the Rolfing process. The goal is changing alignment toward integration which helps with many kinds of pain issues. Since this is process oriented bodywork, one needs to accept that it will take a multisession protocol otherwise it can quickly evolve into a different kind of spotwork which can be alright if one is educated on the difference and then chooses what direction they want to go. Various forms of spotwork are what is generally being offered in the health care marketplace by the variety of health care providers that work within the constraints of what insurance reimburses. Rolfing as it was designed is outside of the insurance network so not constrained by all their limitations which should be good for you!