“End feel, sensitivity to layers, functional and anatomical knowledge are necessary to couple with knowledge of techniques to release fixations, in the appropriate sequence, and then integrate.”
Sensitivity to layers refers to the different layers of fascia around areas of the body, and also around a specific joint. Sequencing, as referenced above, can also refer to layers of tissue, but also to the body’s process of responding to the intervention. One of the main premises of Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI) is that it is important to not only deal with an area that is restricted, but to feel, analyze, see, and address all other “pulls” on that part of the system. Fascia can lay out in sheaths or sheets in the body, and in optimal motion they glide over each other and anchor muscle to move bone. Problems result when, because of accidents or a constantly held posture, the glide between layers is lost, and adhesions, sometimes really large, sometimes small, can make the layers ‘stick’ together. Frequently, this can be about superficial layers helping to keep deeper layers in a restricted position. For that reason, even if there is a restriction in a deeper structure, perhaps very close in around a joint, the superficial layers must be addressed, and sometimes from a point far away from the ‘primary issue’ in a deeper layer. Too, nerve inflammation or restriction can be a source of irritation in an area, and many times these are best addressed in a very superficial layer of fascia.
There is a good reason for the use of the word ‘integration’ in relation to this work. The goal of the work is improvement, as expressed and experienced by you, the client. Once the ‘stuck’ places and previously adhesed layers have been freed up, for these changes to last ( and thus ‘integrated into their body maps-ok, more on that later!) people need to bring the changes into awareness, more often than not through movements like walking, reaching, rolling, arching, curling and twisting to name a few. While these movements are also good for establishing stability and supple responsiveness in the body, they are also critical to this ‘integrative’ process of ‘making change our own’ and thus hanging onto it better.
This transition from an improvement in the system-wide ‘glide’ between tissues to a new ‘full-bodied awareness’ for the client is not always as easy as it might seem, because it is a shift in how we feel about our bodies and ourselves. More than just “my shoulder feels better”, something about the way the rest of us feels in relation to that previously aggrieved shoulder has changed. Often times it is hard to say, or even know, what that is. Being better able to feel and express ‘what shifted’ in these situations is a hallmark of deep change and integration, in my opinion. This kind of noticing what happens inside of us, with pleasure and amazement, helps make the journey of life richer, and sometimes, hardships and setbacks easier to bear. It is the opposite of Nietzsche’s famous ‘that which does not kill me makes me stronger’ (which could also read: ‘that which does not kill me may warp me for life’!) Perhaps, then, Rolfing SI’s similar tag-line could be: “That which makes me more joyous and resilient makes me stronger AND happier!”
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) cites gait as a primary indicator of health in a individual: “Researchers found that predicting survival based on gait speed was as accurate as predictions based upon age, sex, chronic conditions, smoking history, blood pressure, body mass index, and hospitalization.”1
In addition to speed, what Rolfers™ and Rolf Movement® therapists look to facilitate is awareness, responsiveness and variability in gait. Nature has provided us with 26 bones in each foot for a reason-they dance with each step! Variability is also shown to be essential for healthy heart function, too.
So, when you walk, don’t always go for the regular, smooth path. Uneven surfaces, grades of incline and changing speed and direction is good for your gait, your feet, your heart and your overall health!
1. From Fahey, Brian, “Your Fate is your Gait”, Structural Integration, the Journal of the Rolf Institute, June 2011, Vol. 39, No. 1: 1Sudenski, Stephanie, “Gait Speed and Survival in Older Adults.” JAMA, January 5, 2011; 305 (1), pp. 50-58.
