Shop – Maria Cristina Rolfer

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As an OT and Rolfer® I often suggest exercises, awareness cues, and even assistive devices to help clients with various ailments. Below is a list of products I recommend to my clients. Note: I’m not sponsored by any of them.

For Lower Back Pain

Soul Seat

I purchased the Soul Seat during my final semester of graduate school in 2020, right when the pandemic hit. This was when we transitioned from the classroom to Zoom classes, and my back started to hurt from sitting for too long in uncomfortable, traditional chairs. The Soul Seat is a game changer. It allows you to sit in all kinds of different positions, thereby helping the body stay fluid; not stuck in the same position for hours. This was an expensive purchase, but worth it. I’m sitting on the Soul Seat right now (squatting)! In a few minutes, I’ll switch positions. Remember, it’s not that sitting is evil or that “sitting is the new smoking” as they say, but rather sitting in the same position for hours, will contribute to lower back pain. However, switching positions, sitting in different ways, and adding a variety of moments will be beneficial for your body.

Original Gertie Ball-Colors May Vary

This is a children’s toy ball and the one purchase I recommend to almost all my clients here in Los Angeles, as it’s a car culture. I own two: one stays in my office and one in my car. You inflate it halfway and place it behind your back during driving, seating, and/or traveling. It creates an airy cushion that you can lean against while it pushes back against you, maintaining your posture and helping you use your core, which protects your back. You can place it against your mid-back or lower back as you drive. Highly recommend it! I have one which I leave in my car and use every time. At home, I sometimes place it halfway inflated between my inner thighs to fire my adductors, which protect the back while you wash dishes or stand around your house. I also sometimes sit on it (halfway-inflated) during meditations as it helps turn on the tonic, postural muscles which protect our back. When you’re not using it, deflate it and take it with you in your purse anywhere. Use it during plane rides, for concerts, for long car drives or if you know you’ll be waiting a long time in a doctor’s office. The possibilities are endless! Make sure to get the 9” diameter one. PS. I’ve also used it with clients who’ve suffered wrist injuries and damage to their ligaments. As part of their rehab program, I have them stand up against the wall and press their hand against the Gertie ball as a way of slowly loading their wrist and stimulating the mechanoreceptors of their hand.

Half-Dome Form Roller

This calf stretcher is a game changer. I first learned about it from biomechanist Katy Bowman who spoke about how using this throughout your day can help release calf muscle tightness (both the gastrocnemius and soleus) and in turn, help release the lower back. I have clients stand one foot at a time on it, the other leg in front (mimicking walking) and hold the stretch for a minute. Sometimes people are so tight on one leg they can’t do it. If you feel unstable, please use the wall for support while you hold the stretch. Note: I recommend the half-dome foam roller that’s low-density foam, not the high-density one. I have both and the hard density is, well, too hard! You want to be able to press the forefoot against the low-density foam while your heel stays on the ground so you activate the muscles while getting a stretch. I recommend clients purchase two and have one in the bathroom and the other in the kitchen. That way every time they walk by, they remember to stretch their calf throughout the day. Do it as often as you can throughout your day. PS. If you feel steady you might try stepping with both feet on it, like a bird perched on a wire. That way you can press down and massage your plantar fascia (the connective tissue between the heel and toes).

Leg Elevation Wedge Pillow

I place this under most clients’ legs at the beginning of the session, and they experience their lower back releasing. I recommend clients use it during the day if possible as a reset, to help restore their nervous system. Restorative Yoga is a gentle style of yoga where you rest in various positions using props to help settle your body. This is my main practice and every day I lay down for anywhere from five to 20 minutes and rest. Rest is different from leisure. Rest is different from sleep. Resting while being awake is healing and calming to the nervous system. But why use this? Unfortunately for most of us when we lay down supine (on our backs), our legs create a pull on the ligaments around the sacral area and it causes lower back pain after a few minutes. It behooves us to have a lift under our thighs so our lower back can relax and settle. Once our body is comfortable our nervous system can begin to shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic activation and go into what’s called “rest and digest.” I don’t recommend it for sleep because we move around when we sleep, although it might be nice to use it for the first 10 minutes or so when you lay flat on your back.

For Upper Back Pain

NeeDoh Balls

These soft, squishy and non-toxic stress balls are excellent for several reasons. One is they are great to practice grip strengthening as well as different hand positions including the lumbrical grip (alone or using both hands to pull it apart). However, my preferred way of using them is to place them under my armpits while I type. Yes, you heard it right! I place them in the armpit area and it immediately gives me a wider sense of support from above. If you are familiar with anatomy you know the axilla is composed of the pec major in front, the serratus anterior in the middle and the latissimus dorsi in the back. Having two soft and squishy balls in the armpit area invites you to breathe into your side body and side ribs, areas often loaded with tension and held tightly in. Having them there also improves my posture. I recommend them to clients who are massage therapists, facialists, therapists, and hairstylists. I also highly recommend them to people who spend hours in front of their computers. Make sure to buy the 2.5” Round pair of NeeDoh balls.

