Myofascial massage therapy is often called a three-dimensional application of sustained pressure and movement that deals with what is known as the “fascia” of the body. Rolfing is the integrative approach of fluffing, lengthening, and de-rotating the fascial stocking of the body. Fascia is the internal soft tissue that is the body’s envelope, cushioning, connecting, and communicating between muscle, skeleton and internal organs. Fascia provides more than filler and connections, it forms essential binding for muscles and skeleton so that the body functions and supports properly. Due to aging, improper diet, lifestyle issues, toxins and injuries, the fascial system atrophies, becomes inelastic, loses circulation, and begins to wind tighter and this may result in pain dis-ease, and asymmetry.
Myofascial Release began to appear more widely and gain notoriety after being further developed by Myofascial massage therapist’s hoping to duplicate the methods and success of Dr. Rolf and The Rolf Institute membership of Certified Rolfer’s. Rolfing and Myofascial work can restore health and circulatory freedom to fascia so cellular decay is reduced or reversed and blood flow/lymphatic flow restrictions are released but Myofascial massage is not exercised as a system wide integrative approach like Rolfing. Emotions are actually cellular-level physical entities created by hormonal and neurotransmitter molecules that circulate in fascia and bind to receptor sites throughout the body, Rolfing and Myofascial Release benefits extend into the realm of emotional feeling along with physical sensation.
As the clients’ fascia is enlivened they often realize that metaphorical phrases such as “pain in the neck and back” are actually literal descriptions of how fascia and organs in various parts of the body tighten and otherwise negatively respond to stress, sadness and other psychological issues. Myofascial Release therapy is said to be preceded by visual and kinesthetic analysis of posture and movement with careful palpation of the tissue texture of various fascial layers. Upon locating an area of fascial tension, gentle pressure is applied to relieve blockage and circulatory restriction. Myofascial Release can sometimes provide nominal relief of cervical pain, back pain, spinal spurs, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, neurological dysfunction, restriction of motion, chronic pain, injury, insomnia, depression, disease, hard-to-diagnose dysfunction and headaches.
The biggest misconception about Myofascial Release is that it is the same type of therapy as Rolfing. Though fascia is released in both methods, only with Rolfing is the body’s structural disposition viewed as a multi-dimensional continuous distribution the way a line or wave is viewed in mathematics with the associated shift’s that take place in the x, y, and z axis of the human structure. A few select Rolfer’s with in the Rolfing population are able to empirically document the changes that take place with before and after pictures further deepening the differentiation between the methods of Certified Rolfing and Myofascial massage therapy. It is sometimes said within the conventional medicine community that the results gained by Rolfing-Structural Integration is impossible but the proof can be said to be in the pictures. Both of these methods are great options for dealing with fascial discomfort and pain and this article is designed to show the difference between the two from the perspective of an LMT and Certified Rolfer.
John Barton, Certified Rolfer® and Rolfing® Kalispell/Whitefish, Montana.
www.certifiedrolfing.com/Kalispell
Tags: articles, Barton, chiropractic, dallas, Flathead, fort, ft, integration, John, Kalispell, management, massage, Montana, pain, rolfer, rolfing, Rolfing Dallas, Rolfing Fort Worth, Rolfing FT Worth, Rolfing Texas, Rolfing TX, structural, texas, Therapy, tx, valley, Whitefish, worth, yoga
Rolfmovement's Weblog 
Leave a comment