Comments on this popular video:http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1664492411895&ref=mfI decided to take a look at this wearing my dance and Rolfer™ hats. One thing a Rolfer looks for in a client is their movement initiation preferences for using ground and spatial orientation. We all do both all the time, of course, but we will have a tendency for one over the other. This pattern is termed here ‘G’ for a grounded, weighted, push preference, and G’ for a spatial, lighter, reach preference. The terms also indicate ‘functional centers of gravity’ for an individual: a G individual’s functional center of gravity lower, nearer the area below the belly button and downwards, and a natural ‘down’ focus in the eyes and in coordination; a G’ individual naturally carries their functional gravity center higher, in the chest area, with a natural ‘up, out and around’ attention. In terms of iconic dancers, this is often simplified into G’=Fred Astaire, and G=Gene Kelly.Both of these are important and valuable functional patterns. They are important to recognize because often the one that is dominant in an individual is part of the problem with postural or muscular pain and dysfunction. Because it is “familiar” to the individual, it also needs to be part of the solution, on the way to later opening up to the other preference to round out or relax the individual into better alignment in movement.So, the question is, are these dancers more G or G’? My impression is more G’, but within a very “grounded” movement context (?) . There is some strong use of ground in the more gymnastic parts at the end, so it would submit to a more detailed look. Looking at the beginning, the dancers lilt and skate over the ground, like ice skaters. Regarding the ‘street vs art’, the partnering is clearly ‘modern dance’ in look and feel. These guys have seen the inside of a dance studio, regardless of what medium they are now working in, and bring that background to this video-at least in the opening of the video.So, more Astaire than Kelly; more sky than earth, at the start. They glide and float around and over imaginary spaces and fulcra. Balletic twirls with arms raised overhead, but the shoulders are still tight into the neck-this is ‘imitation’ and playing around, more than use of a balletic movement-base, a bit like Fred Astaire incorporating turns in his routines that look like ballet, but clearly were not the product of years of training in that style. One lad does a wonderful turn on the tip of his sneaker that is extraordinarily rooted, for me, in a way that most ballerinas would die to be able to be. The shoes, and his native strength, allow this sense of ‘ground’ on point. Again, many contemporary ballerinas would love to achieve that, but don’t.The same fellow takes lovingly, perhaps reverently to the ground for a ‘breaking’ style ground spin, as much paying homage to the style as anything, showing his fluency earth/sky. The striped short gentleman than goes so far as bend over backwards to ‘one-up’ the previous, using his head as a landing point and support. This looks very ‘ground’-mainly because the ability to yield into the movement is what saves him from injury-but the jarring look of the landing shows less adaptability than he, and we, might like. Orange raincoat man shows explosiveness out of the ground, like a gymnast, more fully confident in his yield to pushing sequence, which is a hallmark of effective G orientation, to me. White T-shirt shows the success in an ‘up-based’ strategy for an equally athletic flip in the air, his preparation for jumps coming by clearly establishing length and spatial pulls, like a ballet dancer might, before a tours en l’air. All-black outfit shows again his fluency between up and down orientations, yet is subtly more G than G’, for me, not just in his choreographic choices of movement, but in his sensitively weighted efforting, even in turns and ‘skating’ movements.The gestural bit at the end shows the essentially improvisational collaborative and playful nature of the whole thing. The gestures are like a sign language with the hands, chest and torso, very G’ in their way of relating to the group and their common space.
Session One in the ten-session series sequence helps free all structures around the ribs, to help free up the breath, and to ease the tilt in the pelvis. Some unexpected benefits may come already from that first session, though. Freeing the shoulder girdle from the ribs can help to relieve tension at the top of the thorax, called the thoracic outlet ( see wikipedia here) . When this is impinged, it changes the pressure down through the whole thorax. Getting more openness here can re-balance this pressure. Work between the abdominal fascial layers can reach around and free the back, but also can open and energize the psoas muscles. This “session one” work can help to achieve the sensation of effortless lift through the whole body that is a hallmark of Rolfing® structural integration. This can also, in the case of a recent client, help to ease the pressure down into a prolapsed uterus, giving her some long-sought relief.
The point is that the encouragement of lift can help in many ways that you don’t anticipate. Following the natural principles in the body makes it more functional, at the external, full-body movement level, and also at the level of the organs and viscera. This can also ease long-standing pain and discomfort in delicate regions that don’t submit to “massage”. To get integration of this work so that it holds will take more work into the whole body, to anchor better support, fluidity, ability to adapt, and ability to reach or yield through all directions. The work is never perfect..but it is pretty darn good!
One of the things we look for, as Rolfers™ is: what structure is holding, that won’t allow important muscles to activate properly. For instance, serratus anterior ( see this link to Wikipedia) is a very important stabilizer for the entire shoulder girdle. When it is used in balance with appropriate use of other muscles in the area, the impression is of a natural grace and spaciousness in the upper back, supporting the head, neck and shoulders effortlessly. When these other muscles in the shoulder girdle are over-activated, and/or stuck together on the fascial level, as is often the case in a dysfunctional shoulder, this important muscle is not able to work properly. The torso looks less coordinated, and more closed, spatially. A Rolfer can work to release the stuck fascia, and unlock the hold that offending muscle has. For instance, freeing the tightly held subscapularis ( Subscapularis muscle – Wikipedia), or pectoralis minor(Pectoralis minor-Wikipedia) fascia can naturally help to re-activate serratus. Coaching on how to use this spaciousness and fluidity in breathing and reaching can help, then, anchor this.
We use this principle through the whole body, toes to head, stem to stern, to help bring clients into better function and poise.
