5 Health benefits of foot massage

Foot massage therapy has many health benefits. This is a simple and easy method, especially when you walk too much or stand too long, making your feet tired and even sore. How does it affect health? How do you give a great foot massage?

1. How does foot massage affect health?

The feet have many important acupuncture points directly linked to organs in the body.

Acupressure Points	Body Region
Tips of the toes	Head and brain
Middle of the toes	Face and sinuses
Base of the toes	Teeth, gums, and jaw
Base of the pinky toe	Neck
Outer side of the foot	Arms, elbows, knees, legs
Inner side of the foot	Neck, brain stem, thymus, spine, and bladder
Outer side of the ankle	Lower back
Inner side of the ankle	Lymph glands, fallopian tubes, and groin
Top, middle area of the foot	Lungs, chest, breast, and upper back

Therefore, when affecting the feet, it also affects the movement of the organs and internal organs. It can be seen that the feet are where a lot of data reflects health.

Foot massage have affect directly for the corresponding region of body

Foot massage has affect directly for the corresponding region of the body

2. Health benefits of foot massage

Many scientific studies have found that foot massage therapy has many other health benefits.

Relieving stress and promoting a more cheerful spirit. By reducing stress and increasing energy, you will make healthier choices for your health, such as exercising diligently, and eating scientifically,... This is because foot massage activates the nervous system. The nervous system produces a lot of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters in the brain, which help create positive emotions, improve mood, and reduce pain.

Reduce pain and improve health problems: Each acupuncture point area on the foot supports an aspect of health. Studies have proven that massaging your feet every night helps you reduce problems with migraines and headaches, helping you have better brain reflexes. It helps relieve muscle pain in the body. In particular, this foot therapy is very good for people with diabetes. Besides, a study on people getting foot massage after appendectomy also proved that massage helped them have less pain, using less pain medication.

Improves circulation: Foot massage improves circulation, helps treat diseases, and keeps muscles and tissues healthy. This is especially important for people with health problems that lead to poor circulation or nerve damage. Foot massage stimulates the secretion of sweat glands, reducing fat in the body. Massage your feet every day for 10–20 minutes before going to bed to help you prevent symptoms of cramps and muscle pain.

Reducing premenstrual symptoms. A special benefit specifically for women. Foot massage is very beneficial for health, especially for women. Scientists have done surveys and found that it is a great thing to help women avoid PMS symptoms (premenstrual symptoms). In addition, it helps prevent swelling of the feet and ankles in pregnant women.

Foot massage has many other health benefits

>>> See more: TOP 10 best massages in Da Nang, Vietnam must visit 2024

3. How do you give a great foot massage?

You can massage your feet at home or ask a relative to help you massage. You can also have your first massage with a specialist and then learn and apply it yourself at home. Normally, the foot massage process is as follows:

Step 1: Sit in a chair or bed and place one of your feet on top of your opposite thigh. If you want, use a little massage cream or massage oil to help your fingers move gently over the skin.

Step 2: Hold the front of your ankle with one hand. Then, use the thumb and index finger of your other hand to hold the skin on the back of the ankle, pulling it toward the heel. These techniques help relax Achilles tendons that are tight from exercise, standing for long periods of time, or wearing high heels.

Step 3: Use your thumb to move in small circles from the heel up to the base of each toe. You can also press your knuckles to the bottom of your foot or hold your foot with both hands and press your thumbs to the bottom of your foot, moving from the heel to the bottom of the toes;

Press the knuckles to the bottom of the foot

Step 4: Finish the foot massage by gently rotating each toe. Once you have finished the massage, do the same with the other feet.

Accordingly, if you have had foot surgery, you need to ask your doctor if you can receive massage therapy. Massage with moderate pressure is safe and effective for most people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain. If the massage process is painful, massage more gently. If you feel a sharp pain while massaging your feet, you should stop immediately.

4. Tips for foot massage

You will feel secure when using services at professional massage spas. But if you don't have time and want to do it at home, you will need to note the following:

Soak your foot in a tub of warm to hot water for up to ten minutes. Before massaging your feet, you should wash your feet with warm water or wrap your feet with a warm towel. This helps clean your feet, promote blood circulation in the feet, and relax tense muscles.

Massage slowly and gently. When massaging your feet, you should not use too much force; it should not cause pain. If you still feel pain after massaging, you should pause for a moment and then proceed with the next massage steps.

Massage time: Do not massage your feet frequently; each massage should not exceed 30 minutes. Acupressure massage at an acupressure point should last about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on each person's constitution. Absolutely do not massage before or after meals to avoid affecting digestion.

Foot massage is a technique of using hands to impact the soft tissues of the feet to relieve pain, reduce discomfort, relieve stress, and care for health. When massaging your feet, you should use the correct technique to get the greatest benefit.