Recently, a new client called to see me complaining of unrelenting back pain. After a couple sessions, he reported feeling much better and a few more after that, called to say he was pain free! I told him this was wonderful, but the good news did not last. As we progressed through the ten-series, his pain started recurring. After the 9th session, he called to say he was canceling his 10th session because Rolfing was not helping.

Knowing he was an ardent practitioner of yoga, I asked him if he would consider taking break from yoga for a few weeks to see if it might improve his condition. “Absolutely not,” he replied. “I’ve been doing yoga eight years and its done wonders for me. I can feel it opening me up!”

“I’m sure of that,” I replied, “but it may not be opening you up in ways your body needs.” I went on to explain that all stretching techniques may not be beneficial for all people. Yoga, for instance, often involves a lot of bending, twisting and stretching at the waist, whereas athletic magazines, like Runner’s World, Outside, Men’s Health / Women’s Health and so on tend to emphasize more the leg muscles. I told him that when he walked, I observed that his legs were quite tight, which was throwing the demands of locomotion up into hips and resulting in inflammation.

“Try this,” I suggested, “Continue doing yoga, but for two weeks limit poses that involve stretching, bending and twisting at the waist. I then gave him a few simple leg exercises to do on his own to stretch out his calves, hamstrings, hip flexors & quadriceps.  About a week later, he called to say his pain was 90% gone and wanted to reschedule his 10th session. He is now pain free.

I am no expert in stretching. I relate this story simply to show that different bodies have different needs. For some, yoga may be the answer. For others, Egoscue, Chek, Pilates or Stretch to Win programs may prove more beneficial. The trick is to not be beholden to any one discipline just because you’ve heard it’s a good program. You may have to experiment a little at first to find which programs / exercises best suit your body type, history and activities. It may seem tedious at first, but the end result could make it well worth the effort.