Does Reflexology help foot pain/tension or plantar fasciitis?
One of the most frequent questions I am asked by clients, is “will reflexology help my foot pain/tension or plantart fasciitis”?
Reflexology is a whole body treatment, where the therapists stimulates reflex points on the feet to effect healing in the corresponding parts of the body. Reflexology allows the body to rebalance, which assists you to:
- De-stress
- Improve your sleeping patterns
- Reduce anxiety
- Calm an over active mind
- Relax the body to aid digestion
Reflexology does not work on the muscles of the feet. So the short answer is no, reflexology does not help with foot pain/tension or Plantar Fasciitis. (For more information on Plantar Fasciitis see previous blog post >> http://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/blog/heel-pain-part-1)
If you have any aches, pains or tension in either of your feet then a deep tissue leg massage is the best treatment for you. The reason for treating the whole leg, rather than just the foot is that some of the muscles that control the foot i.e. flex or extend it start just under the knee and the same is true for the some of the muscles that control the toes. This is why if a client comes to Vitality Therapy with a foot issue we always massage the leg as well as the foot.
So if you have problem with your feet why not book in for a deep tissue leg massage.
Related Posts
Tips to prevent lower back pain.
While on holiday I suddenly moved and strained my lower back muscles. My muscle strain was sorted out by a combination of massage, stretches and back exercises. So as I have now returned from sunny Bulgaria I thought I would remind people (including me) how to preventing lower back pain.
- Avoid sudden jerky movements. (Note to self, that includes while on holiday).
- Never slouch.
- Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension.
- Don’t bend over without supporting your back.
- Try to maintain your ideal body weight. Too much upper body weight can strain your lower back.
- Sleep on your side to reduce any curve in your spine, and always sleep on a firm surface.
- Lift with your legs.
- If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate.
- Wear flat shoes with cushioned soles as they can help reduce the pressure on your back.
- Regular exercise, such as walking and swimming, is an excellent way of preventing back pain. In addition Yoga & Pilates can strengthen your core muscles reducing the strain on your back and improving the flexibility of your spine.
Bowel health checklist
The basis of our health and wellbeing is our guts ability to digest what we eat and absorb all the nutrients. However it is common for people to have digestive issues such as gas, bloating, food intolerances and IBS. Given the guts importance to wellbeing, I would like to focus on digestion and guts in the next few articles which will include tips for healthy stomachs, large intestine and small intestine. Lets start with talking about bowels. Your bowel movements reflect both your lifestyle and gut health. So how should you judge your bowel movements:
- There should be no discomfort or straining when you go to the loo, and no smell of gas.
- Stools should come out easily, smoothly and all in one piece.
- Stools should be 10 - 15 cm long, medium brown in colur and shouldn't be smelly, stick to the lavoratory bowl or float.
- If your stool floats it could be due to too much fat or gas in your diet - usually from excess sugar, fizzy drinks or beans.
- A very smelly stool can be a sign of undigested food or waster that has been sitting in your bowel for a long time. It can also be a sign of poor absorbtions or lactose intolerance. If your stool is smelly and looks greasy it may be a sign of coeliac disease so you need to book a check up with your doctor.
- Going to the toilet 2 -3 times a day is optimal but anything from 2 - 3 times per day to 2 - 3 times per weeks in normal.
- Any changes to your normal pattern should be reported to your doctor.
