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What They Do

Massage Therapists Career Video

Insider Info

An old form of therapy is gaining new followers. Over 50 years ago, a European woman discovered that she could manipulate the connective tissue inside the body to relieve clients' pain.

Ida Rolf called the treatment "structural integration," but to those who practice it, the treatment has become known as "rolfing."

"The idea is that through injury and through patterns of body use and through trauma, the body's connective tissues become hard and stiff in certain places and, as a result, lock the body into certain ways of being held," explains John Quigley.

"To rectify the situation, you need to physically manipulate the connective tissues."

Quigley is the educational services assistant for the Rolf Institute for Structural Integration. It's the only place in America where people can be trained to become rolfers.

There are now over a 1000 rolfers worldwide. The institute also has training centers in Europe, South America, Australia and Japan.

Typically, clients who see rolfers suffer from chronic back pain where no amount of work with traditional therapies has succeeded. The rolfer meets with the client for an assessment and books the required 10 treatments necessary to make significant progress.

At a Glance

Manipulate connective tissue to relieve pain

  • Usually, clients who see rolfers suffer from chronic back pain
  • Salaries are tough to figure out because most rolfers are self-employed
  • You can get specific training at the Rolf Institute

Contact

  • Email Support

  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900

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