Treating Knee Pains with Rolfing

Withstanding the pressure

The initial warning signs that the knee joint is in danger, could in fact appear in the lower back, the hip joints or the shins * before the condition deteriorates and necessitates an operation which allows the body to be restored to balance.

Knee problems and pains are very common, but can have different characteristics and arise for various reasons. Not every pain or problem has an answer within the Rolfing framework, but happily in this field conventional medicine has significant achievements and can even replace an unfixable joint. This is perhaps a good reason to try and have a better understanding of the point at which the joint is indeed irreparable and what can be done prior to surgical intervention.

The subject of this post is an attempt to draw attention to the knees, which are the most complex joints of our body, and to try an offer a way that will help us “use” them correctly in order to avoid problems and pains in the future and to alleviate suffering in the present. This is where Rolfing comes in, a method of treatment that works to rebalance the bent body. It is a co-operative effort between therapist and patient at the heart of which is a deep touch contact that dissolves the adhesions of the muscles’ fascia which are responsible for muscular shortening.

**

First of all, it is important to understand the correct plain of movement for the knees and to allow them to move primarily within it. I call this plain “the bisecting plain”. In other words, when we face our leg we should divide it all along its length into two, so that we get two leg halves; the plain that is in the meeting of the two halves is the leg bisecting plain.

Problems arise when the knee’s main movement deviates from the leg bisecting plain inwards towards the center of the body, or outwards. Obviously, when such divergence occurs, the pressure applied to the knee, which initially is mainly to the muscles, is unbalanced. This condition creates stress and weakness and inflammation on the stressed side. All these are accompanied by pain. Incidentally, the pain may at first appear elsewhere, such as the lower back or thigh or even in the region of the hip joint, but its origin is in the incorrect movement of the knee.

Why should a problem in the direction of movement of the knees create pain elsewhere?

There is no direct pressure between the bones above the knee (femur) and the ones below it (tibia and fibula). Were there to be such pressure our knee would fall apart very quickly!

Under normal circumstances, it is the muscle tone that transfers the pressure of the body’s weight to the ground. When the pressure is unbalanced in the knee region, it also transfers to the upper and lower areas of the structure, such as the ankle below or the hip joint above. At the same time the muscles are damaged because they are burdened with the unbalanced pressure.

If we ignore the initial pains and do not act to rebalance the structure, we exacerbate the damage to the point of cartilage inflammation or rupture, at which point severe pains start to appear owing to an erosion of the cartilage and real pressure existing between the bones. Such a condition is very serious and could necessitate an operation and a knee replacement.

**

I will focus on the initial stages of the muscular pain, since at that point an operation can still be prevented and the structure is still correctable.

First of all, the pain may, as mentioned, initially appear in the lower back. The reason for this is that when the body recognizes that the knee joint is “unwell” and insufficiently strong and does not properly transfer the support of the body, then the body attempts to prevent the pressure on the knee in order to preserve it and avoid a deterioration of its condition. To do that, it activates the back muscles that work to transfer the support the knee was supposed to provide to the upper part of the body. This over activity of the back muscles creates muscular constriction and, following from that, a shortening of them; from this point the path to pressure and pain in the lower back is set.

Similarly, these initial pains may appear in the shins, since the muscles there are chronically overextended because of the incorrect leaning angle of the knee. A similar explanation applies to the pain which may appear in the hip joints which also may be the ones to first take the brunt of the imbalance.

Treatment with a posture expert, such as a Rolfing practitioner, can significantly alleviate the pain once the movement angle of the knee is rebalanced to the leg dividing plain. In many cases this balance starts to re-form upon the opening of the shortenings in the inner side of the legs.

In a series of Rolfing treatments, usually ten sessions, the stage of opening the constrictions in the inner side of the leg is in the fourth treatment, relatively early in the process, which ensures relief.

In so far as the correct working order of the Iliopsoas is regulated (the only muscle which connects the spine to the leg – passing through the hip) the pressure on the front muscle of the thigh is reduced (the Quadriceps) so that relief from knee and lower back pain will also be felt.

