March 29, 2024

Rolfing... Beating the pain rap

Jan. 11, 2009
Kima Kraimer, who “Rolfs” for a living, has heard it all when people think they know what Rolfing is:
Is Rolfing just a funny name for deep tissue massage?
“No, it’s not at all deep tissue massage.”
Is there some weird thing about rebirthing?
“No. It’s simple physical functional anatomy.”
Is it extremely painful?
“No!”
Her usual serenity fades as she answers each question, saying they distort the truth of a profound and effective manual therapy.
At the time of the interview, my lower back ached from shoveling snow, so I asked for a session. And yes, there was no pain. Some moments of pressure, but a “feel good” pressure.
During the session, Kraimer showed me how to sit and properly shovel. It’s all about letting your body be supported by the force of gravity rather than struggle against it (see sidebar).
Kraimer also talked about breathing and the importance of exhaling completely, which allows the body to go into its natural rest mode.
Gravity, breathing, and movement are at the heart of Rolfing Structural Integration (RSI), the formal name of the practice. Its painful reputation stems from the 1960s when it came into the public sphere and practitioners were still understanding how best to work with the body. The approach has since been greatly refined, although you might still find a heavy-handed practitioner.
Kraimer practices in Traverse City and also teaches for the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and in Europe.
There’s no voodoo here. RSI aims to organize and balance the body. Even if you never take a Rolfing session, her advice is helpful. Good posture, for example, is not “throwing your shoulders back,” but letting your armpits feel heavy and your elbows have weight. Lift your sternum. “We have been told we have ‘to work hard in life to make it.’ When movements feel easy, we don’t trust them,” she said.
Matters are made worse if your back or some other body part is hurt. People naturally compensate the injury with some other part of their body. Rolfing offers a chance to let efficiency and ease replace strain and compensation.
“If you think of a house of cards, as cards are stacked higher it is more likely to collapse. The body is like that,” Kraimer said. “As we get older we have more aches and can’t get away with what we are used to doing. We call this aging and settle for a downward spiral.”

FUNNY NAME
Dr. Ida Rolf, a biochemist in the 1920s, developed the practice of Rolfing. She studied with osteopathic doctors, chiropractors, and yoga practitioners, then went on to pioneer the role of connective tissue in the body.
Also called fascia, the tissue wraps throughout the body, connecting muscles, bones, and viscera. Kraimer described it a bit like Saran Wrap that can get a little too dense, rigid or dehydrated over the course of life’s activities. Rolfing involves melting away layers and making clients aware of their body habits.
Since then, research has validated Dr. Rolf’s theory of connective tissue as a fluid medium, which can change with touch and appropriate pressure, Kraimer said.
Jeff Gibbs of Traverse City attests to its effectiveness. He went to a Rolfer in New York City and gradually gained back two inches in height.
A Glen Arbor man said he went to a Rolfer in 1995 after injuring his back after 20 years of running. The back pain receded almost immediately, and he eventually threw away his arch supports. Now retired, he plays tennis, swims, and even runs a few miles. He goes to Kraimer for what she calls “tune-ups.”
“She’s a wonderful body mechanic,” he said.
Gretchen Savage, who has seen six Rolfers since 1979, said rolfing has definitely evolved.
“It’s become kinder and gentler,” she said.
RSI practitioners are like sculptors, re-molding the shape of the body to create space, and better joint mobility, among other things.
“We are postural experts,” said Kraimer, who works with people of all ages and professions—dancers, moms, professional athletes, and business people. Some suffer with back problems, headaches, bum knees or frozen shoulders. Others simply want to be more comfortable with their bodies or are looking for a change. RSI is both rehabilitation and transformational work.
Cherie Spaulding, 34, in her eighth treatment, said her mother and friends encouraged her to try it because of her pronounced tendency to bend her shoulders forward.
“I feel like I’ve had a really phenomenal change from the foundation up. I feel like my body is aligned differently. My feet are really planted on the ground in a different way. I’ve always had a high arch and a narrow foot. Now, more of my foot is spread out on the ground. On some level, it’s a little less sexy, but I’m more sensitive to the ground’s support. I’m more stable.”
Lorie Osinski, a pilates instructor, went to Kraimer after suffering from a torn glute in a kick-boxing class.
“It bothered me off and on for four years. I was in class one day trying to do a movement, and I just couldn’t do it because of the tightness there. After seeing Kima, I have much more freedom of movement, and that’s really awesome with the work I do.”
As for my own shoveling backache? It was gone an hour after my session finished.

For more information, see
www.rolf.org, wwwlrolfguild.org, or
call Kima M. Kraimer at 231.946.3632.

Why work so hard?

How to sit
Most chairs are designed so we sit on our spine, our tailbone tucked underneath, creating strain and poor posture. Try getting your sit bones and tailbone behind you. To do this, rest your pubic bone on your seat. Your entire torso will want to come forward. Let it and feel how your sternum and head lift. Rest your feet on the floor.

How to shovel
When you lift and toss snow, notice if you are curled into a C, trying to lift from your neck. Try to straighten your upper body into a line so your sternum is raised and your sit bones are behind you. In Africa most work is done in a rhythm with a beat, like a dance. One easy way to activate the front line—a supportive chain of muscles designed for the task—would be to stomp the ground with a foot before you lift; it’s like the bounce of the stomp propels the lift. If anything, shoveling becomes less a task and more like a boogie-woogie.








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