Yoga Strap

I’ve had the same yoga straps in my home for almost 20 years. They are a valuable tool to have for your home practice for myriad reasons including stretching and even for knee rehab. However, when it comes to the upper body there are multiple ways to use the yoga strap. For starters, you can simply grab the strap and stretch the arms in ways that feel good to your body. Mostly though, I tie the belt around my chest, above the nipple line, and leave it there while I work in front of my computer. It helps me breathe omnidirectionally; not just in the front, not just in the side ribs, but also in the back body. I recommend this to my clients who are in mental health and see a lot of clients while seated. I tell them to strap themselves and cover it with a vest or sweater, so they feel supported by their breath. I also use the yoga strap as a way to help mobilize my first rib. I bring the strap across my body (just like a crossbody purse) and gently pull diagonally with a posterior vector, to help mobilize the first rib. If you are familiar with anatomy, the first rib is one of the scalene’s distal attachments. This rib mobilization can keep the scalene muscles supple while allowing the neurovascular bundle of the brachial plexus to travel freely between the anterior and middle scalenes and under the 1st rib.

For Hand Pain Due to Arthritis

Happy Heat

Practicing self-care comes in many forms. One way is to care for our hands as they do so much! Having osteoarthritis of the hand is painful, as the hands often feel stiff and achy. The gentle warm heat provided by the Happy Heat muff provides relief to weary hands. Heat is a vasodilator which means it brings more blood to your hands; more blood means more O2 and more nutrients. Plug the Happy Heat heating pad on for 15 minutes and it stays warm for hours. Clients say they love it and use it before they go to sleep. I used mine all the time and would place it on my belly which felt good! I used it so much it broke! I bought another but then gave it to a client. Need to buy a new one!

For Hand and Finger Pain

Tendon Gliding Exercises Sticker

Does your wrist hurt? Are you experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome? Our Tendon Glide (TG) sticker will inspire you to do your home exercise program, as prescribed by your hand therapist. Stick it on the fridge, calendar, or notebook, so every time you see the sticker, it’ll remind you to exercise your hand. The TG sticker comes with a card filled with information about these hand positions performed to help prevent flexor tendon adhesions, plus a link to a detailed video explaining how to do tendon glides. Order one either for yourself, your patients, your students, or a loved one. One sticker per order. Sticker measures 3.25 x 6.25. Black graphic on a gray-green background. Please use the option of ‘friends and family’ when checking out.

Push MetaGrip®

Thumb pain due to osteoarthritis of the CMC joint (carpometacarpophalangeal joint a.k.a. basal joint) is incredibly painful. If left unattended it can get worse over time. The Push Metagrip thumb brace helps maintain the thumb in a functional position while restricting thumb CMC joint motion. It will help stabilize the pinch and grip (actions we can do due to our CMC joint) while allowing a full range of motion for the other fingers. Because it is made of strong material it can be worn during the day without fear of getting dirty, wet, or soiled. They are expensive though insurance may cover part of the cost.

Dr. Arthritis Compression Gloves

Soft compression gloves help with pain and swelling in the wrists and hands. Developed by doctors, these gloves can be used both day and night! Usually when we wake up our hands are stiffer so I recommend people use them at night to help with edema. Plus they are softer on the hands than a regular splint, so it’s easier to sleep with them (unless of course your therapist & doctor suggest you wear a splint).

Oval 8 Finger Splint

Sometimes because of arthritis (both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), we can develop finger deformities including swan neck and boutonniere. The Oval 8-finger splint can be used for different conditions related to arthritis, as well as a mallet finger, and a trigger finger, and even help with hypermobility issues. Once you figure out your measurement, it is easy to use. Plus it’s waterproof.

Vive Trigger Finger Splint

My mom developed a trigger finger. She lives far away from me so I bought this for her and she loved it. It can be worn on any finger including the thumb and it’s one-size fits. It helps support the trigger finger and protect it so it doesn’t lock or catch. Ideally, we want to prevent any catching for about 6 weeks in order to heal the stenosing tenosynovitis. Basically, this means that the sheath where your flexor tendons travel has become swollen and inflamed and it’s impeding the tendon from gliding.

For TFCC Injuries

Wrist Widget

Developed by Wendy Medeiros, an occupational therapist living in Hawaii, the WW is a lifesaver for those with TFCC injuries (Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex). I cannot speak highly enough about it. I bought one for myself to protect my hand when I feel I’m overworking it. If you have a TFCC injury the WW will help protect your hand by bringing the radius and ulna into greater alignment while protecting the vulnerable TFCC area. I’ve met Wendy and spoken to her several times and she deeply cares about people and their healing journey. Her website is filled with incredibly helpful information for patients and for hand therapists. For every person who has a TFCC injury, I tell them to buy a WW and go to her website.