With the aid of Rolfing, it is certainly possible to alleviate, reduce and at times even completely overcome knee problems and pains which arise from incorrect movement that disturbs the balanced stress distribution of bodily weight.

**

Rolfing is a treatment method developed by Dr. Ida Rolf in the middle of the previous century in the US. There are thousands of therapists over the world who treat with this method. In Israel, there are only about fifteen. Most of them have been practicing Rolfing for over twenty years to a very high professional standard. Additional information regarding Rolfing can be found in the official websites of the American societies that relate to this topic, as well as on my website.

* Avi Bahat is a teacher and practitioner in the Bahat Treatment Method – Touch and Movement Therapy, an integration of the works of Dr. Ida Rolf, Dr. Milton Trager and Paula Garburg * http://www.avibahat.com

Disc herniation treated through Rolfing

Pressure Between two Discs
The Rolfing Treatment Method can assist people suffering from a slipped disc to reach structural balance of the body and to prevent disc herniation.

Is it recommended to perform physical activity whilst suffering from a herniated disc or a slipped disc? The answer to these questions begins with a differentiation between a slipped disc and a disc herniation and diagnosing each.

Between every two vertebrae in one’s back, is a disc, whose function is to absorb shocks that could harm the vertebrae. The disc is made of a relatively hardened exterior and a gelatinous soft core. This exterior causes the softening and shock absorption.

A herniated disc means a crack in the disc’s shell and a leakage of some of the gelatinous fluid. When this happens, the “spilt” substance may apply pressure to a nerve or cause an inflammation. In both cases, pain ensues.

Sometimes a preliminary stage occurs, when despite the eruption the gelatinous material that leaks out and has started to put pressure on the nerve, is still attached to the gelatin inside the disc. With the correct procedure, it can be caused to go back into the disc. At other times, the gelatin separates completely from the internal part of the disc and it cannot be put back into place nor its movements predicted.

And what is a slipped disc?
The general definition of a slipped disc is when there is no eruption of the disc, but there is movement, so that it ceases to be in its correct place between the vertebrae and it slides sideways (it partially protrudes beyond the limits of the vertebrae). Naturally, in this case there is also a risk of pressure of the protruding area on a nerve that could result in inflammation. Needless to say, also in the case of a protrusion one feels pain.

What are the customary treatments for disc herniation/a slipped disc?
In the case of full blown disc eruption, there is a mechanical problem to administer treatment because we do not know exactly where the disconnected gel is to be found, and so we do not know which action will increase the pressure on the nerve and which will do the opposite. This stage is the least pleasant of the eruption and there is little left to do to fix it. The only thing relevant at this stage is giving some relief from the pain with the aide of pain killers and anti-inflammatories (either pills or injections) and to wait until the gel is at least partially absorbed and ceases to put pressure on the nerve. Once that relief has happened, treatment can begin. This stage is in fact similar to the situation where the problem is defined as a slipped disc.

Treatment in the case of a slipped disc is divided into two:
1. Creating structural balance so as to cause the protrusion to return back to its natural place and stop putting pressure on the nerve.

2. Strengthening the muscles so as to lessen the pressure on the disc and thus prevent more gel erupting from it outside of the disc’s hard shell.

The structural balance can be reached with Rolfing. In this treatment method the shortening of the muscles and ligaments are “opened” to reach structural balance of the body.

The shortening of the muscles is a result of the fascia which wraps the muscles, sticks to itself and thereby shortens. The fascia is a thin transparent membrane.

Why do these adhesions happen? Because subject to our movement patterns, we operate the muscles mainly in one way and do not use them in the opposite manner as well. For instance, keeping the shoulder permanently held up without lowering them. Such a stance will not create a disc eruption, but long hours sitting in front of the computer leaning to one side of the chair so that the body is pressed only to that side, could bring about such a condition. The habit of sitting in that way can cause problems in the vertebrae that may result in an erupted disc.

Pressure in place of stretching
Opening the adhesions of the Fascia cannot be done by way of stretching the muscle. The reason for this is because the stretch cannot penetrate the thick area that the conglutinations cause. This is why we must turn to Rolfing that uses accurate pressure instead of stretching on the thickened area that was created. The pressure raises the temperature of the treated area and dissolves and flattens the thickened place until it reaches the original thickness of the membrane. This action extends the shortened muscle and restores structural balance.

