Short answer: Results. Period.

I'm often asked, why use the floor to do Rossiter ? Why not have it on a table? It just makes more sense to have it on a table because everybody relates to a table and then working there with your hands, knuckles and forearms. These are all great points. If you want lower, and slower results, this is what you use. You use a table, your hands, your forearms and your elbows. So if you aren't' looking for speed, efficiency, and powerful results almost immediately then you go back to being a therapist with tools that are already there, that you may already possess.

Rossiter isn't about having lower expectations, slower results, or putting the therapist at risk. What Rossiter is about is getting people back to work, ASAP. It is also about not injuring the person doing the work. Let's take a piece of this at a time so you better understand how and why Rossiter was developed.

First I'd like to say I thought it all up and then just did it and "Presto!" Done. It wasn't at all like that. When I first started doing the work I did it with my hands. I was a Rolfer® and we do things with our hands, knuckles, forearms and elbows.

We also have a high attrition rate, as do massage therapists, PTs, and other hands on types in the health care field. Now with this being said, I originally taught Rossiter with my hands. Until one day I ran into a person who couldn't do the work with her hands and live to tell about it. She was tiny. Her husband, NOT so.

When this happened two other things came together. First, I realized that everybody I taught this new way, was thrilled that it didn't hurt their hands… obviously. But the other thing took longer to understand. The understanding was about weight vs: muscle or pushing on a client. I knew from hands on experience that the slower you went into the flesh of another person with your hands the easier it was to get them to cooperate with you. What I hadn't seen was that pushing people with knuckles and elbows really made people resist your work. You had to stop at a level where no work could be done. You actually worked above or outside and not in the area you needed to be in.

This is actually very easy to understand. When you push on another human being you create a resistance from them. ie they push back. This is a natural instinct, either you're about to tip them over or they'll lose control over their body and nobody wants that. Its the loss of control. Then a part of the problem is that they feel knuckles or elbow being pushed into them and they want to stop them. Those are sharp tools when used on a body.

Whereas when you apply real weight to a person they usually can handle more pressure. I say pressure but I mean weight. Allowing weight to be put on an area doesn't feel invasive. It feels natural and even though it hurts, it doesn't have the intensity of pushing on a person. It feels more like they are just leaning on you without setting off any alarm bells that this is too much pushing.

By taking the process to the floor three things happened immediately. First, the process became simpler. There are only so many places you can step on the body. If you learn these, you'll have conquered half of what are the Rossiter Techniques.

Second. you have removed the resistance to pushing on people and getting resistance or "push back" from the client. By putting them on the floor, you've just leveraged all your weight. You now have as much weight as you need and immediately at your disposal. By remaining balanced while standing, you simply can add more, if it is desired.

The third thing and to me the most important part is the extra power that is given to Rossiter by being on the floor. By having less resistance to weight, rather than pressure or pushing, the client or PIC can handle a more friendly, smoother, and much more powerful foot. While pain from a knuckle or elbow may stop or slow the PIC to do the required stretches, by having the PIC under a foot it actually makes the process easier.

By being on a Rossiter Station or the floor you make it safe and simple to do all the Rossiter techniques. The Rossiter Station opens up more possibilities to doing Rossiter on People who cannot get down to the floor and it also creates the possibilities of brand new set of techniques that can be done from an elevated area.

Fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue fibers beneath the skin and throughout the body. It functions to attach, stabilize, enclose and separate every muscle, bone and organ in our body.

Fascia is flexible yet tensile – think plastic grocery bag. Without fascia we would be a pile of anatomical structures. Hydration is important as fascia is covered in water droplets. As it dries it loses the ability to slide between layers of tissue and we lose the ability to move smoothly.

Changes can be drastic although happen very slowly with fascia – other techniques will push the tissue to move at a pace that’s too quick and the tissue with recoil and fight back. Rossiter movements are slow and deliberate to let the tissue change on its own to create spacial change that lasts.

Richard Rossiter developed Rossiter System Workouts as part of his personal journey out of pain. A former Army and commercial helicopter pilot, he endured severe shoulder pain for years after being shot down in 1970 in Vietnam. A form of bodywork called Rolfing (a really deep, connective tissue massage) helped him recover the use of his shoulders, but when he became a Rolfer himself, the physical demands of kneading and pushing other peoples’ tissue compromised his shoulders again. He used his knowledge of connective tissue to create stretches that two people could do together on the floor; one gets out of pain, the other “coaches” the person through the process. The techniques were developed with the help of a neurologist.

