Anyone who has ever received a foot massage understands how soothing it can be at the end of a long, exhausting day.
Regular foot massages can help relieve stress and pain in the feet and lower legs, but the advantages go far beyond relaxation and pain reduction. They may even assist you in living a healthier life.
Here I am going to enlist some regular foot massage benefits on your overall health.
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Health Benefits of Foot Massage
Foot massage has been used to promote health and well-being in various cultures for generations. Millions of people throughout the world now use foot massage as a supplemental and alternative treatment. Many individuals, however, are unaware of the numerous foot massage benefits.
What is the link between foot massage and your health?
Your feet house many of your internal organs’ sensory nerves. A trained massage therapist may utilise your foot as a kind of precise body map. By putting pressure on meridian points that correlate to specific organs, they can assist alleviate health problems. This pressure successfully distributes energy to areas of the body that are feeble or problematic, boosting both physical and psychological health.
Also get to know about head massage benefits.
Now, let’s dive into the health benefits of foot massage.
1- Improves Blood Circulation
This is the most fundamental, yet most crucial, benefit of a foot massage.
We walk, run, and carry things, yet our feet take the brunt of the weight. Among all this we often ignore the fact that our feet muscles are tense.
Foot massages help to reduce discomfort by loosening up tense muscles and increasing circulation. With 10 minutes of daily foot massage, you can increase your blood circulation. This, in turn, will assist in the delivery of oxygen to the body’s cells, which is critical for overall health.
In addition, you must choose appropriate and comfy footwear.
2- Reduces Stress
Applying pressure to specific parts of the feet can help relieve tension and anxiety. This concept is also founded on the idea that there are certain sites on the feet, hands, and other parts of the body called ‘reflex points’ that are linked to the body’s normal functioning.
3- Lowers Blood Pressure
Do you have a problem with high blood pressure? A relaxing foot massage is the best way to deal with it.
Of course, it doesn’t really mean to use foot massages as a substitute for medical treatment, but it is unquestionably a relaxing coping strategy that will help with the treatment.
Regular foot massages of no more than 10 minutes have been demonstrated in studies to help calm and lower blood pressure.
4- Promotes Better Sleep
A few minutes of foot massage before bed can help you relax and improve your sleep quality, just like any other massage. It does so by increasing blood flow, calming nerves, and allowing the body to relax.
To get a good night’s sleep, it is advised to massage for as little as four minutes on each foot.
5- Boosts Your Energy
A pleasant and relaxing foot massage is the ideal method to unwind after a long day of standing and walking around, when our feet tend to swell up.
Foot massage benefits you by giving you energy through the removal of any energy blockages along with reducing stress and exhaustion symptoms.
A Tip for you: Warm oil should always be used for foot massages so that it may readily enter deep into the skin. Also, employ a combination of mild and forceful strokes.
6- Prevents Foot Injuries
Consider foot massages to be a low-impact workout. These increase flexibility and muscle strength by reducing indications of stiffness.
Other health benefits of foot massage include prevention of foot and ankle injuries, which are frequently caused by weak and inflexible muscles and tissues. Foot massages guarantee that your feet get the activity they need, whether it’s to help you move after an injury or to avoid future injuries.
Of course, if you have a more serious sort of foot injury, you’ll need the help of a professional. For that you can consult with the best podiatrists near you . To make an appointment, you can visit Healthwire.pk.
7- Keeps Your Feet Healthy
Massage on a regular basis allows you to check for any foot problems before they worsen, such as:
- Cracked heels
- Ingrown nails
- Dry skin
- Sores
- Corns – Thick hardened layers of skin formed as a result of pressure and rubbing
7- Helps With PMS Symptoms
Premenstrual syndrome or PMS is a serious and widespread problem. For nearly a week, imagine one-half of the population suffering from continual bleeding, as well as mood swings and hormonal difficulties. That is a difficult time to go through.
A foot massage has been proved to aid with PMS and even menopause. It relieves the pressure and reduces the stress that comes with all of the changes that occur within the body, specifically within the uterus.
Get to know in detail about premenstrual syndrome.
8- Improves Immunity
Yes, a decent foot massage can help you boost your immune system. Foot massages are proven to improve muscle health, blood circulation, and stress management. When all of these things are together, they help to boost immunity.
Massage also lowers the level of the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to a variety of health problems. You can get it checked by a cortisol blood test.
9- Reduces Edema During Pregnancy
Moving next to health benefits of foot massage is the reduction of edema during pregnancy.
Edema, or swelling of the feet and ankles caused by fluid retention, is common among pregnant women. Drinking enough water and getting enough rest can help prevent edema, as can massaging the feet with forceful but gentle strokes on a daily basis.
How to Give Yourself a Foot Massage?
Massage therapy is not cheap. Fortunately, you may enjoy the same benefits at home for free by doing it yourself or enlisting the help of a spouse.
Here’s how to pamper your feet:
Step 1: Take a seat in a chair or lie down on a bed, and place one of your foot on top of the opposite thigh. Use a dollop of lotion or oil (such as coconut oil) to assist your fingers glide smoothly across your skin.
Step 2: With one hand, grasp the front of your ankle. Then, with your other hand’s thumb and fingers, grab the back of your ankle and pull down toward your heel.
Step 3: Make little circles with your thumb from the bottom of your heel to the base of each of your toes. By pressing your knuckles into the bottom of your foot, you can also knead it.
Step 4: Finish by lightly turning each toe. Switch your feet when you’re finished.
Use less pressure if it aches. Stop immediately if you have severe pain.