Rolfing is not a one-time-fixes-all method of treatment. It is based on the series of integrated structural treatments created by Ida Rolf. It is thorough, consistent, continuous and above all, gradual – over the entire body’s muscle system.

Usually, at the end of the treatment series I give a special lesson in practicing and maintaining the structural balance so as to prevent a relapse. For those interested, this lesson has been turned into a DVD which can be used for help at any time.

And regarding the question which started this post, it is noteworthy to remember that Rolfing aims to reach bodily structural balance which eventually brings about an elongation of the muscles and not shortening them further. This is especially important to those who participated in movement lessons such as Pilates, Yoga or Feldenkrais before beginning to work with Rolfing. These lessons are excellent and I wholeheartedly recommend going back to them after the series is completed. Why only after the series is completed? Because in an acute condition of disc herniation or slipped disc, when the case is obviously one of structural imbalance, exercising in a large group may not help and there is need of personal and individual work as in Rolfing.

More about Rolfing can be found here

Avi Bahat Touch and Movement Therapist, trained and teaches the Paula, Rolfing, and Trager Approuch which form the background of the Bahat Method - Touch and Movement Therapy.

Integrating the Biotensegrity Model with Rolf’s Movement Model.

Dr. Rolf used to say that it’s not the bones which hold the muscles or the muscles which hold the bones but rather that the bones should float inside the flesh.

She thus illustrated the biotensegrity model. And this is where her claim, that the fascia – the connecting tissue – forms a kind of complete fabric from which the body is built, gains validity. Extending and shortening one area in the fabric changes the entire structure – and precisely in that way the biotensegrity model functions as you saw in Dr. Stephen Levin’s clips.

One of my most memorable experiences to do with a perfect expression of this model, was watching a flamenco performance some 10-12 years ago.

On stage was Neta Sheizaf who later invited her elderly teacher to join her in a dance.

It was a tearjerker for me mainly because of the perfection of tension distribution throughout the body – this dance, flamenco, requires this correct organisation as otherwise you cannot perform the task and impress the audience without hurting your own body. Only a perfect distribution of tension allows for such a high level of bodily presence with the correct emphasis for the dance without hurting the overall tension, and without creating pressure that would threaten the lower back and other parts of the body.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an example of such dancing but I would be very happy to get one from one of my readers.

What I am trying to explain in words and later illustrate with the video clip is the combination of these two models.

Let’s start with the meaning of the biotensegrity model in our body. The meaning is that there is a connection between the level of tension of all body parts and that the body relates to gravity and all forces applied to it as a complete structure and not as separate parts or units.

This is exactly where the problematic nature of how we use our bodies comes in to play!

Our tendency is to divide it into parts and to dismember that which is whole!

Who of us can’t relate to the tendency to lean on one leg with a strong diversion of the hip in that direction?

Who of us doesn’t know the tendency to move the pelvis slightly forward while leaning strait on the heals, and at the same time the upper part of the body leans backwards (counterbalancing the forward movement of the pelvis), it is a very common pose, we sometimes call it walking or standing like a “Punk” but that is just a term we use, the stance is used by all human groups without distinction of religion, race, gender, nationality or any other social group characteristic.

We at times characterise the posture of the “Depressive” – in which the chest collapses inwards so that the structure doesn’t rely on its own front, as if in our reclining we skip over it downwards to rely directly on the buttocks and legs. This naturally goes together with shoulders slumped forwards and touching the chest, like leaning on in from the front. The neck and head have two styles: one which attempts to hide this model and compensates with a high neck arch which allows the eyes to look forward and upwards; the other is a continuation of the model with a downward gaze – the “Complete Depressive”.

What other models pull apart the body, and create pressure points – points of leaning inside the body instead of the pressure being distributed all throughout the length and width of the structure?

