Treating Common Foot Ailments – with Reflexology

06 Jun Treating Common Foot Ailments – with Reflexology

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, most of us take from five to ten thousand steps per day, that’s more than 4 laps around the globe in a lifetime! Once we hit thirty that wear and tear starts to show, as the bones and muscles in our feet weaken and the fat pad on the sole begins to shrink, which results in less cushioning around the bones of the feet. It is therefore no surprise that foot problems tend to increase with age.

Did you know that one fourth of your body’s bones are located in your feet? Our feet and ankles consist of 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. If you suffer from pain in the feet, ankles, knees, hips, lower back, neck or even headaches, the root of your pain may stem from your foundation and you may want to tackle the issue from the ground up!

Foot conditions are due to numerous factors, among them abnormal biomechanics of the foot, including excessive pronation or supination (feet rolling inward or outward), improper foot wear, overweight, lack of exercise or overuse, and the nature of your occupation.

Common foot ailments include:

-pain in the ball of foot due to shortening of calf muscle

-metatarsal stress fractures due to overuse or too much pressure on the long bones in the forefoot

– redness, pain or swelling of the big toe joint, due to arthritis, bunions or gout

– mid-foot pain due to fallen or collapsed arches

– foot arthritis, common in people with flat feet

– pain on top of mid foot due to inflammation of tendons due to tight shoes

– plantar fasciitis, the most common cause of heel pain, due to overuse and stress on the fascia, posterior heel spurs (calcification of the Achilles tendon), inflammation of the Achilles tendon, hammertoes…. the list goes on, as there are over 300 different foot ailments. However, many of those can be treated successfully.

To prevent foot pain wear shoes with appropriate support that fit properly. A 1993 survey of healthy women revealed that some 88% of women wore shoes that were too small for their feet, and 80% of those experienced foot pain! Get active physically, but also stretch and exercise your feet specifically, try not to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time, and keep your body weight down.

Do foot-specific exercises such a walking bare foot in the sand, rolling a golf ball under the ball of your foot (excellent for heel pain, arch strain or foot cramps); picking up marbles with your toes (recommended for pain the ball of the foot, hammertoes and cramps in toes) or as an alternative, pick up towels from the floor using only your toes.

And try Reflexology: it increases circulation of the blood and lymph and helps your body detox. Improved circulation in the foot will help reduce swelling, bring fresh blood supply and help ease the pain. A foot reflexology session is a good workout for your entire foot. And as a bonus, you will feel deeply relaxed, release tension, and even sleep better. Reflexology will not only help relieve your foot condition, it acts as an “inner massage” for your whole body.