Photo by Doug Koontz Emily Gordon, a certified Rolfer, applies pressure to the back of client Chris Hartley.

Athletic (he's been playing team and recreational sports since he was 4) and active, Hartley said pain has been his constant companion since a 2002 motorcycle accident. He T-boned a car. The driver didn't see him.

Fortunately, no bones were broken, but he did have torn ligaments and three herniated disks. Every morning his muscles remind him of the accident.

"I wake up sore and I probably have the worst chronic fatigue," said Hartley, of Frederick . "It's sometimes 10 or 11 (in the morning) before I get moving good.

"Before the accident, I was invincible ... at least I thought I was," he said. The constant pain, he said, "gets into your head a little bit."

His doctor prescribed pain medication, but that damaged his stomach so he stopped taking it -- including over-the-counter pain relievers. He's tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage and Chinese herbs. Relief was temporary, at best.

"They all told me I needed to find a Rolfer," said Hartley. Rolfing is a type of bodywork that uses a systematic application of soft tissue manipulation and movement education. It's also known as structural integration and is named for Ida Rolf, who developed the practice more than 50 years ago. Rolf discovered that by manipulating the body's myofascial system she could achieve significant changes in a person's posture and structure, according to the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration website.

Through the website, Hartley found a Rolfer in Frederick , Emily Gordon, who is certified by the European Rolfing Association in Germany, where she lived before moving here, and is a certified massage therapist in Maryland. (The state regulates Rolfing as massage.)

"Chris was the first one to call me," said Gordon, who opened her practice in June.

On this day, Hartley was in for his third session and for neck muscle spasms. "I've gotten (spasms) looking over my shoulder, bending over, it can happen working at a computer," said Hartley, who works in information technology.

Rolfing consists of 10 sessions, with each focusing on a specific area. Sessions are typically at three- to 10-day intervals, depending on the client, and last about an hour. Once complete, Gordon says a client "should be good" for up to two years, depending on his or her incidence of trauma, such as hard training or accidents.

At the first session, Gordon performs the Rolfing version of a physical exam. "First I want to see you standing and look at your position and how your body is structurally," she said, using Hartley to demonstrate. "I want to find out what's going on." She looks at curvature of the spine and how the feet and joints are pointing, and the body as a whole.

"I can't get too caught up in their problems. As Ida Rolf used to say, 'Where you think it is, it ain't,'" said Gordon. "I look at how the segments of the body are aligned (or misaligned) and I align them."

Improper alignment can begin with the birth process or seemingly innocuous childhood injuries such as falling on your tailbone. "Most of who I see are people pushed over the tipping point by a motor vehicle accident or aging," said Gordon.

Rolfing also helps the body support a healthy posture and addresses the body's structure that sets it up for a certain pain or problem. Massage may provide temporary relief of shoulder pain experienced by computer jockeys, for example, but doesn't address the cause of the pain, explains Gordon on her website.

By "freeing up" the body, it can be aligned "so you're not stuck in an uncomfortable" position. It's not having everybody's (posture) look the same," said Gordon. "It helps each person find their own line."

Rolfing is not massage. It focuses on the body's fascia, which surrounds muscle fibers, encases joints and has a role in the nervous system. If the fascia in one area becomes tight, the excess tension may appear as nagging joint pain, muscle soreness or a postural shift, explains the Rolfing Institute's website.

"That's what happens. The 'wrapping' (fascia) on the muscles, as we age or from injury, gets tighter and tighter," said Gordon. "Your mobility goes down and joints get tighter."

To correct these misalignments, a Rolfing practitioner uses mild direct pressure to melt or release fascial holdings. Gordon uses her hands, forearms or elbows and the weight of her body to apply pressure while the client is lying on a table, seated on a Rolfing bench or standing. Clients participate by doing specific slow movements to enhance the release. Gordon holds the position until she feels the fascia release or soften.

"It's definitely teamwork," said Gordon. "I may ask them to inhale or exhale, or move their arms above their head as far as is comfortable. It intensifies the effect of what I'm doing."

After completing table work on Hartley's neck area, she had him sit on a wood Rolfing bench. Standing behind him, Gordon's elbows straddled his spine as she applied gentle pressure while he slowly bent forward -- a traditional Rolfing position. For a less muscular person, Gordon said she may use her hands instead of elbows.

People have the misconception that Rolfing hurts, but as one certified Rolfer described it, it's like "the sweet pain of stretching muscles that aren't stretched."

"It's not uncomfortable at all," said Hartley, during his Rolfing session.

"For a lot of people, it's like an itch that's finally being scratched," said Gordon.

She also gives clients movement coaching or cues, for actions such as proper breathing and getting up from a seated position, that help bodies to move with grace and muscles move independently.

Rolfing was recently featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as Dr. Oz got Rolfed. Several former Olympic athletes, including Michelle Kwan, Elvis Stojko, Amy Acuff and Brian Olson credit Rolfing for helping their performance. Olympic (2000) high jumper Erin Aldrich said Rolfing helped her breathe deeper and improved balance. Pianist Leon Fleisher, actor Levar Burton and basketball coach Phil Jackson have all used Rolfing. In 1995, singer/songwriter Willie Nelson told The New York Times, "The first of 10 sessions fixed (my back pain)."

Hartley said he feels "an immediate return" from Rolfing. "I've been miserable for six years," he said. "I'm at the point where this is something I need."

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To find out if Rolfing is right for you:

-- Emily Gordon, a certified Rolfer in Frederick , is available to speak to groups about Rolfing. Contact her at www.katsujin.com, rolfing@katsujin.com or 240-575-0454.

-- Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, www.rolf.org; 5055 Chaparral Court, Suite 103, Boulder, CO 80301; 800-530-8875.

-- Rolfing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_oz_20070426/1