Witness the “Show-off” walk which expresses a rigidity between hips and ribs, as opposed to the natural state in which they rate to one another with movement. The waist area is chronically constricted and doesn’t allow movement to one side when the hips balance the pressure of standing on one leg during the process of walking. Instead, the person wobbles from side to side from one leg to the other.

This model is very close to the “Duckling” model which we all know, only that in the “duckling” model there is an added element of pointing the feet outwards (like Charlie Chaplin).

Every one of these models, and obviously there are others, contains over-use of certain muscles and under-use of others – a lack of balance in the system-wide tension.

Sadly this is the condition for most of us, which is why it was so exhilarating to see a performance in which there was perfect tension distribution throughout the entire body!

Imagine seeing a stride where the internal tension is uniform, so that it relates to the ground and acts to it and not one in which one part leans on another and the other is the one separately relating to the ground!

That is exactly what happens when the Iliopsoas starts working correctly! In fact, for it to work correctly during walking, the foot must work correctly – it needs to push the ground backwards – a push which allows the waist vertebrae (to which the upper end of the Iliopsoas is connected) to elongate and remain in the back of the structure and not arch forward, and at the same time the thigh (to which the other end of the Iliopsoas is connected) moves forward with the muscle’s contraction.

This tension caused from the foot pushing all the way through to the backwards elongating waist vertebrae continues to flow upwards along the structure and sends the top of the head to get support from the ground with an elongation of the neck, and not to lean directly on the neck!

In a person walking this way the relation of the his entire body to the ground is apparent and not just his foot or thigh or knee, not to mention the lower back or chest that tend to relate separately to the ground.

As they say, a thousand words can’t explain what one picture can, so you are invited to watch a clip in which I will illustrate some the incorrect models contrasted with the one which connects the biotensegrity one with the model of correct movement according to Dr. Rolf.

As usual I welcome any comments.

Avi.

The Biotensegrity Model

Let me tell you an amazing story that illustrates this model. The story was told during the Second International Convention for the Study of the Fascia, held in Amsterdam in 2009.
One of the most fascinating characters at the convention was Stephen M Levin MD who is a research scientist, a medical doctor and a Rolfer (someone who treats with the Rolfing technique).
As circumstances had it, he needed a knee operation. He knew that during the operation the knee joint would be exposed so he asked one of his colleagues to perform the operation so that he could be awake throughout it, meaning that the operation would be done under local anaesthetic only and they could conduct a little experiment during the operation. When the kneecap was moved aside and the joint was exposed he asked his surgeon friend to hold his foot and push the shin into the exposed joint and to try and close the gap between the bones, to simply make them connect with one another. He for his part would try to counter the action and also try to get the bones to meet.
The surgeon agreed and so they did as planned, only surprisingly the bones would not connect! The gap between them remained and the efforts of the two friends where in vain.

Our friend of course expected and indeed hoped for that outcome, he just wanted to grab the attention of the orthopaedic surgeon, but to no avail – he was not impressed.

Why am I telling this story? The doctor was trying to illustrate the biotensegrity model to the orthopaedic surgeon.

The idea is that the human body relates to gravity according to the biotensegrity model and not according to the simple physical model active on inanimate mechanical objects.

That’s why pressure which would close a gap in a regular structure doesn’t do so in the living body.

The bones of the living body don’t function like the skeleton of a building! They don’t carry the weight! That’s why pressure on them doesn’t produce the expected result!

The weight and pressure of the living body is carried by the tension throughout the entire structure, and the structure is like a system of cables which in certain places also contain pieces of metal or hard wood, but there is no direct connection between two rigid pieces, all the connections pass through the cables and the tension is the thing which holds the structure.

For a more detailed description of the model visit Stephen M Levin MD website and watch the video which illustrates the model.

Now that we’ve understood the principle of the biotensegrity model it’s time to try and understand what it means for us in the course of our own regular movement. On this point the next post will contain a short video to illustrate the matter.

When I flew to Oslo I knew that I had a lesson to learn and to teach there about love.

By Avi Bahat Therapy – date: Thursday 7th April 2011, 17:17 (originally it was ritten in face booke in Hebrew)

I knew when I flew to Oslo that I had a lesson to teach and to learn over there concerning love. I didn’t know what it was.

