An estimated 25.3 million American adults—about 11.2 percent of them—suffer from chronic pain, according to the latest statistics from the National Institutes of Health. Ongoing pain can affect all facets of a person’s life, and the quest for relief can be frustrating or even fatal, as using prescription pain medicines can have serious consequences, including addiction. But a specialized physical rehabilitation technique known as Rolfing can relieve chronic pain and restricted movement naturally, without the scary side effects, says Sharalee Hoelscher, a certified Rolfer who practices in the Pensacola area.

The goal of Rolfing is to get people moving freely without pain by addressing its source, she says. “Many times, pain in one area of the body is caused either by a problem in another area of the body or by the body compensating for imbalances, old injuries or surgeries. If there is only temporary or partial relief from therapies, adjustments or medications, then it is likely the source of pain has not been addressed. Rather than targeting the symptom, the source of pain must be treated for pain to end.”

Hoelscher is the Pensacola area’s only certified Rolfer, having trained at the Rolf Institute. 

“It’s the only school providing the education and skills necessary to do this complex work safely and effectively,” she says. “A certified Rolfer uses her hands to get the connective tissues functioning correctly and in the right position, so bones and muscles can move as they should and support the body properly.”

Rolfing is painless and the results last, she says, adding that the technique can resolve chronic pain from old injuries as well as new ones. “In just a few sessions, the body can move with ease and strength, in a balanced and coordinated way.”

Among the problems it addresses are back, neck and joint pain; painful, restricted movement; plantar fasciitis; poor posture; chronic muscle tension; repetitive stress injuries; headaches; and problems with the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles and feet.

The key to permanently eliminating many types of pain is resolving imbalances in the body’s tissues that hold the muscles, bones and joints in the correct position and keep them moving properly, Hoelscher says. 

“When a joint is misaligned or a muscle is stuck to its neighbor, it causes unequal pulling on the body. Other bones, muscles and tissues must compensate, and pain usually results,” she says. “Pain may actually be caused by a long-forgotten injury, accident or surgery. Rolfing restores optimal function to the body by working with the ligaments, tendons and other tissue that supports joints, organs and muscles. This is not a massage. Massage relaxes muscles. Rolfing permanently changes the way the body is aligned and how it moves, balances and supports itself.”

Hoelscher has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has been a licensed body worker in private practice for 25 years (Florida license #MA34039). Her Pensacola office is centrally located in Cordova Square. 

For more information, call Hoelscher at 850-450-8508 or visit HealingWithBodywork.com.