If you are a runner or athlete or you do your daily chores or nothing at all, you may sometimes feel the urge to stretch or press your legs. Therefore, we all must understand and appreciate the therapeutic benefits of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is basically stretching or massaging the feet. But getting a leg massage at a spa isn’t a bad idea either!
Our feet keep us standing all day. The more we walk, the more our calves will be pumping our blood upwards. Conversely, the longer we sit, the less this pumping action will be. It also affects our nerves and circulation in our legs and feet. Therefore, it must be understood that if we stand all the time, some of our blood vessels may get damaged.
Take a look at some of the endless benefits of foot massage, as suggested by Aditya Arya, co-founder of Yes Madam.
- Improves blood circulation: Our excessively sedentary lifestyle greatly reduces the blood flow and circulation in our legs. A simple foot massage keeps the muscles moving and improves blood circulation.
- Avoid Lymph Buildup: The lymphatic system is responsible for removing toxins, wastage and other unwanted substances from the body. Sometimes, specific conditions cause lymph to build up and develop. Nor does it only affect the lymphatic system’s ability to eliminate waste, it causes a buildup in the arms and legs.
- Prevents Injuries: Foot massage is a great activity in itself as it helps prevent injuries. It increases our mobility, stretches the muscle tissue and improves blood supply. By loosening the muscles, the chances of injury during sports or exercise are greatly reduced.
- Reduces stress: Foot massage reduces stress, reduces stress and helps in controlling anxiety. A relaxing foot massage can bring your heart rate down, relax tense muscles, and release endorphins. All of these calm the nerves and help you relax and unwind.
- Muscle recovery: For those who love to exercise, the pain after a hard workout can be enough to make you stop exercising. For those who exercise frequently, terrible pain after a good workout can be enough to make you never exercise again. This soreness is also known as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. Foot massage can help treat DOMS and speed up your recovery. Massage is known to reduce flexion and help with muscle healing.
- Posture Alignment: Experts say that poor posture not only causes back pain but affects the legs as well. Regular foot massage can also improve misalignment of the hips and lower back.
- Edema: Massaging the feet can help in avoiding edema which is a very abundant problem in pregnant women. Edema occurs when the feet and ankles swell in relation to fluid retention. Food massage can go a long way in relieving any kind of discomfort.
- PMS: As a result of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), many women experience a range of problems ranging from mental to physical. Side effects such as mood swings, tension, migraines and headaches can inevitably hinder day-to-day activities, but a good foot massage can help to calm these effects. Everyday foot and foot massage can be really useful during this time.
- Insomnia: Lack of sleep is a complex problem. Part of the causes include various medications (such as caffeine, nicotine, the prescriptions you take for asthma), shift work, stress, grief, and depression. Sometimes we are not clear about the root cause of lack of sleep. However, we believe that foot massage has a great impact on your sleep. Foot massage can reduce your degree of stress and thus help you to relax.
- Joint pain: Foot massage can help in relieving joint pain. Massage helps by loosening the muscles around the joints and by intertwining the connective tissue that establishes these joints. Given that muscle strengthening can also aggravate joint pain, the ability of massage to release tension in solid muscles is exceptionally compelling. By releasing the tension in the surrounding tissues, the tension is relieved from the joints and reduces a portion of the pain caused by the irritation of the tissues in the joints.