Besides feeling good, can a foot massage really help at all?
Anyone that has been standing on their feet all day can attest that getting a foot massage is like heaven on earth. It can relax and revitalize you.
Well, in case the obvious is just not obvious enough, here are some benefits of foot massage that are supported by scientific research.
Since many of us are not as active as our bodies were designed to be, it is important to get the blood flowing, especially in our lower extremities. Anyone who has ever had cold feet can relate. The reason they get cold is because the feet are the furthest from the heart and because gravity makes it more difficult for blood to reach them.
Gravity is pulling the force of our bodies’ weight down to our feet day in and day out. There’s a reason people say to “Take a load off your feet”, when it’s time to relax. By getting foot massages, you are helping your body to circulate blood flow with more ease. It also doesn’t hurt to get your body moving on a regular basis.
Foot massage helps alleviate joint pain, decrease sore muscles and help speed recovery from an injury. Coupled with exercises that strengthen your feet and ankles you can minimize injury. When your muscles are strong and flexible, you are less likely to get injured.
Reflexology is an ancient Chinese method of applying pressure to reflex zones on your feet to affect your entire body. Foot Reflexology has been proven to significantly reduce pain of people suffering from headaches and migraines. There was a study done in Denmark where all patients were able to stop taking their medications and three months later 65% had decreased pain and some where cured.
By applying pressure to certain reflex points on the feet you restore the body’s natural energy flow so that it can maintain balance both physically and mentally. This promotes relaxation and helps treat stress. You don’t have to be depressed to get the benefits of feeling more relaxed and balanced. We all know that the feet’s function is to keep us balanced when we were standing. Who would have thought there was more to our feet when it comes to creating stability in our lives?
More than a quarter of the human body’s bones are in the feet with 33 joints and over 100 muscles and over 7000 nerves. There’s a lot more going on with your “little piggy’s” than what great shoes you can cover them with.
According to reflexology our feet are like a mirror image or reflection, hence the name, of our organs. When massaging certain pressure points we aid the rest of our body toward health and vitality. Reflex zones can also be found on our hands and ears.