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Research on Rolfing
"Structural Integration," Dr. Ida Rolf, Rockefeller Institute, N.Y., 1918 - 1927
"Project Breakthrough," Foundation For Brain Injured Children, N.Y.C. 1963, studied children with poor coordination, disorganized, and immature movement patterns for their age level. They exhibited better muscle tone, better alignment, improved language skills and social responsiveness after Rolfing.
"Stress, Stimulus Intensity Control, and the Structural Integration Technique," Silverman, Rappaport & Hopkins, (abstract : Confinia Psychiatrica, Karger Publisher, Switzerland, 1973)
"Effects of Structural Integration On Strait-Trait Anxiety," Robert Wagner and Valerie Hunt, UCLA, 1976, (abstract : Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 35, No.2, USA, April 1979)
"A Study of Structural Integration from Neuromuscular, Energy Field & Emotional Approaches," (abstract: Dr. Valerie Hunt and Wayne Massey, UCLA Dept. of Kinesiology, 1977)
"Electromyographic Evaluation of Structural Integration Techniques," Dr.Valerie Hunt and Wayne Massey, UCLA, (abstract : Psychoenergetic Systems, Gordon & Breach Science Pub., U.K., 1977)
"Functional Evaluation of Rolfing in Cerebral Palsy," Perry, Jones & Thomas, (abstract : Developmental Med. Child. Neurol. 1981, 23) researched ten persons with cerebal palsy who experienced significant changes in lower extremity passive range of motion, muscle strength, balance and gait with Rolfing.
"Children With Cerebral Palsy," Cindy Potter, 1986
"Effects Of Soft Tissue Mobilization on Parasympathetic Tone in Two Age Groups," J. Cottingham, SW Porges, T. Lyon, Frances Nelson Health Center, Illinois, 1987, (abstract : The Journal of American Physical Therapy Assn., Vol. 68, 352-356, 1988); The effects of a soft tissue mobilization procedure, the Rolfing pelvic lift, on parasympathetic tone was studied in healthy adult men. Parasympathetic tone was assessed 1) by quantifying the amplitude of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia from the heart rate pattern and 2) by measuring heart rate. Heart rate patterns were assessed during the pelvic lift and during the durational touch and baseline control conditions. Two groups of healthy subjects were tested: Group 1 contained 20 subjects aged 26 to 41 years, and Group 2 contained 10 subjects aged 55 to 68 years. In Group 1, the pelvic lift elicited a somatovisceral-parasympathetic reflex characterized by a significant increase in parasympathetic tone relative to durational touch and baseline conditions. Group 2 did not exhibit a parasympathetic change during the pelvic lift. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of pelvic mobilization techniques and may help to explain why these techniques have been clinically successful in treating myofascial pain syndromes and other musculoskeletal dysfunctions characterized by reduced parasympathetic tone and excessive
sympathetic activity. PMID: 3279437 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Shifts in Pelvic Inclination Angle and Parasympathetic Tone Produced by Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation," J. Cottingham, Frances Nelson Health Center, Illinois, (abstract : The Journal of American Physical Therapy Assn., Vol. 68, 1364-1370, 1988)
"Biomechanical Structuring For Figure Skating", preliminary pilot study report for the U.S. Figure Skating Association, Helen James, Katharine Robertson, and Neal Powers, Olympic Training Center Camp, CO, 1988
"Effects of Soft Tissue Mobilization On Pelvic Inclination Angle, Lumbarlordisis, and Parasympathetic Tone: Implications for Treatment of Disabilities Associated with Lumbar Degenerative Joint Disease," Cottingham JT. Public testimony presentation to the National Center of Medical Rehabilitation Research of the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD; March 19,1992. Rolf Lines 20 (2) : 42-45, 1992; The case study offers a new treatment approach to help people attain long lasting pain relief from chronic, idiopathic low back pain. JOSPT cites that patients with chronic low back pain may respond better and sustain longer improvements when treated with alternative treatment protocols like Rolfing. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a three paradigm, integrative treatment approach over a more conventional corrective physical therapy approach.
