A case study about my experience with Rolfing®. My first lot of 10 sessions took place in 2009.
I presented with:
- Bulging discs between L4, L5 and sacrum
- Muscle spasm especially in the glutes (I literally had a tight ass)
- A weak, unstable left hip joint, full hip flexion feels crunchy
The low back issue started first. Then the left hip felt left out and 2 years later started demanding more attention, painfully.
Tell me about your body, how do you live in it/experience it?
I don’t live in my body, not all of it. Mostly just my head. I live as a talking head. Being in my body feels too scary. Chronologically my body is 30 years old, but I feel 80. I move carefully and in limited ways, afraid to irritate my low back/hip and experience pain again.
What else was happening in your life when these injuries occurred?
I arrived in SA, a fresh graduate, with the logical expectation of finding a corporate job. However, I was inexperienced and on a tourist visa, the job offers didn’t exactly roll in. Also, living in Joburg was a huge adjustment, it is vastly different to my country of birth. I felt like a ‘failed’ adult: no job, no money, no friends, no life. My body was a tight, misaligned mass of deep fear, anxiety and insecurity. First, my low back gave way. Sometime later, the left hip followed.
Were your injuries treated?
Yes, mostly! With an effective combination of physiotherapy, acupuncture and electric currents. However, my low back remained niggly and unstable.
How did the Rolfing® sessions help?
Firstly, I “landed” in my body, lightly and gracefully like a white feather. Just by being back in my body, the low back and pelvis began to feel stronger and more alive. The most vivid recollection, is that the hands-on work done on the lateral (outside) thighs, released the tightness in the low back. Instead of holding on for dear life, the lumbars found space and relaxed into gravity.