Charting The Science of Structural Integration and its Benefits for the Human Being

The Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation encourages and supports interdisciplinary, scientifically sound research focusing on the therapeutic mechanisms, clinical effects, longer-term health effects, and utilization of Structural Integration, a therapeutic method designed to evoke whole body improvement of function and well-being.

Foundation grant-making focuses on bringing together scientific, medical, and related professionals with practitioners of Structural Integration at several levels to explore, define, verify and expand the scientific bases of Dr. Rolf’s concepts and their role in improving the human condition.

The Foundation was introduced at the First International Fascia Research Congress (FRC) in October 2007. The first international conference was dedicated to fascia in all its forms and functions and drew 700 people from 28 countries. In 2008, the Fascia Research Congress came under the umbrella of the Foundation and continues to bring scientists and clinicians together to share their ideas and explorations. The Second FRC convened in Amsterdam in 2009 and was attended by 550 people from 40 countries. The Third International Fascia Research Congress, March 28-30, 2012 in Vancouver, was sold out with 800 people registered. Bringing together scientific, medical and Structural Integration professionals, the Congress provided for an exchange of ideas about fascia that was never before possible. Three full days of scientific presentations were flanked by additional days of practical workshops.

Ida P. Rolf Research Foundation-ResearcherWhat's New                                

The Fascia Research Society (FRS) is the latest creation of the Foundation and has been established as its membership component in order to facilitate, encourage and support continuing dialogue and collaboration between clinicians, researchers and academicians in the intervening years between Congresses. Learn more.

Fascia Research Congress 2012 Book and DVD on Sale Now. Whether or not you were able to join us at the Congress this past March in Vancouver, you can now have a window into the proceedings at this sold-out event. In addition, 2007 and 2009 Fascia Research Congress DVDs and proceeding books continue to be offered for purchase. Visit fasciacongress.org.

Stanford Follow-Up Study on Structural Integration and Cerebral Palsy. Stanford University Medical School’s research study on Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI) for children with cerebral palsy (CP) began in January 2009. Certified Advanced Rolfer™ Karen S. Price reports that she and her research team received a 2-year grant from the Gerber Foundation to enroll 24 children ages two to three with CP for a follow-up study. The size of the research team has doubled and now includes a PhD PT for assessments, an additional pediatrician who specializes in CP, PhD consultants, and an individual to assist with grant applications. Many children are currently enrolled and work will continue through 2013. The team has also applied for a second grant to fund children ages three to seven. A paper on the findings from the pilot study, was published in the Journal of Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and a poster presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia in May 2010.

Fascia Research Course DVD Now Available. This DVD presents 14 lectures by 12 international experts on fascia and connective tissue therapies. A portion of the DVD proceeds will be donated to the Foundation’s graduate student scholarship fund for the Third International Fascia Research Congress. Learn from these fascia pioneers and support graduate student research in fascia.

Travel Awards Available. In addition to grants for scientific research, the Board has agreed to entertain travel grants. To qualify, research must be published in a peer-reviewed journal and be presented at a medical or scientific conference. The Foundation expects to award three to five travel awards of up to $1000 each annually.

Latest Research: Peer Reviewed Medline Article on Structural Integration Rolfing® Structural Integration Treatment of Cervical Spine Dysfunction demonstrates that the basic ten-session series of Rolfing Structural Integration (RSI), when applied by a physical therapist with advanced RSI certification, is capable of significantly decreasing pain and increasing active range of motion in adults with cervical spine dysfunction. The retrospective study will be published in the Medline-indexed Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. Article authors: Helen James MPT, Professor Emerita, Luis Castaneda, Student Physical Therapist, Marilyn E. Miller PhD, PT, GCS, and Thomas Findley MD, PhD.

Foundation Awards First Grant: Torsional Stiffness of Pelvic Motion: "Automated Measurement and Changes after Clinical Treatment." The Foundation awarded a $4000 grant to Hans Chaudhry, PhD at New Jersey Institute of Technology to further research using an Anatomical Torsion Monitor (ATM). This US-patented medical instrument was developed by an engineer and an osteopathic physician and provides an inexpensive and noninvasive assessment of low back stiffness and elasticity, specifically focusing on the rotational motion of the lumbar spine. The device will be automated to improve reliability and reduce testing time. The improved ATM will be used in a study to empirically measure the effects of the Rolfing® Structural Integration ten-series of sessions on subjects’ low back dysfunction. Based on these outcomes, the ATM could be an important tool for identifying ways to make Structural Integration interventions more effective.

Advanced Rolfer™ Eric Jacobson, receives Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award will support up to five years of training in research methods and a pilot study of Structural Integration as a therapy for chronic low back pain. The primary sites of the project will be Osher Research Center, Harvard Medical School, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

We've set a goal of $100,000 in contributions in order to award three or four pilot research projects in the coming year. Your contributions are making ongoing Structural Integration research a reality. Make a contribution.