- Cloud Massage Brand Team
Feet carry a heavy burden - literally. Our weird little extremities down there carry our entire body EVERY DAY. Pretty crazy when you think about how much the feet do, and even crazier how little we support them while they do it.
And this, my friends, is the cause of most foot pain: Neglect.
There are a lot of different ways one can tackle foot pain. One of the easiest ways is, of course, the regular use of a massage machine (in fact, we have a great one right here!). But if you’re looking for a more natural way to relieve your feet of their problems, a great method is to learn about foot tension points.
The best way to learn about foot tension points is to learn all about the pressure points on feet and what they mean exactly. You can do this by learning how to decipher a foot reflexology chart, which we’re gonna learn all about - along with learning what foot tension points are, how to massage them, and some of the benefits of foot massages in general!
What Are Foot Tension Points?
Foot tension points are, well, the places where our feet carry the most tension. Pretty self explanatory, but it does get a little more complicated. Generally, someone puts pressure on certain points on the bottom of your foot (or hand, but that’s not what this blog is about) in order to assist with foot pains and aches.
Like acupuncture, these points can actually affect not just the foot, but different parts of the body as well! So really, when you learn about pressure points on your feet and what they mean, you’re also learning how to take care of the rest of your body as well.
Confused? That’s fair. Anyone reading one of these charts may not see the correlation at first, but according to reflexology, these areas contain ‘meridian points’ that connect to various parts of our body.
And what do these meridian points do? What do they mean? Great questions! Let’s find out:
What the Different Pressure Points mean
As you can see, there are quite a few meridian points! But, this chart is a little hard to read, so here’s a broken down version:
- Right Foot: Associated with the right side of the body.
- Left Foot: Associated with the left side of the body. In our bodies, some organs are on different sides of our body (for example, your stomach is on the left side, so it’s affected by the left foot)
- Bottom of the Foot: Related to our pelvic area, knees, and appendix.
- Center of the Foot (“the waistline”): Correlates to the stomach and organs above the waistline. The lower center correlates to the intestines.
- Inside of the Foot: Correlates to the spine.
- Area Underneath the Toes: Corresponds to the chest.
- Toes and Feet: Correlate to your head and neck.
You should have a better idea of pressure points on feet and where to find them now! But what’s even more interesting is that the benefits aren’t limited to these areas. According to the Mayo clinic, finding and massaging the pressure points in your feet can help with:
- Eye Strain Issues
- Relaxation & Less Stress
- Improved Sleep Cycles
- Digestion & Stomach Health
How to Massage Foot Pressure Points
We’re learned all about our pressure points, and now it’s time to learn what to do with ‘em. Luckily for us, there are a bunch of ways to massage our foot pressure points for quick and easy pain relief.
- Warmup Twisting
Let’s get twisting! For this exercise, you’ll want to warm up your feet by placing your palms on either side of the foot, gently pull the ride side forward and the left side back, and switch. Repeat for about a minute on each foot.
- Heel Squeezing
- Foot Spreading
Expand your foot's width (and release some tension from your foot pressure points) with this exercise!
First, hold each side of the foot with your hands. Pull each side outward repeatedly for a couple minutes. Bam, you're done!
- Arch Rubbing
- Instep Rubbing
- Toe Bends
Hold your heel with one hand, and bend all the toes back with the other. Move them back and forth, gently increasing pressure each time.
Massage Equipment vs. Manual Pressure Massage
Now that we’ve learned about the pressure points on our feet and where to find them (and massage them), it begs the question: Is one method better than the other? Well, that depends - they both apply pressure, they both help, and they both feel great. There are, however, a few features of each that separate them:
Benefits of Massage Equipment
Massage machines are amazing for foot pressure point relief after a long day of work. They’re perfect for immediate relief from muscle soreness and discomfort. While the relief can be temporary, regular usage can really help you relieve some of that long term pain. For those interested, try out the Cloud Massage massager gun or massage machine (both of which are on our website)!
Benefits of a Manual Pressure Massage
Manual foot massage takes a bit more work, but wields faster long term results, as the specific foot pressure points are more succinctly targeted. Moreover, foot reflexology helps with pain in other parts of your body as well, where massage machines do not (except for your mental health, of course).
Overall, you may feel less immediate relief from manual massage, but it can give you better long-term results. It’s also a good way to clear your brain!
Final Thoughts
Feet can be a little finicky - but it doesn’t have to be that way! Stop living with constant foot pain and try out one of our methods. Whether you want to try manual or move right to our massage machines, our website is perfect for learning all the tips, tricks, and tidbits about massage methodology!
Time to kick back and relax!
Contributing Writer: Aurora Detor
