Stories the feet can tell 

Reflexology is fascinating and the more I do reflexology, the more fascinated I am by it. One of the first things a Reflexologist does at the beginning of a Reflexology treatment is to make some observations of the feet. 

Here are some of the stories the feet can tell 

How the feet are presented can indicate how relaxed the client is. If it’s the clients first treatment and they’re anxious the feet can be close together. This is known as a closed position. If the client is very relaxed the feet may be fairly wide apart. If I see that my client has a very closed posture I will use lots of relaxation techniques in my opening sequence. This should help them relax and settle into the treatment.

Arches

The positioning of the arches of the feet can tell us all kinds of things. If the arch of the foot is very high it could indicate that the client has either spent a lot of time wearing high heels or it could mean that they have some back pain, amongst other things. 

Spine and Back Problems

The side of the foot running down from the big toe is the spine reflex region. Often when a client has been suffering from back pain there is a distinct tightness or bend in the foot in a place that correlates to the painful area. Sometimes one foot can be a completely different shape to the other one, again this is of great interest to reflexologists.

Other signs we look out for

Hard skin and sock fluff tends to fascinate Reflexologists way more than it should do!

One thing that many of my clients have commented is that they feel they need a pedicure before they come for a treatment. It’s absolutely not the case. We can tell a lot about what might be happening for the client by seeing where there are areas of hard skin, corns and calluses.
Hard skin often forms over an area that is imbalanced, as a form of protection. 

Hard skin can also form where there has been contact with footwear. Often hard skin will form on the same area of both feet, especially when foot wear has been rubbing.

Sock fluff can also gather over reflexes that need re-balancing. So don’t be too quick to rub it all off before your treatment! Most Reflexologists will refresh the clients feet with either wipes or hot towels or offer a foot spa if applicable, so there really is no need to worry about sock fluff before your appointment

Redness

Areas of redness can mean a range of things, often anger and frustration but can also mean that you’ve been wearing footwear that have caused your feet to press down in an uncomfortable way. This is especially true of high heeled shoes where the bulk of the weight is on the ball of your feet. This can cause your feet to sting.

Pregnancy

In pregnant clients there is often a small bump over the uterus reflex too, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. (This is really interesting to see!)

Whatever your feet look like chances are we will have seen it all before and you really needn’t worry! 

What stories do you think your feet would tell me about you?

Please let me know in the comments below.

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