Rossiter: A Unique Approach to Pain Relief

“Have you heard? A new Rossiter Center has opened in Greensboro, NC!” “A Rossiter Center?” “Yes, a Rossiter Center at 1400 Battleground Ave, Suite 213.”

What’s all the buzz about Rossiter? People are hearing about it but are not quite sure what to think about this unique approach to pain relief. Although it is unique, for both the recipient and the provider, it is a quick, powerful and effective way to ‘fix’ people’s pain. The Rossiter System is a system of two-person stretching and its primary goal is pain relief. Very often with Rossiter, the client immediately feels relief from pain and has better freedom of movement – after the first technique!

This extremely effective system consists of a series of more than 170 powerful stretching techniques that two people do together to quickly and powerfully change large volumes of connective tissue in short amounts of time. The Rossiter “Coach” (therapist) has the knowledge of the body, anatomy, and tissue and can help coach the “PIC”, Person In Charge, (client) become an active participant in his or her own health. The PIC must be willing to work hard to fix their bodies with the Coach’s verbal encouragement and instruction. Now that’s teamwork!

A Rossiter System “workout” (not a “session”) is different than a traditional massage session. There is no need for the client to undress. All Rossiter workouts are done with the client fully clothed on a mat on the floor (a few techniques are done in a chair). During a Rossiter workout, the practitioner and client use a team approach to create space in the body and eliminate pain. More connective tissue is able to change during a Rossiter workout rather than with conventional massage. With Rossiter, a foot is the tool. With massage, it might be sharp fingers, knuckles or elbows. Another difference is that instead of listening to Yanni or Enya, one might hear James Brown’s “I Feel Good” as the inspirational background music during a Rossiter workout.

Rossiter techniques are based on three concepts: weight, locking, and movement.

1. The Coach (therapist) uses the foot to add weight to the client’s body before and during each technique. The foot is a powerful tool that provides firm weight over a broad area. With the weight and warmth of the foot, the tissue is anchored in place during each stretch. This allows the tissue to stretch more easily and freely.
2. Before each technique is done, the PIC (client) moves into a position called locking. Locking is a specific position to engage a head-to-toe sheath of fascia/connective tissue, which truly integrates the body’s network of connective tissue. After the lock is done, the stretching technique begins.
   The PIC is in charge of finding the pain in the body and working hard to stretch it out. Each technique requires determined and conscious participation in movement from the PIC. As the Coach instructs and encourages the PIC to find the pain, stiffness and tightness, the PIC takes responsibility for healing and recovery by stretching through the pain. The Coach encourages maximum effort and participation to achieve the best results, as any good coach would.
3. The Rossiter System is designed to be spot specific. It addresses specific problems in specific areas of the body with specific techniques (and have specific names) that simultaneously relieve pain and integrate pain relief into the rest of the body. By working with the connective tissue system, The Rossiter System excels at creating and recreating the original “space” that the body is designed to have. As soon as you put back into the body its originally designed space, pain goes away and the body feels more flexible, fluid and loose.

Results are much better if Rossiter can be done on a person before they have been subjected to drugs, splints, cortisone and other injections, and especially surgery. Results are far better on tissue that had not been medically compromised. Those who are likely Rossiter candidates include people who are motivated in personal health and fitness and like participating in health-care decisions. Other potential candidates are older clients who want their younger-feeling bodies back, committed athletes and musicians. However, anyone in pain could likely benefit from Rossiter.

Classes and Rossiter “workouts” are now available at The Rossiter Center. Continuing education credits are given to massage therapists, personal trainers, and certified dental assistants. Because massage therapy can be so physically demanding on the therapist, these new tools can bring the work of massage therapy to higher levels of power, effectiveness, and speed. The Rossiter System can also be taught to lay people who can use these techniques on their friends and family at no cost for the rest of their lives.