McConnell Kathy, Craniosacral Therapy & Rolfing

Kathy is extremely talented and has really helped me a lot. So many different issues (neck, back, jaw, feet, hips, shoulder) are much better after her work. I did the entire rolfing series and am so glad that I did. She knows how to find the root of problems, and fix them so that they don’t come back. And her extensive knowledge is quite impressive.
In addition to the terrific work on me, Kathy gave me excellent referrals to other practitioners. And on top of everything, she is a super nice person and fun to talk to.

I saw Kathy initially for some minor aches and pains from too much working out. Now that those issues have been addressed, I am now half way done on a comprehensive 10 visit series. My only problem is I don’t have time to see her weekly like I should. Kathy is very thorough in her interview of patient history and explanation of her treatment rational. Kathy treatment is 100% pain free and is super intuitive when she is nearing the edge. I had damage to my diaphragm from an ATV accident, tight calf muscles from too much running, and a sore rotator cuff from too much swimming. All this was resolved without pain. And she extremely concerned about you as a total person instead of a bunch of ligaments, muscle and cartilage. Bottom line: she’s a good listener, sweet, smart and does a rockin good job!

I highly recommend Kathy McConnell of San Mateo Rolfing because of the benefits I received following hip resurfacing surgery and advice I received for strengthening my core muscles. I experienced almost 100% relief from chronic back pain that I had been suffering with for more than 5 years.
I chose Rolfing to help my recovery from hip resurfacing surgery once the post-​surgery physical therapy was done. Several years of hip pain had led me to favor my good side, which resulted in unequal muscle development with my good leg being significantly stronger. In addition, hip resurfacing surgery was particularly invasive, so the muscles and tendons on the resurfaced side were weak, atrophied, and elongated, giving me the impression they were «stretched». In fact, following surgery, the resurfaced side was close to an inch longer than my leg had been prior to the surgery. There is no question that the Rolfing was instrumental in evening out both sides. Our goal was to relax and loosen the strong-​side muscle groups while strengthening the surgery side. It naturally included aligning the whole body. It clearly aided my recovery and improved my new walking techniques.
But amazingly, and unexpectedly, after a short conversation about back pain I experienced intermittently (including after the hip surgery), Kathy recommended several short exercises to strengthen my stomach core muscles. Interestingly, they were at odds with exercises that had been pounded into my brain to strengthen stomach muscles — 6-​pac abs, crunches, etc. Within a short time of regularly doing one particular abdominal strengthening exercise — plank — I experienced nearly complete relief from back pain, and have continued to do it regularly (3 times a week), with little or no recurring back pain.
I whole heartily encourage hip replacement and resurfacing patients to do Rolfing following physical therapy and the recovery period (I began between 4 and 6 months post-​surgery). Hip surgery relieves the hip and nerve discomfort from the arthritis, but it doesn’t re-​adjust years of muscle inequality and poor body alignment that develops as the hip deteriorates. Rolfing was an excellent means of restoring my alignment and relieving my pain.

Kathy is amazing. After my third child the muscles in my stomach split apart. It was gross and when I did sit ups, my insides would bulge out. My personal trainer said that can happen after pregnancy and that she used rolfing when it happened to her. I called Kathy and explained the problem to her. She wasn’t sure she could help me but said she would see what she could do. My appt was just over and hour and about 45 minutes into it she said she was done and I could see and feel the difference. It has been over a month since my appointment and the muscles have not separated. My trainer couldn’t believe the difference. She also spent the time left to show me exercises that would help my pelvic floor muscles, etc.

I was new to Rolfing when I first saw Kathy back in March and was surprised by how gentle and effective it was. In addition to her serene demeanor, her questioning was very thorough and I could see her determination to find the source of the problem. I had been suffering from an extremely stiff lower back but with her help we were able to deduce that targeting a specific muscle area (psoas) would most likely relieve the stiffness, which it did! She also emailed me information on the muscle areas that I could stretch at home in addition to demonstrating some beneficial exercises. Highly recommended.

I found Kathy extremely professional, intuitive and I felt totally safe in her presence. Before going to see Kathy, I had a sinus headache and some pain in my left leg. When I left, my sinuses were open and my left leg was renewed. Thank you Kathy for your wonderful healing hands!

I decided to try rolfing after having back pain for 18 years caused by a car accident, and more recently, hip pain which started out of nowhere. An acupuncturist recommended Kathy to me and she is awesome! I was initially a little nervous because I’d heard rumors that rolfing could be painful and I’ve had some painful body work done before. Kathy was able to gently release muscle knots that I’d had for years without causing any pain doing so. I was amazed how effective it was, as it sometimes felt like such a subtle movement or release. Kathy is able to look at your posture and do a couple muscle tests, and know exactly how to correct the issue plauging you!

I’ve been seeing Kathy for years now, probably since the late 90s when she first started this line of work. Her rolfing and cranial sacral release has helped my back remain flexible and pain free even though I’ve had a spine curve since I was a teenager. I’m on the computer a lot, and if I had not started to see Kathy in my late 20s and worked with her right along, I might have developed more bad habits instead of body awareness. She can take one look at you and straighten out years of misalignment in a few sessions, and then when that is done work on the fluids inside for a permanent release of energy through cranial. I like rolfing better than a regular massage, because the changes are more lasting.

Kathy is an amazing healer. I tried chiropractic, physical therapy, yoga, and massage, but none of these gave me the profound results I got from Kathy with Rolfing. Her work is gentle, not painful as many associate with Rolfing. She’s very perceptive to the body’s needs and listens to the client’s feedback. She’s always learning new information, so you know she’s very knowledgeable about her work and dedicated to helping people get better. I feel better than I have in years, thanks to Kathy!