With only two of the world's 1,850 Rolfing practitioners working in Hong Kong, chances are you have not heard of this system of intense, deep-tissue massage. Named after its architect, Dr Ida Pauline Rolf, the therapy method has developed a following in the United States, and in Colorado in particular, where the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration is based.
The Phoenix Suns National Basketball Association (NBA) team was an early adopter in 1994, and the list of Olympic medal winners who endorse Rolfing is long.
In Hong Kong, recreational athlete Alexander van Praag has also been a beneficiary. Arriving from London, Van Praag spent some time looking for a Rolfer. 'I have always been heavily involved in sports and athletic activities, particularly martial arts, but I also accumulated many injuries. As I entered my mid-30s, I started to feel the mileage,' he says.
Van Praag got more than he expected when he went to see Rolf therapist Steven Bremner to treat his long-term neck, knee and back pains. 'The aches and pains have gone, but I've also noticed a very marked improvement in performance at the gym. It feels like I have been driving with my parking brake on for years, and now it's released,' he says.
Another patient in her late 40s, whose name has been withheld for patient confidentiality reasons, describes how treatment for a persistent and nagging shoulder pain helped her whole body feel more fluid, lighter and released. She says: 'Not only has the pain gone, but I also saw my marathon speed shift noticeably. I am looking forward to my next marathon to see how I perform.'
Rolf, who died in 1979, aged 83, was an innovator. She was awarded her PhD in biochemistry in 1920, virtually the dark ages for women's education. Then, driven by family health problems and influenced by her interest in osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathy and yoga, she came to the belief that if the body's components were free to move optimally with gravity, the body would heal itself.