Massage vs Reflexology
Suffering from recurring sinusitis, fatigue or any other ailment?
Fed up with those over the counter meds that never treat the gist of your health issue rather screw things up with their side-effects?
In this article, we’ll discuss with you the difference between massage and reflexology so you can tell which one to choose.
What is Reflexology and How Does it Work?
Reflexology is a practice that utilizes the existing pressure points in your feet that correspond to your body’s organs.
Stimulating these points by applying calculated pressure on them is said to rejuvenate the energy flowing through invisible meridians in your body, ultimately improving your overall health and treating any existing ailment.
It’s heavily based on ancient traditional Chinese medicine.
What Is Massage Therapy and How Does It Work?
Massage Therapy is simply a manipulation of tissues to relax your foot’s muscles, relieve tension and improve circulation.
Massaging induces overall relaxation as a response from the nervous system, as well as a healing, gratifying mechanical response through the physical manipulation of your muscles and tissues.
You can refer to this link here to learn in-depth about how massaging works.
Does Reflexology Feel Different Than A Foot Massage?
Actually no. A foot massage will feel the same as a reflexology treatment.
If you had no idea that they’re 2 different disciplines, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Both just feel like your leg is being kneaded like mad.
But in each of reflexology and massaging, the kneading procedures are done for specific purposes and that’s where they’re intrinsically different from each other.
So, What Are The Benefits Of Reflexology?
When a specific zone in your foot is tender, sore, or is highly sensitive, this is an indicator that the corresponding body part suffers from weakness or is generally disordered.
Through this indicator, your medical history and the symptoms that you complain about, your reflexologist determines the zones in your foot that need extra attention.
Your reflexologist will also apply pressure on the rest of the zones to ensure their wellbeing. Think of it as a form of maintenance.
Reflexology has shown to be an amazing aid in treating the following ailments:
• Stress and Anxiety
• Headaches, including migraines and other types
• Digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Arthritis
• Multiple Sclerosis; as shown in the following study
• Insomnia
• Hormonal Imbalances
• Menstrual disorders as premenstrual Syndrome
• Digestive issues like constipation
• Sports Injuries
• Managing chronic pain like back pain
• Postoperative care; as it was shown that it provides relief from post-operative pain.
• Effectively managing cancer pain; as concluded in the following study
Other potential benefits include cleansing the body of toxins, boosting the performance of the immune system, promoting healing and general wellbeing.
And What are the Benefits of Foot Massage Therapy?
While the benefits of foot massage are amazing in their own right, keep in mind that foot massage doesn’t aid in treating chronic physical conditions like reflexology does.
Foot massaging promotes the following:
• Proper blood circulation in feet
• Deep relaxation
• Better Sleep
• The alleviation of swelling caused by conditions like Edema
• Relief from conditions like foot tendonitis
These feet of yours are the farthest away from your heart, so they usually contain the poorest circulation in their veins and arteries.
Massage therapy focuses on stimulating all of your foot muscles equally, so it’s like a deep intensive treatment for foot muscles, they help your feet and ankles get stronger which protects them from injuries and sprains.
Contrary to Reflexology, pregnant women may undergo a foot massage. As it’s very beneficial and relaxing. However, some pressure points need to be completely avoided as to not stimulate uterine contractions.
Downsides of Reflexology
If you suffer from conditions like foot ulcers, foot or ankle wounds, gout or cardiovascular issues, then reflexology isn’t for you.
You also can’t undergo reflexology if you’re pregnant.
Reflexology sessions are usually high priced, and you’ll have to undergo several sessions to notice huge improvement, which wouldn’t be very cost-effective.
It’s also a bit hard to find certified reflexologists, and they’re very different from a foot masseur/masseuse.
You must seek a professional reflexologist as any pressure applied on the wrong foot zone may actually cause further problems.
In advanced disease forms, reflexology may not be able to provide noticeable results.
Downsides of Massage
The aftermath of one particular overzealous massage session, usually one for athletes, can leave you extremely sore for the next 12 to 36 hours.
Extreme muscle manipulation in a typical foot massage session sometimes causes your body to perceive it as a challenging workout which causes inflammation and discomfort.
Massage sessions can also overstimulate your nervous system, which can leave you in fatigue, malaise, and extreme sensitivity.
The Takeaway
If you suffer from chronic conditions and you’re looking for an adjunctive treatment that’s hassle-free, opt for a reflexology session and see its amazing results.
On the other hand, if you need some nice hands doing wondrous care for your most neglected part of your body that’ll boost your overall well being opt for a foot massage session. Your feet will be forever grateful.