Reflexology for runners by Adriana Pop at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham Rd, SW10
Reflexology is frequently being utilized as a tool for pain management, including for the customary aches and pains common to the sportsman and athlete. Athletic individuals are also seeking reflexology to speed recovery after injuries and surgeries.
It is recommended for: runners/atheletes, walkers, golfers, people with tired feet, heel pain, plantars, flat feet, toe problems, and corns/callous. It is also beneficial for dry skin, sweaty feet, cold feet, aching feet, foot odor, poor circulation, and other feet problem.
During running the feet absorb a great amount of shock and transmit signals of distress to the legs, the back and other parts of the body. Every day hundreds of people around the world injure themselves while running. Most running injuries are the result of repeating the same motion over and over again, thousands, millions of times
Pain in the feet can range from a myriad of problems ranging from trauma to the foot, gait or biomechanical issues when walking and standing, to ill-fitting foot wear. Common painful foot conditions include:
- Plantar Fasciitis also known as heel or arch pain
- Neuromas trapped nerves between the long bones of the foot
- Heel spurs painful bone growths on the heel
- Bunions a deformity or twisting of the great toe and first metatarsal bone joint
- Achilles tendonitis inflammation of the tendon running from the heel up to the calf
Bringing reflexology into some types of injuries can helpful to:
- decrease stress and pain levels
- accelerate the body’s own healing process
- reduce inflammation by improving circulation.
When a Reflexologist works on someone’s feet the practitioner is not treating for a specific condition, such as foot pain. The concept of Reflexology is that the entire body is reflected in the feet. By working the whole foot the practitioner is encouraging the body’s natural healing abilities to address imbalances throughout the entire body.
Some foot injuries may require the reflexologist to switch to the reflex maps found on the hands or the ears until the foot has improved and can be worked on again.
In addition to muscle and soft tissue injuries, more serious injuries relating to the spine and brain can occur in contact sports. Anecdotally, reflexology may be a helpful tool to aid in the recovery from a spinal cord or brain injury.