Yes, especially if serious health problems are present. You shouldn’t do the Hole in the Shoulder stretch if you have a pacemaker. Likewise, workouts are not done on people with broken bones, recent surgeries, open sores or visible rashes, and some underlying health conditions. Your Rossiter Practitioner will ask basic health questions to make sure you’re a good candidate-and please inform them of any special health concerns you have. If you are cleared for PT, you cleared to do these techniques.

Tell your Rossiter Practitioner when/what body location you had the injection. Generally speaking, it is best to wait for 6 months after the injection. These workouts can help, but it may take more sessions to get results, and you might not get as good of results had the tissue not been compromised by the shots.

It depends. Generally speaking, if you are cleared for Physical Therapy, you are cleared to do Rossiter-and it can be very helpful for a more full recovery. Always inform your Rossiter Practitioner of any surgeries/shots/medications/conditions you have.

As Richard often says, “sometimes the best way OUT of pain is to go back through it!” If you already hurt, why not buckle down and work hard for 15 second spurts of time to get out of pain? Some people get up off the floor and say, “WOW…that was intense, but I can’t believe how much better it feels!” Most people aren’t bothered by the sensations during a workout. You might experience some bruises, but no one has ever been injured during a Rossiter workout, and you can stop at any time. Best of all , you are under complete control of the intensity of the session at all times.

If you’re taking over-the-counter/prescription drugs, even drinking a lot of coffee each day, it’s possible that the effects of those drugs might interfere with your sensations. It is possible that you weren’t doing the right techniques for your particular problem, you didn’t work hard enough stretching through your pain, didn’t take enough weight, or your tissue has been compromised by cortisone injections. Be honest with your Rossiter Practitioner to discuss possible reasons and reassess.

Connective tissue truly does connect the tip of the body with the toes. And “Locking” is a position that’s done with almost every technique to stretch the largest volume of connective tissue in the shortest amount of time. Each time the PIC locks, tissue is stretched and pulled through the legs, arms, torso, head and neck – all while a single stretch is performed at a specific spot or location. Locking makes sure that you get the most stretch in the least amount of time by involving the whole body.

Most people feel immediate relief that lasts days, weeks or even months. Some have deeper pain that’s been around for a while, and may need more sessions for the body to return to normal-so the pain may return quickly. The fact that you did get relief is an indicator that you are on the right track-it’s just a matter of more sessions-and likely different techniques to give more lasting relief. You should feel better after your first workout. If you return to the same activity that caused the pain in the first place, the pain might return rather quickly. Some people feel so good that they will do things their body is not accustomed to, over do it, and pain returns.

The sooner you address symptoms, the quicker you’ll relieve them. Common symptoms include tightness, tingling, pain, stiffness, range of motion/mobility/movement restrictions, hot/cold sensations, numbness, loss of grip, shaking. The best strategy is to get a regular session preventatively, for some that is approximately once a month. If you are in the recovery phase it is best to get 2-3 sessions for a week or two to fully address the problem and get you back living your life symptom free! Think of Rossiter System Workouts as a maintenance plan for your body

These techniques are a workout, no mincing words about it. Each workout is hard work, and that’s part of why it’s so effective. As the PIC, you are responsible for the health and recovery of your own body, and the harder you work and stretch to get rid of your own pain, the better results you’ll experience. Think of this as a workout with amazing, immediate results.

The hands are more vulnerable than the feet, and they can wear out quickly. The foot is a strong, powerful, perfectly shaped “tool” that can add smooth, consistent weight to the PIC’s body without making the PIC feel a need to push back or resist. The warmth and weigh of the foot also helps loosen connective tissue more quickly, making it pliable for better results. Coaches always wear clean socks. You’ll be amazed at how effective and common sense this approach is.

The Rossiter Philosophy is both simple and profound: If you’re in pain, you know more about your body than any professional. And the Rossiter System’s approach to pain is the best way out of pain, because it addresses the causes of pain, not the symptoms. Your body needs more space to move freely, and these two-person techniques put space back into the body. Take charge of pain, and you can conquer it with a Rossiter partner.

The Rossiter System is dedicated to bringing this unique form of pain prevention and relief to everyone who can benefit. Individuals, bodyworkers, companies and their employees, health-care professionals, seniors, athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, municipalities, workers – anyone whose body hurts because of overuse, repetitive strain or injury.

At its core, The Rossiter System is a profoundly effective alternative to invasive procedures such as shots and surgery, without the dangers of pain medications. We invite you to explore its possibilities.