3 Massages for Pressure Points in Your Feet

Whether you spend all day standing or complete hard workouts daily, your feet really take a beating. But did you know that all that walking doesn’t just affect your feet? It affects your whole body. Targeted foot massages can ease tense areas that cause problems throughout your body, lower stress, aid digestion, and improve sleep through reflexology.

What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is a type of alternative therapy that involves applying varying pressure levels to the feet, hands, and ears. It is believed that pressure points in these areas correspond to different parts of the body. By releasing tension in the trigger points, reflexology helps restore balance and encourage healing in other places.

Pressure Points in the Foot

Here’s a general guide for corresponding body parts on the foot:

• Toes: The head, specifically the brain, side neck, and sinuses
• Inside surface (along the arch): The spine
• Outer edge: The shoulders, arms, hips, knees, and legs
• The entire bottom of your foot corresponds with various organs.
• Top third (near the ball of your foot): Chest organs, including the lungs and heart.
• Middle third (near your arch): Abdominal organs, like the stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines
• Bottom third (near the heel): Pelvic organs, such as the bladder, colon, reproductive organs, etc.; the sciatic nerve

Three Foot Massage Techniques

1. For Anxiety

Stimulating the cardiovascular system can promote relaxation and ease some effects of anxiety.

• Curl your toes and identify the small dip between your 1st and 2nd toe right beneath the ball of your foot.
• Use your thumb to massage the area in a circular motion.
• You can also firmly press down on the area for 10 to 15 seconds.

2. For Lower Back Pain

Some people report that reflexology on the foot can relieve lower back pain even better than an actual lower back massage. You’ll want to focus on the arches along the inside of your foot for this massage technique.

• Move your thumb in short strokes from your heels to your toes.
• You can also walk your thumbs along the arch.

3. For Full-Body Reset

This technique doesn’t focus on one area. Instead, you will use a tennis or golf ball to identify areas of tightness all over your foot and release them. This method is one form of myofascial release therapy, similar to what you’ll experience during massage therapy in Bend.

• Roll your foot around over a tennis or golf ball until you find a sensitive spot.
• Press down to apply pressure until you feel it soften.
• Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.

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