The essence of foot massage is the impact on special reflex zones, each of which is a projection of an internal organ. This procedure has a centuries-old history; mention of it can be found in the drawings of the Mayan tribe.
Impact on reflex zones relieves stress
With a little effort and patience, you can learn how to massage your feet. How to do it correctly for yourself, how to give a foot massage to your beloved man, is it possible to prevent the development of flat feet in a child? Having found answers to these questions, any girl can become a wonderful lover and caring mother.
When is a foot massage necessary?
Massaging your feet perfectly relaxes and relieves stress. With this pleasant procedure you can eliminate the following ailments:
- constant feeling of fatigue,
- frequent attacks of headaches,
- deterioration in sleep quality,
- poor appetite
- improper metabolism.
Traditional medicine does not consider such symptoms to be signs of serious diseases, so proper foot massage will be an excellent solution to eliminate such problems. With regular use, blood circulation improves, the work of all internal organs is activated, and depressive states disappear.
If you want to be healthy, learn how to massage!
Girls who walk a lot in high heels need to master the technique of massaging their feet to prevent flat feet and the appearance of protruding bones on their feet.
It is necessary to massage your child's feet regularly. This will not only strengthen the muscles and eliminate flat feet, but will also help hyperactive children calm down a little.
If you massage a man’s feet correctly, this will have a preventive effect on the pelvic organs and prevent the development of male diseases and impotence.
Why do you need a foot massage?
- A course of massage will relieve you from unpleasant sensations, relax your muscles after physical activity, and prevent the development of ailments in the musculoskeletal system. In addition, it can help reduce swelling in the legs. Massage is an excellent preventative against varicose veins and flat feet.
- Foot massage is equally necessary for those people who spend a lot of time on their feet, as well as for those who, on the contrary, move little. Indeed, due to low physical activity, blood stagnation may occur, which causes discomfort in the legs.
- Foot massage has both local and general strengthening and healing effects, because the condition of the feet has a direct impact on the spine. That is why, in some cases, it can be used to reduce or even eliminate back pain.
Principles of massage
Experts recommend not focusing on any one zone during the procedure - this significantly reduces its effectiveness.
Massaging begins from the toes and moves towards the heel. It is necessary to grab the lower leg, which will maximize blood circulation.
It will take a lot of time to master all the foot patterns on which the active points are indicated. You can start with a simple option, dividing the sole into several zones:
- head and neck – active points are located on the fingers;
- chest, upper limbs - the impact zone affects the fingertips and ends in the middle of the arch;
- abdominal cavity, pelvic organs - from the middle of the arch to the beginning of the heel;
- The inner side of the foot is responsible for the spine.
The procedure should not be done immediately after eating or on an empty stomach. The best time is an hour after a meal in the evening. To improve blood movement, you can drink 2-3 glasses of warm, clean water.
Before starting the procedure, your feet should be rinsed, vigorously, and thoroughly rubbed. Massaging the feet is done using a cream - you can take a children's cream or a special warming one. But it is more correct to perform a massage using special oils. After finishing the massage, you should cover your feet well and lie down for 10 minutes.
Even if you do one session correctly, your mood rises and fatigue goes away. To consolidate the result, you need to conduct at least 10 sessions. If pain is felt at any point during a massage, this indicates a problem in the corresponding organ. Massage helps girls cope with PMS.
Indications for foot massage
Foot massage is recommended as a therapeutic or preventive procedure in many cases. It can be:
— joint diseases: arthritis, arthrosis; — orthopedic problems: flat feet, valgus; - chronic fatigue and swelling of the legs; - emotional depression, consequences of stress, insomnia; - poor blood circulation in the limbs, - rehabilitation after injuries: sprains, dislocations, fractures, - prevention of varicose veins
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How to properly massage at home
At home, you can massage the feet of your beloved man, child, or do self-massage. After vigorous rubbing, you need to rub each finger in a circular motion for a minute, bending and unbending them in each direction. You should move from the nails to the base. For middle-aged people, active bending can cause discomfort because some joints and muscles do not work well enough. Therefore, you need to do everything carefully, gradually increasing the intensity.
Thanks to the effect on active points, immunity improves, memory and creative thinking are activated.
Proper foot massage will relieve many problems.
The next stage is circular movements with your thumbs over the entire area of the sole. It is necessary to correctly distribute the intensity of pressure, since the skin on the sole has an uneven thickness. The heels require special attention and maximum effort - in these places the skin is the roughest.
For complete relaxation, you need to pull your foot forward and back, turn in a circle to the right and left. Then you need to walk intensively along the entire foot with your left hand, clenched into a fist. The right palm should massage the top of the foot.