The Psoas ( major): a pair of muscles that connect the lumbar spine and groin, joining at the lower attachment with the illiacus muscle that lines the pelvis, at the lesser trochanter bone. It is classically defined as an important hip flexor, though contemporary studies ( geeks see Yoshio, M et al, 2002, Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 7:199-207) call that into question. It is now viewed more a stabilizer for the lumbar spine, helping to maintain an appropriate lumbar lordosis curve. The psoas minor is said to serve the same function, but is often absent, and may be evolving out of the species. Why does it matter? I believe it matters because it helps us to coordinate between upper and lower body in a fluid and long-muscled erect posture. This is part of the “magic of normal function” that can heal many “ills”.
Ida Rolf was an early proponent of psoas assessment and treatment, and it is part of the “Core”work not usually handled in the Rolfing SI 10-series until sessions 4 and later. Certified Rolfers™, then, usually work through the body in layers, considering that psoas work should not be undertaken until the larger relationships, between, neck, thorax, pelvis, legs and feet, are put into better order.
A lot of clients have come to me with bad ( ie painful and innefective) “psoas therapy” stories. It has become a common treatment territory for massage therapists, PT’s and chiropractors. Mostly, they do this without any of the preparatory work mentioned above. They operate under the assumption that if an area is a concern, work on that area-without taking into account how well the client has been made ready for this treatment, which can mean the difference between small discomfort and agony-and how well the client will be able to adapt, in the rest of their body, to the new condition of the psoas. Treating any muscle in isolation may mean trouble, for successful therapy, in my opinion.
There are many gentle and effective techniques for achieving improved length, freedom and coordination through the psoas that are learned by Rolfers, especially those trained in Rolf Movement® work. We are trained in recognizing tendencies that may limit our stability and freedom of movement, and in ways to offer new options to clients in simple and more complex actions.The common activities we look at first our basic: breathing, standing, sitting, walking, and progress to more refined coordinations of limbs and core.
One very simplistic statement: sitting at a desk all day is slow-motion murder for all of us, period.The psoas becomes very weak, from slouching, or hyper-toned ( tight) from arching the back forward against the hips all day. Get up every twenty! Move around! Consider getting a standing desk. Exercise in ways that demand longer muscle use, like walking, running ( in moderation, with the running!) dance (with ease and flair!), swimming ( flutter kick is great for length in hips/thighs) yoga ( watch out on those “down dogs”!-is your shoulder girdle/upper spine ready for this?) and a number of devices, like the elliptical machine. Cycling is great exercise, but think about it: is the position you are in, while on the bike, really optimal for your neck, shoulders, low back, hips, and calves? The answer is no-but you can sort of “un-do” this with proper cross-training, ( see above) awareness of good alignment in normal functioning. A lot of dedicated cyclists walk kind of like they are still on the bike: tight shoulders and neck, forwards in the chest, hips tucked under in “posterior tilt”, very tight quads and hamstrings that lock up in walking, tight, unyielding calves that don’t allow the heels to release in their stride.
The psoas muscle, in this postural and functional pattern, is under-activated, often, in favor of a massive quadriceps muscle. Therapeutically, what is called for, if the client is having problems-probably with knees, hips or lower back, but also shoulders and neck, because of the bicyclists’ use-pattern-is work to free restrictions in the fascia-system to re-normalize posture, and movement re-education to allow underused postural muscles, like the psoas, to be more active, and over-used “phasic” or powerful, short-use muscles like the quads to more relaxed, longer and more flexible in motion.
We want to activate this muscle to gain good spacing and balance in the lower back-maintaining “neutral spine” in an appropriate level of lordosis for that individual structure and function. To me, psoas activation is primarily a coordination question. In dance, we talk about a sense of length down the back and throughout the leg, in hip flexion, together with a sense of dropping the sitz bone down to lift the thigh. In sum, it is a co-ordinative pattern, relating legs, pelvis and spine, that is key for proper activation. The focus, in dance, is often termed balance between concentric, eccentric and isometric contraction in use, making for beautiful and effective training and performance. Learning to maintain neutral spine while working the legs to the front and side is a strong challenge to lumbar spine stability, activating the psoas major, I believe.
The “magic” of normal function, lost in our sedentary culture, often heals many of our physical “ills”!
( Caution: brain pain may ensue here!) Rolfers look for a sense of length of hip/thigh/heel in the back leg in gait, as this is a sign that the psoas is able to lengthen. When it can do this, it will reflexively contract, appropriately, causing posterior tilt in the same side of the pelvis, which sets off a long stretch-reflex action activating hip flexors, to bring the knee forward to step, in the next gait phase, without undue effort by the hamstrings on that side.
(Okay, relax!!) So, gaining good co-ordination in this chain of actions can help prevent or heal low-back, hip, knee and foot pain!
