Organize the Legs and Feet
In a second hour Rolfing session we bring our attention to the legs and feet. This is our base of support, and in the first hour we made room up above this area for changes to move into. Neck, shoulder, back, and hip issues are unlikely to heal if we are not walking smoothly, so addressing the feet should occur early on in a Rolfing series. The way we walk with our feet and ankles directly affect our knees and our hips, and the muscles of our lower legs act as stirrups that support and drive the feet. All of this is wrapped in a hose-like sheath of deep connective tissue known as the Crural Fascia, which is continuous with fascial sheets that continue all the way up the back and neck and wrap around the skull to the forehead. This is why rolling a golf ball on the underside of one's foot can help them bend over and touch their toes sometimes. It's a great party trick, try it. It could be said that the feet affect everything above them, but this is most noticeable in the hips.
The Legs and Feet are Part of the Hip Girdle
Just as the arms and forearms are considered part of the shoulder girdle, as they have a direct effect on them, so too are the legs and feet considered part of the hip girdle. Every step we take will have a direct effect on the hips. If we loose flexibility in the arches or the ankles, we will either walk in shorter steps, or we will avoid them all together by rotating our legs outward (laterally) and this will most likely cause the muscles of the lateral hips to shorten and remain tight. If the calves and muscles of the lower leg remain short and tight, it will likewise have an effect on the flexibility of the ankle and even the foot, limiting motion and causing us to avoid them when walking, this is sure to put strain on the knees and the hips, and what ever puts strain on the hips can be sure to affect the back.
The Legs Link up to the Back
In the case of pronation and supination of the foot, we will often find it is the muscles of the lower leg that are the primary factor. The tibialus anterior and the fibularus longus (previously known as peroneus longus) wrap around the bottom of the foot like a stirrup and and imbalance in one or the other leads to pronation and supination, which in turn leads to walking on on the outside or inside of the foot. Up above the lower leg, the chain of force continues up the thigh to the pelvis, thus affecting pelvic tilt, and can cause an anterior or posterior pelvic tilt. This will either lead to an excessive curve in the lower back, or take the curve out causing a flat lower back. It then does not take much imagination to visualize what this will do to the upper back, or the back as a whole, so in order to address the back, we must first address how the legs link up to the back, something that no one really thinks about.
Strength and Arch Support Come from Proper Use
The muscles and the bones of the foot are mobile structures, every little bone in the foot needs to be able to move with some small degree of independence. The arches of the foot are composed of these bones. If one has high arches or low arches, it is the interplay between the bones of the foot and the muscles that governs them that determines high or low arches. No one is born with high or low arches, in fact no one is born with arches at all. Our arches only start developing when we become weight bearing upright beings, in response to gravity, an wearing arch support does not really correct this, it only acts as a crutch. To get the arches functioning properly, we must get awareness in the feet, the lower legs and the thighs to get them functioning properly. Muscles will stretch and or strengthen through proper use, rather than gym exercises. It is the Rolfer's job to help make this awareness and proper functioning happen. At the end of the day Rolfing and the 10 series is about fostering body awareness that will help the individual adapt and adjust to life.