I think it was on the fifth day that during work something became clear – suddenly the penny dropped and it became so simple and obvious that it almost seemed pointless to mention, but seeing as I know to what extent I am not there when its not so clear and obvious, I will try to verbalise it for myself and for anyone interested.

I arrived with the attitude to the little upward movement of the ribs that accompanies inhaling, even the connection between that movement and the healing power of the colour green was already with me when I left Israel, but it was the simple understanding, of the physiology of the closing of the heart and the other option, that unfolded before me there in Oslo.

It is simple because obvious that when something bad is done to us, the heart closes up.

You can say it another way: The heart is a sensitive place, and when attacked the muscles and bones rush in to protect it.

As a child Josie (assumed name, real story), experienced a serious attack on her heart every time her father hit her. Her father didn’t understand what it was doing to her – he was also beat up and didn’t feel he was harmed by it.

Little Josie was so sad that her daddy didn’t love her that she couldn’t bear the sorrow – it was too great a sadness for a little girl – the muscles and ribs came to her rescue by tightening strongly – a hermetic seal – her heart wouldn’t be hurt it would simply not feel the uncontainable, destroying sadness of knowing that daddy (and mummy by not interfering) doesn’t love me.

What keeps the emotions from not getting in, is that the ribs are rigid, not free moving with the breath, and the chest muscles are tight all the time! As a result, the shoulders close inwards and join in on this protection of the heart – so that it doesn’t “break”.

When Josie remembers what was done to her, how they treated her as a child, she becomes full of rage and a desire for revenge, were she not in the midst of a years long development processes, that anger would have severed the ties she had with them, shattering it and disconnecting it, if not worse.

Now when she is continuing her process with me, there’s a small physical thing that can be an opening for change – it is that little movement of the ribs that if we colour it in our imagination in green and let it happen, then just like the waves in the sea, the breastbone that is like a long canoe goes up stream every time with the inhale towards the head and returns downwards with the exhale, and that little movement with the healing colour green, opens the heart, and allows the confidence giving oxygen to enter the inner space of the heart, and also heals the wound that opens wide there when the emotion gets in.

But here is the little twist because the first emotion that gets in is not necessarily the difficult emotion of being unloved but the pleasant and comforting emotion of being loved and together with it the understanding that only I, for myself, can love or not love. When that little motion of my ribs occurs – my heart opens up, because that movement connects me to life, to breath that is the sign of life, to oxygen that is the first food of life, when I experience that little movement I experience the fact of my life and if I give that feeling some attention, then before the different thoughts jump up on me and push away the feeling of being,

I have this moment to feel alive and to love it – to be and to experience the fact that to be is to love, and to love is to be open to life, and that everything else is just tales of what is above and below and beside and besides. Everything else is just thoughts, and thoughts are for me always judgemental and comparing and always when they are disengaged from any real sensation in the body, they tear me away from my feeling of life, suddenly I am like in a story, and have ceased to experience my own life,. That is what its like to be afraid, that is what its like to be angry, and that is what its like with every other emotion,

But, when I am open to my sense of being, when I experience it – I love, and only I can do that – no one else can do it for me, and how we long for another to love us?

So that’s it, that’s what I came to learn, and to teach, and in the meantime I tried to teach that little movement of the ribs and breastbone so that it acts as a gateway to the opening of the heart.

Love,

Avi

Translated by Guy Malbec

The Heart Center – A lesson in Love

(or the physiology of  loving)

Why does the heart center capture such an important place in our approach?
Or what is the meaning or significance of this center – what is the functionality that places it so squarely in the center?

“Open your heart” she tells me, “Why is yours so uptight? … yeah, that’s better, go on, go on opening it, let go, more, no need to carry on holding there just let go.”

What do we hold in there? Why is it that with (almost) all off us it is so closed and what does it mean to open it, and what for?

The heart center sits on the most important energetic junction of our bodies. The junction that connects the horizontal and vertical flows.

The Vertical Flow
Defines our physical existence which is a direct product of the existence of gravity. Gravity pulls our body to the center of the earth, but the outer crust of the planet acts so as to counter our mass, a force that prevents our merging with the planet and creates pressure inside our body and as a result a sense of being.

