Then one of her therapists recommended Rolfing, a lesser-known form of hands-on work that focuses on balancing and realigning the entire body. Midway through a series of 10 Rolfing sessions, Widlansky has felt her pain easing.

"The problem I have is that my muscles are kind of locked in. And I'm starting to notice them loosening up a little," says the Salt Lake City woman, 31, who left the sessions feeling happier. "So far it's been really positive."

More and more people like Widlansky are discovering the benefits of Rolfing, whose funny-sounding name is actually shorthand for a more unwieldy one: structural integration. Converts include figure skater Elvis Stojko, former NFL wide receiver Cris Carter and country singer Willie Nelson, who told The New York Times that Rolfing sessions fixed his back pain.

Research suggests Rolfing bodywork can help reduce chronic pain and stress by easing breathing and correcting imbalances in the body's structure. The relatively new practice is named for its creator, Ida P. Rolf, a biochemist who spent decades using her scientific background to develop a holistic approach to health problems.

Rolf also studied yoga and other so-called alternative therapies, and came to believe that the body's structural alignment affected one's behavior and emotional well-being. By the mid-1960s she had developed the series of 10 hourlong sessions that would form the foundation for the Rolfing process. In 1971, she founded the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colo., to train and certify Rolfing practitioners.

Like massage, Rolfing can loosen knotted muscles. Unlike massage, Rolfing also works at rearranging the web of connective tissue that wraps the body. This layer of tissue, called fascia, supports and connects the body's muscles and internal organs. As poor posture develops over time, the fascia holds the body in an imbalanced position; Rolfers reshape it to restore balance and fluidity of movement.

Rolfing also works with the forces of gravity. When our bodies are out of balance, gravity's constant pull can worsen that imbalance and strain our muscles, causing pain. Take an office worker who leans his head forward for hours a day to peer at a computer. This requires constant effort by his muscles in the neck and back.

"Over time that muscle is going to go from effort to strain to long-term pain, because that muscle is doing something it wasn't designed to do," says Paul Wirth, a certified Rolfer in Salt Lake City. Rolfing, he says, can return the head to its proper alignment atop the neck and restore energy because "your body is doing less to fight itself."

By helping clients to recognize and correct their own bad-posture habits, the beneficial effects of Rolfing can last for months or even years after the sessions are over.

For most of its existence, Rolfing has remained a fringe practice. At the time of Rolf's death in 1979, there were about 200 certified Rolfers, mostly in the United States. Today there are about 1,300 - still a tiny number when compared with the 50,000-plus members of the American Massage Therapy Association.

One reason for this may be Rolfing's stubborn reputation for causing discomfort. Webster's dictionary defines it as "a form of painful massage."

"There was a time in the '70s and '80s when it was kind of a 'no pain, no gain' thing - and it's haunted Rolfers ever since," says Wirth, who discovered Rolfing after it helped him recover from a sprained ankle. Although Rolfing can produce strong sensations, its painful rep is no longer accurate, he says. Rolfers ask clients to communicate with them during sessions and will ease pressure immediately if a client is uncomfortable.

"You have to tell him, 'Not too much.' He doesn't want to hurt you," says Widlansky, one of Wirth's clients. "The closest comparison, I'd say, is to deep-tissue massage. The session itself is not what you'd call relaxing. There is work to it. But afterwards I feel fine."

Rolfing sessions typically last 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. They are conducted mostly on a massage table, under moderate lighting, and often without the snooze-inducing background music that accompanies massage. Clients wear shorts or loose athletic wear.

Each of the 10 sessions, spaced a week or two apart, is designed to work a different area of the body, from the feet to the spine to the neck. Clients may see results after one or two sessions, but because all of the body's muscles and fascia are interconnected Rolfers recommend the entire series.

At about $80 per session, Rolfing is not cheap. And it is not recommended for people with torn cartilage or broken bones. But for clients with chronic ailments like Tori Sebek, the investment is worth it.

Sebek, 34, saw Rolfer Mary Phillips a year ago after she suffered whiplash in a traffic accident. Phillips discovered some of Sebek's pain stemmed from her splayed hips, which led her to walk with her feet pointed outward, like a duck. Through a series of sessions, Phillips corrected the problem.

"My stride completely changed," said Sebek, of Salt Lake City. "And my posture is much better."

Then Sebek was rear-ended in traffic again in June, this time in a crash on Interstate 80 that sent her to the emergency room. Instead of getting physical therapy, she decided to undergo another 10 Rolfing sessions.

"There's still a bit of stiffness. But I haven't been getting headaches," Sebek says. "My body awareness has changed. I think more about how I'm breathing or sitting or standing. I feel like it's really been beneficial."

griggs@sltrib.com

Rolf on the Web

For more information about Rolfing, visit the Rolf Institute's Web site at http://www.rolf.org. The site lists seven certified Rolfers in Utah, along with information on how to contact them. For more information on Utah Rolfers, visit http://www.rolfingsaltlake.com.

What's the difference between Rolfing and some popular forms of massage? Here are brief descriptions of each:

Swedish massage: A lighter form of massage developed in the 1700s by a Swedish doctor. Its system of long strokes, kneading and friction techniques are designed to relax the superficial layers of muscles and increase oxygen flow in the blood.

Deep-tissue massage: A technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue to release chronic patterns of tension. Deep-tissue massage involves slow strokes and deep finger pressure on the contracted areas of the body, usually the back, neck and shoulders.

Shiatsu: Named for a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure," this treatment applies acupuncture-like pressure along the body's energy lines, or meridians, to stimulate the body's invisible channels of energy flow.

Rolfing: Usually done in a series of 10 sessions, this practice uses deep pressure and stretching techniques designed to realign and balance the entire body. By rearranging the web of connective tissue that wraps the body, Rolfing seeks to correct structural imbalances and help reduce chronic pain and stress.

- Sources: The American Massage Therapy Association, The Rolf Institute

Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune

Certified Rolfing therapist Mary Phillips works on client Tori Sebek during a recent session in an effort to relax and reposition Sebek's muscles. Sebek chose Rolfing over physical therapy after a recent auto accident.