"Vagal Tone: A Physiologic Marker Of Stress Vulnerability," by Porges SW. Pediatrics 1992 Sep;90(3 Pt 2):498-504; Institute for Child Study, University of Maryland, College Park 20742. Vagal tone is proposed as a novel index of stress vulnerability and Reactivity with applications in all branches of medicine, and with particular value In pediatrics. The paper proposes a model emphasizing the role of the parasympathetic nervous system and particularly the vagus nerve in mediating homeostasis and defining stress. Measurement of cardiac vagal tone is proposed as a method to assess on an individual basis both the stress response and the vulnerability to stress. The method monitors the neural control of the heart via the vagus (ie, vagal tone) as an index of homeostasis. The method provides a standard instrument with statistical parameters that are comparable between patients and throughout the life span. This noninvasive method will allow the assessment of the stressful impact of various clinical treatments on the young infant and permit the identification of individuals
with vulnerabilities to stress. PMID: 1513615 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Emotion: An Evolutionary By-Product Of The Neural Regulation Of The Autonomic Nervous System," by Porges SW. Institute for Child Study, Ann N Y Acad Sci 1997 Jan 15;807:62-77; University of Maryland, College Park 20742-1131, USA. PMID: 9071344 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"A Three-Paradigm Treatment Model Using Soft Tissue Mobilization and Guided Movement-Awareness Techniques For Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Case Study," J. Cottingham and J. Maitland, The Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Vol.26, No.3, Sept.1997
"Heart Rate Variability: Origins, Methods, And Interpretive Caveats," by Berntson GG, Bigger JT Jr, Eckberg DL, Grossman P, Kaufmann PG, Malik M, Nagaraja HN, Porges SW, Saul JP, Stone PH, van der Molen MW; Psychophysiology 1997 Nov;34(6):623-48; Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. berntson.2@osu.edu. Components of heart rate variability have attracted considerable attention in psychology and medicine and have become important dependent measures in psychophysiology and behavioral medicine. Quantification and interpretation of heart rate variability, however, remain complex issues and are fraught with pitfalls. The present report (a) examines the physiological origins and mechanisms of heart rate variability, (b) considers quantitative approaches to measurement, and (c) highlights important caveats in the interpretation of heart rate variability. Summary guidelines for research in this area are outlined, and suggestions and prospects for future developments are considered. PMID: 9401419 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Integrating Manual and Movement Therapy With Philosophical Counseling For Treatment of A Patient With Amyptrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Study That Explores The Principles Of Holistic Intervention", J. Cottingham, M.S., P.T. and J. Maitland, Ph.D., Alternative Therapies In Health and Medicine, Winter/Spring 2000. Travis was a 61 year old patient suffering from ALS. He received a series of five holistic principle based sessions that combined soft tissue mobilization and movement techniques based on the Rolf Method and philosophical counseling. After four sessions, he exhibited a remarkable improvement in his posture, his movement abilities, his autonomic nervous system function, and his worldview of mind-body relationships. These improvements lasted for a two month span. Such improvements are rare with ALS patients. It is noteworthy that these positive changes occurred only after his worldview shifted from a dualistic split between mind and body to a nondualistic unity of mind-body. After this 2 month period of improvement, Travis' condition deteriorated rapidly - with loss of movement abilities, balance, and posture. Yet his enhanced worldview (mind-body unity) and his enhanced automomic function (increased vagal tone or relaxation response) continued through a final followup assessment that was done four months after his first treatment session.
"The Polyvagal Theory: Phylogenetic Substrates Of A Social Nervous System," by SW Porges; Int J Psychophysiol 2001 Oct;42(2):123-46; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60612-7327, USA. The evolution of the autonomic nervous system provides an organizing Principle to interpret the adaptive significance of physiological responses in Promoting social behavior. According to the polyvagal theory, the well-documented phylogenetic shift in neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system passes through three global stages, each with an associated behavioral strategy. The first stage is characterized by a primitive unmyelinated visceral vagus that fosters digestion and responds to threat by depressing metabolic activity. Behaviorally, the first stage is associated with immobilization behaviors. The second stage is characterized by the sympathetic nervous system that is capable of increasing metabolic output and inhibiting the visceral vagus to Foster mobilization behaviors necessary for 'fight or flight'. The third stage, unique to mammals, is characterized by a myelinated vagus that can rapidly regulate cardiac output to foster engagement and disengagement with the environment. The mammalian vagus is neuroanatomically linked to the cranial nerves that regulate social engagement via facial expression and vocalization. As the autonomic nervous system changed through the process of evolution, so did the interplay between the autonomic nervous system and the other physiological systems that respond to stress, including the cortex, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the neuropeptides of oxytocin and vasopressin, and the immune system. From this phylogenetic orientation, the polyvagal theory proposes a biological basis for social behavior and an intervention strategy to enhance positive social behavior. PMID:
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