And the Horizontal Flow?
The horizontal flow (the line that connects one palm to the other when they are perpendicular to the body or parallel to the ground) expresses our creation, both in the sphere of human relations and in the physiological sense – the things we make with our hands or even our minds are our creations.

These two energetic flows crossover at the heart center.

In an optimal organizational state of our system, these flows are connected and feed one another and our entire existence.

The heart center is present in both and forms an important part of both.

In the internal part of the heart center the action responsible for center-outwards blood flow occurs.,
In the external part of the heart center breathing happens.

It is interesting to note that these twin actions represent the term “love” in a complementary way.

Love according to this approach is a state of flow that springs from open channels, as opposed to a condition of flow failure due to blocked channels.

Both these activities are necessary to sustain life; they are activities of combining the internal and external, activities that express the interdependence of the internal and external.

Blood flow is pushed from the heart outwards to all extremities of the body but depends no less on the blood’s return from the extremities to the heart. Breath sucks air and mainly oxygen from the outside into the lungs and with the help of the bloodstream the oxygen reaches the whole body. But for the oxygen to enter, exhaling must occur which creates sub-pressure that creates inwards suction of air.

Again there is interdependence: oxygen from the outside cannot enter before the pressure is vacated by exhaling, and cells cannot receive oxygen otherwise than from the blood that reaches them, etc.

This free flow inwards and outwards and between the center and extremities is the essence of love – open flow in and out.

Such open flow demonstrates the essential interconnection of all that is – between out and in and between center and extremities.

If we only understood that interdependence in the world we live in, if we only understood the interdependence of the center of the world with the external remote dispersed extremities, if we only understood that no full life can exist without this open flow in – out, center – extremities, perhaps we would find it less difficult to be reconciled with people who hurt us, love those who are far away, as then we would lean on the understanding that there is no real separation that we are all part of a larger organism and in the same way we would not want different parts of our body to fight one another, so we would not want to take part in a war between different parts of that organism that we are all a part of.

But before we try to deal with seemingly impossible tasks perhaps it would make it easier for us to start with a simple technical task the only difficulty of performing which is simply remembering!

I divide this task into two:
On the vertical plane we can learn to notice and experience the experience of physical existence. Meaning to sense the body’s weight pushing off the earth,
to apply slight pressure to the ground and to feel it pushing back – to sense the flow of our weight upwards because of that pressure!
- This small action reminds us of the physical existence! So it reminds us who we are!

On the horizontal plane we can notice the movement of the ribs – the slight movement upwards and back of the breastbone that expands the ribs forward and sideways – the body as if growing and expanding outwards and then shrinking back to its previous size.

This small movement of the ribs is the movement that expresses the fact that we are alive. And when I sense my own existence I also sense that I love existing!

This small movement of the ribs is the movement that expresses breathing – communion of the external and internal a communion that in fact sustains us! And it is an expression of love – open channels in and out!

Remembering the physical existence and paying attention to the love that is expressed in the breathing movement, are such simple and primal acts that we can do, and they remind us what really matters,
But what will remind us to do these two little actions with attention?

This is where I turn to you with a question and I welcome answers and comments:
What reminds you to pay attention to the physical existence and the fact that you are alive?

Avi.

Translated by Guy MalbeC

 

The Model of Correct Movement According to Dr. Ida Rolf (Rolfing)

The Center Point
It is interesting to see how in this model movement begins from the body’s center, irrespective of whether we are walking, raising our arms or any other movement, it’s always supposed to start from the center!

The movement that is supposed to happen at the center is almost always the same – motion that maintains the lower/middle back in the rear space of the body, as opposed to the common habit of allowing that region to move forward thus pushing the mid region of the body to the front space and the front region to the space beyond the front space of the body.

This type of movement maintains the existence of front, middle and rear, and only from this condition does movement begin – any movement.

Walking Correctly
We shall focus on walking since that is where the special function of the mid-muscle – the Iliopsoas –manifests fully.

