Foot pain is quite common. When you consider the amount of work feet do, they could be described as one of the most important structures the body relies on. The average moderately active person takes around 7,500 step/day. If you maintain that daily average and live until 80 years of age, you'll have walked about 216,262,500 steps in your lifetime.
Feet are a complex assembly of bones, muscles and soft tissues that work together to provide a stable platform for the body to engage the ground with. However, how your feet are used and biomechanically loaded can determine their resilience and strength over a lifetime of use. Your feet perform high demand functions and yet we may not give them the attention they need to continue performing optimally and without pain.
Foot pain can have multiple origins. The foot’s structural integrity and reliability comes with many factors, including bone health, injury impacts and recovery, wear and tear, plus footwear. However, in instances where your feet have been unevenly weight loaded or distorted biomechanically due to structural misalignment over a long period of time, foot function is directly impacted. This results in acute or localised pain in the heels, mid-foot or ball area and across the top (Dorsal) and into the ankle.
Is there a remedy for foot pain?
At Reflex 2 Heath the approach is to assess and address any structural misalignment first. Each holistic reflexology session starts with this fundamental check and correction via the signature Structural Release Technique. The session then focuses on releasing stored stress within the feet and providing ongoing recovery movement exercises to relieve the pain.
There is an expectation that our body is ‘ready to go’ at all times, even though we tend not to pre-activate structural parts of the body when transferring weight distribution. For example, when we transition from sitting to standing, flat to uneven surfaces and from sleep / rest to up and about. Regular direct foot massage / reflexology supports subtle flexibility and improves circulation.
Treating high impact injury recovery, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, bunions or toe dysfunction raises the need for a cross-therapy approach that will require specialist foot therapists. In certain circumstances, a referral to specialists is required. Here at Reflex 2 Health, this is identified at the outset, and you’re guided to a suitable service that can help towards that next level of recovery and relief.
A good first step is to book in a holistic reflexology session, address the foot issue from the basics of structural alignment and foot alignment, plus release soft tissue and muscular stress through professional foot work and mobilisation. Assessment and results can then guide the next steps to recovery.
If you would like to read more about Reflex 2 Health’s signature Structural Release Technique, check out the article ‘In focus: Structural Release Technique (SRT)’.
If you’d like to relieve your own foot pain or discomfort, head over to the online bookings to book a session.