© Touch for Health Kinesiology Association Journal (year 2001)

Pain Free System Offers Breakthrough Approaches forChronic Pain, Repetitive Motion Injuries

by Richard H. Rossiter

ROSSITER & ASSOCIATES120 I Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45210. USA.

Phone: 513-618=6716 (W), 513-541- 3559 (H), Email: rhr@rossiter.com

All Richard H. Rossiter wanted to be as achild was a star hockey player or a pilot.Those two dreams, it turns out, eventually ledhim down an entirely different path - one thathas given thousands of people relief fromchronic and everyday pain.Rossiter, who played high school hockey inMinnesota and in the early 1970s became aU.S. Army helicopter pilot, is developer andcreator of the Rossiter PainFree System, aseries of proprietary, two-person stretchingtechniques now used in offices and factoriesthroughout the U.S. to prevent and alleviatethe pain of common injuries and pain - carpaltunnel syndrome, low back pain,knee/foot/ankle pain, trigger finger, shoulderand neck pain and more.

The Rossiter PainFree System specificallytargets the body's system of connective tissue.The stretches elongate and restore connectivetissue so that common symptoms - tightness,numbness, pain, burning, stiffness, tinglingand limited mobility - are easily relieved andprevented. The stretches are based on fourprinciples that lie at the heart of the RossiterSystem - food (restoring the body's ability tonourish itself), communication (looseningconnective tissue so that nerves/blood vesselsare no longer pinched and internalcommunication is not hindered). movement(freeing tight tissue so that bodies can movefreely again) and space (restoring to the bodya natural amount of internal "space").

Rossiter suffered minor shoulder injuries as ahigh school hockey player and more severeshoulder injuries when his helicopter was shotdown during the Vietnam War. In the mid1970s and early 1980s, he worked as acommercial helicopter pilot in Alaska. There,the physical strain of flying and controlling ahelicopter aggravated the shoulder injuries and

sent him on a search for non-drug, non-surgical approaches to pain relief.He finally found relief in Rolfing, and .in1985, he became a certified Rolfer at the RolfInstitute in Boulder, Colo. In private practice,though, he became aware that many clientswere seeking help and relief far too late in thecourse of their pain, and he began adapting hisknowledge of connective tissue and anatomyto attack pain problems earlier through active,targeted stretching.The result is The Rossiter PainFree System, aseries of proprietary stretches performed bytwo people - one, a Coach or facilitator, andthe second a PIC or Person in Charge of theirown pain. In a typical Rossiter workout, thePIC lies on the floor while the Coach standsoverhead, using his/her foot to apply weight atstrategic spots on the PIC's body while thePIC performs a series of stretches thatelongate and restore the natural function and"space" of the body's entire network ofconnective tissue. The Rossiter System isdifferent than standard self-help stretches oryoga. Teaming two people adds power andstrength to the stretches. and the PIC is anactive participant - someone who becomesproficient at identifying, locating andeliminating his/her own pain by purposefulstretching.In some cases, problems like carpal tunnelsyndrome or low back pain can be alleviatedin as little as 20-30 minutes. In workplaceswhere the Rossiter System is usedpreventively and routinely (e.g., Nissan,Sauder Woodworking, Quebecor/WorldColor, Brown Printing, Bunn-O-Matic andothers), workers who begin to experiencework-related symptoms (numbness, tingling,pain, tightness, stiffness) undergo a Rossiterworkout and return to work immediately -

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© Touch for Health Kinesiology Association Journal (yr 200t)

usually symptom-free."The beauty of this approach is that peoplethemselves become aware of and responsiblefor restori ng and heali ng their own bodies,"says Rossiter, 50, who recently relocatedRossiter & Associates Inc. from Little Rock,Ark., to Cincinnati, Ohio. He is author of"Overcoming Repetitive Motion Injuries theRossiter Way," published in June 1999 by NewHarbinger Publications."In factories and offices, workers see theimmediate results of their work and they takepride in this program. Managers and humanresources departments love our programbecause it has a 12-year record of reducingmedical costs, slashing workers' compensationcosts and improving employee productivity andmorale - all without outside meddling fromdoctors or lawyers."Not convinced?Here's a simple technique that can quicklyrelieve the pain, tightness and throbbing ofmenstrual cramps. This is one of the easiesttechniques to learn. Remember, this involvestwo people -- the Person in Charge is theperson who's suffering from cramps. and theCoach is the person who's there to help ease thepain away. (If a male therapist is working with afemale client, be sensitive to charges of sexualharrassment. At home or in a professionalsetting, where privacy is more assured and rulesof ethics are in place. the PIC can loosen orunzip clothing on the abdomen so the Coachcan get a better grip on the tissue).The PIC lies on the floor on her back with theknees bent upward. The Coach sits or kneelsfacing the PIC, on the same side of the body asthe PIC's menstrual pain. As soon as possibleinto the technique. the PIC should lower theknees and flatten the legs on the floor, becausedoing so increases the effectiveness of thetechnique.The Coach asks the PIC to gently palpitate andsqueeze her abdomen with both hands to findthe most tender spot or the area of mostmenstrual pain. Once the PIC has identified thespot, the Coach positions her hand like a claw --as if turning a combination lock -- and graspsthe tissue with her fingertips, gently twistingand holding it in place. This is called a"torque." It doesn't matter which way you turn,just twist whichever direction is easiest for you.As in all Rossiter techniques, movement is dones-l-o-w-I-y and deliberately. Hold the torquefor 30-60 seconds. Grasp the tissue gently thefirst time, and then go in deeper on following

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torques. The PIC will feel a slight increase ofpain at the tender spot as soon as you grasp it.but the pain will begin dissolving quickly. Asyou get better at this, you can feel the tissuemove and loosen with your fingertips.Repeat the torque several times. each timeasking the PIC to feel the abdomen and againlocate the most tender spot. As you ease pain inone area. the PIC will be able to find tenderspots elsewhere. As one crampy area dissipates,another may pop up. Repeat the process untilthe cramps are gone. Once you get proficient atthis, the entire process should take no morethan five minutes.You can increase the power of this technique,once the two of you have done it several times,by asking the PIC to "lock" her feet -- push outwith the heels and pull the toes toward the headwhile the Coach torques the tissue. The lockingposition further elongates the connective tissueto produce even greater pain relief in the areaof the cramps. Make sure the PIC keepsbreathing throughout the techniques and un-locks after each one to relax.With the same kind of simplicity and approachto connective tissue, the Rossiter techniques canrelieve pain elsewhere in the body.Future PlansRossiter's goal is to make the program availablein many settings - schools, health-care practices.sports programs, individual homes. Hisprogram can be installed through on-sitetraining, week-long seminars or online atwww.rossiter.com, a Web site that includes thenecessary theory, information and practicalsteps for learning the stretches. The siteincludes instruction, level-by-Ievel testing.database tracking, streaming videos and onlinehelp."So many people get caught in the medicalsystem's trap of drugs. splints, shots and surgery- none of which have been proven to beeffective and many of which have serious sideeffects," says Rossiter. "My goal is to givepeople the skills and knowledge they need towork as a team to get out of pain, wheneverand wherever they need it."

Information, contact Rossiter & Associates at1-800-264-8100 or (513) 541-3559. Ore-mailrhr@rossiter.com or kenn@rossiter.com.