Most people in America were not hunched over computers in 1984 when Betsy Oldenburg chose her lifelong profession. At that time, the Trager® method of bodywork was still a West Coast phenomenon that got the attention of the Buffalo native who was, at that time, teaching pre-school in Michigan.

Today, Oldenburg makes a living improving the quality of life of generations of Baby Boomers who have succumbed to the stress, anxiety and poor posture that the digital age ushered in.

Oldenburg, 55, doesn’t think of herself as a Boomer. “My brother is seven years older…he is the Boomer,” she says, sipping filtered water in her north Greensboro office. “Certainly his generation is responsible for the resurgence and growth of these kinds of alternative therapies”. Her brother’s awareness of the burgeoning holistic health movement in the 1970s influenced Oldenburg’s decision to study with Milton Trager, MD of Mill Valley, CA.

With an easy smile and a serene countenance, you might get the impression that this Boomer bodywork specialist is herself a California child of the 70s. But she would say that comes with her profession. Oldenburg’s job is to literally “rock and roll” the unhealthy tension we accumulate in our bodies from days slouched in offices or behind steering wheels or simply immersed in the fast paced stress of any number of modern occupations.

Trager’s rocking and rolling and--sometimes gentle shaking and stretching--is part of a process of manipulating the shoulders, neck, torso and appendages that uses a relaxing and loosening touch. In effect, it probably has more in common with Tai Chi than deep tissue massage. There’s also a psychological element. The idea is to allow the patient to feel the body’s natural relaxed state, free of tension, and for the mind to learn how to achieve it despite our day-to-day Twenty-first Century challenges.

Oldeburg has helped older patients avoid surgery and she has seen Trager benefit people with a number of neuromuscular diseases, including MS, cerebral palsy, post polio syndrome, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia and others. 

“Most of my patients are Baby Boomers or older,” says Oldenburg. “Trager can help them look and feel great, despite their computers! It teaches a person how to ‘find their own ease.’ (After all) the body wants to take the path of least resistance.”

Oldenburg is also a licensed massage therapist, but her specialization in The Trager Approach® has proven to be a competitive advantage in business.

Coming from New York by way of Michigan when her parents retired here, Oldenburg’s father put her in touch with her first employer in Greensboro, the Cobb Chiropractic Clinic. Later, Oldenburg worked in an orthopedic practice while building her private practice. Currently, she practices from her home and at Integrative Therapies in Greensboro.

Oldenburg is single and happy to stay in North Carolina. Greensboro has changed a lot since she made her move. Not only are there lots more diverse and exciting restaurants, but acceptance of modern wellness techniques and healthful living helps keep Trager work in demand.

And in the same progressive Southern town, Oldenburg can enjoy her three favorite social activities, African and Zydeco dancing and volleyball. As a member of Covenant, near UNCG, she offers Trager work to fellow congregants.

Currently Oldenburg is developing a program that should be of interest to any aging Boomer called “Bones for Life” to rejuvenate bone mass, yet another timely health issue.