by Crescence Allen
(Health Secrets) If you suffer from back pain, you are certainly not alone. Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the world — only headache is more common. Many people find long lasting relief from chiropractic and/or physical therapy. A third option that can be used alone or in conjunction with the first two is Rolfing.
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Rolfing is a system of deep tissue massage that has the ability to dramatically alter posture and structure to return a person to wellness. It is estimated that more than one million people have received Rolfing work, many for back pain.
Research has shown that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also has demonstrated that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and changes in the body structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with lordosis (swayback). Rolfing has gained popularity in the past few decades as word of its success has spread.
Your back supports your entire body, using a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. All these components are capable of producing pain in the back, lower back and surrounding areas. Because the back is connected to the rest of your body, back pain can be an early warning of underlying conditions elsewhere in your body.
Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities. The pain may be felt in the neck (and might radiate into the arm and hand), in the upper back (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain (weakness, numbness or tingling).
Rolfing sees the body and its structure as a series of interconnected and inter-related bony segments. As a Rolfer will explain, your body is designed to provide internal support for all these segments. Large sections of bony segments rest on sections below them and provide support for sections that are above them. In the case of the back, especially the lower back, it provides internal support for almost all of your body.