Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a relatively common condition in society. It is a focus of Rolfing due to the fact that we are always attempting to straighten and align the spine. The cause of most scoliosis is unknown, however it is often seen at the beginning of puberty in teenage children, as a sideways curvature of the spine. Surgery is often considered when the curve reaches 50 degrees. Many adults live with this degree of curvature and are living full active lives. I have seen many people with curvatures around 40 to 60 and Rolfing has been excellent for them. It usually reduces their pain considerably.  A straighter body allows them to feel much better about their bodies and themselves. A common story  I hear is that  clothes hang much better on them, as their shoulders and hips come into alignment.

How do we work with scoliosis

Our Rolfing training enables us to have a good eye for assessing a person’s body structure, either lying on a table, or standing in front of us. We can look at x rays to see curves but this is also obvious to us looking at a body. Through our techniques of stretching and manipulating the soft tissues, we are taking each body back to where it belongs.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that the soft tissues have organised in a way that has pulled the bones out of good alignment. We stretch, and release this stuck tissue, until the bones start to come into better alignment.