The existence of this muscle in the center of our physical structure and it being the only one to connect legs to spine, makes it the muscle most directly manifesting the preservation of the inner space and the possible way in which we can act without loosing that space.

The correct way to walk according to the model developed by Dr. Rolf (PhD. in Physics and Biochemistry) starts with an elongation of the waist vertebrae region with a backwards motion orientation.

At the same time the Iliopsoas muscle which connects these vertebrae to the thigh (in the upper-inner side), acts to move the knee forward – thus walking begins!

This model differs from what is common, in that absent the correct orientation of the Psoas muscle, it is possible that instead of an elongation of the waist vertebrae a compression may happen, and the knee will be moved to motion by the strong and large Quadriceps.

The disadvantage of such movement is firstly in the compression in stead of elongation and thus pressure on the discs – which causes problems, and secondly, an incorrect use of the mid-muscle causes us to loose, or simply not be present at, our center.

When we are not centered we act rather reactively and automatically, a sense of who I am is lacking, and the choice of what constitutes my inner reaction, which is a manifestation of my self-essence is also lacking. The inner reaction is opposed to the automatic reaction which is an expression of one’s habits, abilities, and the automation without the presence of self essence.

The Supporting Factor
For the correct way of walking according to Rolf to be easily accomplished, the action of the foot must be mentioned as the factor which completes and enables the stride.

The foot’s main action according to this model is to push the floor backwards!

In the incorrect model this pushing almost, or completely, doesn’t exist and is indeed unnecessary as the powerful Quadriceps (which connects the sheen/knee to the hip on the front side) is so strong, that it easily lifts the thigh up (instead of the knee moving forward it is raised upwards), and places it down again on the floor and so on and so forth. This is a classic example of external action that bears no connection to the inner workings that also has low physical efficiency – that is high energy wastage!

In contrast when the foot pushes the floor backwards, this pushing allows us to maintain the waist vertebrae’s “rearness”, prevents their compression and allows for their elongation and is what awakens the Iliopsoas to work correctly – that is, while the waist vertebrae stay behind the contraction of the Psoas moves the knee forward!

The foot’s action in pushing the floor backwards allows for the correct working of the Psoas as well as supports it by the leverage it creates.

The sensation of such movement is like the knee flying forward of its own volition since we lack any clear sensation of the internal workings of the muscle that creates it – the Iliopsoas Muscle.

Physical Efficiency
In this model physical efficiency reaches its highest point since it wastes no energy. It lacks any upwards movement of raising the leg, only moving it forward thus maximizing the use of foot action.

The Feeling Walking According to This Model Creates
The feeling a person walking in this way has, is of effortless walking – a stride that is flowing and has a sensation of clear and pleasant connection from head to toe.

There is clarity in the center region – the waist, it has clarity of front, center and rear, so that from there on and all the way up to the head a sensation that the structure and mainly the head, are supported by the center and does not need to be forcefully supported by the power of the neck’s rear muscles.

Additional Points
Certain important additional points come with this model but they are relatively ancillary to it.

I shall point one of them out; the fact that the legs are parallel and movement of the knees along the planes which divide the legs.

In the same way that we wouldn’t conceive the wheels of our car pointing inwards or outwards, so our feet, especially when they are properly fulfilling their function of pushing the floor backwards, should not be pointing inwards or outwards. It is a fact of life that this is actually the situation for a large majority of us, but, it is part of what harms physical efficiency!

In order for the knee to be able to receive and transfer the earth’s support which is passed on to it via the foot, it is obvious that it must be always above the foot and not sideways from it. That is why the definition of the plane in which the knee moves is always on the plane which divides the leg to left and right.

Application
The definition of physical efficiency according to Dr. Rolf is nothing more than pure physics, the problem is applying it! This model works easily and almost of its own accord in people who have undergone the series of treatment she developed (Rolfing), which balances the structure, however, the model can inspire anyone, (even someone who hasn’t yet been treated), in the right direction, and with the aid of a series of special exercises the model can be closely approximated!

The Author, Avi Bahat, is a Touch and Movement and Rolfing Therapist and has created a step by step DVD to instruct correct posture.

Translated by Guy Malbec guymalbec@gmail.com