The Overlooked Benefits of Foot Massage
Our feet bear the weight of the entire body, yet they receive little support when it comes to self-care. A regular foot massage using reflexology techniques can help keep your feet stay healthy, strong, and flexible AND promote overall wellbeing.
Reflexology is an ancient healing modality dating back to 4,000+ years ago. It’s based on the premise that we have reflex points in the feet, hands, and ears that directly correspond to each gland, organ, and area of the body. The feet, hands, and ears are actually a microcosm of the entire body itself!
Remember that human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, capable of handling hundreds of tons of force and your weight in motion. It has 100+ muscles, 26 bones, 33 joints, 250,000 sweat glands, and at least 30 ligaments and tendons—plus almost 7,000 nerve endings! We really should give our feet more attention.
Here’s just a handful of health benefits of foot massage and reflexology (there’s many more!):
- Improves blood circulation: Because many of us spend our days sitting, we don’t use our feet muscles like we used to, which impedes good blood flow. Also, tight, pointed shoes–especially high heels–give little room for the toes and feet to move properly further restricting circulation. Foot massage helps in transporting oxygen to the body’s cells, which is essential for overall health.
- Relieves pain and inflammation: Foot massage with reflexology can treat aches and pains associated with headaches, migraines, neck pain, and lower/upper backaches.
- Makes feet stronger and healthier: Regular foot massage strengthens the muscles around your feet and increases joint flexibility, which can prevent ankle and foot injuries.
- Helps with relaxation and sleep: After a long stressful day, a foot massage can help balance the nervous system so you can relax and wind down. Foot massage also helps improve sleep quality.
- Alleviates swelling (edema): Foot massage helps reduce the effects of edema of the legs and feet (swelling due to fluid retention). This is very common during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester.