In addition to rubbing, it is necessary to make stroking, kneading and zigzag movements from the instep of the foot to the base of the toes, and then in the opposite direction. Such movements are effective for hypertonicity of the legs and flat feet.
You need to massage the base of the heel well with your thumb and index finger. Using tapping movements, walk from the middle of the heel to the very top of the foot, and then from the foot to the ankle. Massage the ankle, carefully massaging the hollow between the tendons.
The final stage is soft, relaxing strokes. After which you need to wrap your feet with a towel.
Foot massage - instructions
So, how to perform a foot massage? We offer you detailed instructions!
- The first thing you need to do is put a pillow under your knees. This is necessary so that during the impact on the muscles, your partner does not feel pain associated with the fact that his legs rest against a hard surface. The important point is to create a favorable, relaxing atmosphere. When performing a massage on one leg, the other should be covered so that it does not cool down in the meantime.
- During the massage, use oil with a pleasant smell. The aromatic effect will play a role in overall relaxation. If you are doing a massage to relieve heaviness and pain in your legs, you can use warming creams.
- So, take the arch of your foot in your palm, and actively massage your foot with the other. To warm up the foot, alternate movements of the phalanges of the fingers and palms. After this, massage each finger, moving from top to bottom from the nail to its base. Perform massaging movements with your fingertips.
- Then fix the foot with one hand, and with the other, perform massaging circular movements with your thumb on the surface of the sole. In the place where the skin is rough, massage with slightly greater pressure, and where it is more tender, apply less force. Particular attention should be paid to the heel area. Because The skin here is quite thick, perform massaging movements with maximum effort.
- After performing a foot massage, move on to the Achilles zone. Use your thumb to grasp the tendon on one side, while with four fingers, begin massaging movements on the other side, from top to bottom. Then make circular movements around the underwire area. The next step is to grab your foot with one hand and the leg near the ankle with the other, and make circular movements in one direction, then the other. Really pull your foot down and then up.
- You can start massaging your lower leg. To begin, perform warming rubbing movements, and then circular movements that describe each muscle separately. Perform the massage with bent fingers.
- After this, proceed to massage the upper leg. Be careful, the blood vessels on the inside of the knee are located very close to the skin, which is why this part should never be stimulated, otherwise bruising may occur. Pay due attention to your buttocks. Motions as if you are kneading dough are very useful. With their help you can relax your muscles well.
It is advisable to perform these movements over the entire surface of the skin of the legs, but before doing this, first cover your legs with a terry towel. This will remove excess oil from the skin and also improve blood circulation.
After a foot massage, it is best to rest for a while. Pamper each other with a pleasant and healthy foot massage!
How to massage children's feet
This procedure is the best prevention of flat feet in children. Massaging the feet increases muscle flexibility, strengthens the body's protective functions, and brings mother and child closer together. If you massage correctly and regularly, children develop coordination of movement and develop correct posture.
Tactile contact is very important for mother and child
Technology for massaging the feet of an infant:
- With your left hand, fix your left leg in the shin area. Rub the sole with your thumb, direct movements from the heel to the toes, you can draw numbers, the child’s name.
- Press on the middle of the foot - the child’s toes will bend. Run your finger along the outer edge of the foot to the heel - press on the middle of the heel, the toes will straighten.
- It's easy to massage each finger.
- Gently knead, rub the arch of the foot and the Achilles tendon. Gently tap the sole on a hard surface - this will normalize the tone of the leg.
Contraindications
Despite all the undeniable advantages, the procedure has contraindications. Massaging is not performed if there are fungal infections or during exacerbation of chronic diseases. For diabetes, osteoporosis, problems with small joints of the foot, and varicose veins, massage should be done very carefully.
In case of cancer, reflex action on the points can provoke the growth of tumors. In pregnant girls, massage of certain points on the feet can have a stimulating effect on the uterus, which is very dangerous for the fetus and the expectant mother.
Foot massage is an effective and affordable way to strengthen the immune system, prevent and cure flat feet in a child. The procedure does not take much time; every girl can master it on her own, and the effect of a correctly performed procedure will be noticeable after the first session.
During the procedure, the following techniques are used
- stroking with the palm or knuckles; - rubbing with straight and circular movements; - tong-like kneading; — pressure (on active points); - effleurage; - vibration (lifting and shaking of each toe or the entire foot.
The sequence of actions differs in different methods. In this case, as a rule, the procedure begins with working on each finger. Then massage the sole, where the concentration of active points is especially high.
Next comes the impact on the outside: the top and sides. Finally, attention is paid to the heel, Achilles tendon, and ankle joint.
The procedure ends with light stroking. The massage therapist's hand soothes and relaxes the tissues.
