Should Reflexology be Painful?
A Closer Look at Pressure Techniques Used by Reflexologists
May 13, 2009
Before the age of modern footwear our ancestors got by with flimsy leather and straps or laces and even blocks of wood to protect their feet from the elements. Civilization has only recently developed the sneaker and fully-enclosed shoe that offers comfort, support and shelter for the feet.
Asian forms of Reflexology stem from rigorous techniques that were commonly applied to very callused feet. Modern applications have not entirely progressed since a lot of people seeking Reflexology in the Eastern world have well shod feet.
Should Reflexology Hurt?
Reflexology was never intended to be painful. Sensitive at times yes, painful, no. The Reflexologist often finds sore spots and will want to carefully work out the tenderness using varied pressure techniques.
Most Reflexology societies, associations and organizations warn practitioners against using too deep a pressure on the feet. With a quarter of the body’s bones and a myriad of joints, tendons and ligaments here, caution is advised to avoid injuring the client.
One theory against severe pressure techniques is that the body cannot possibly start the healing process when it is trying to protect itself from pain. Reflexology is intended to encourage the body to heal – and if the pressure is too great then what is the purpose of that type of session? To bully it into healing itself?
It’s Not the Pressure, But the Size of the Nerve Ending
At some point it was thought that Reflexologists needed to use a lot of pressure to send a very clear message to the brain through the feet. This has since been discarded by many on the grounds that it isn’t the amount of pressure applied to a nerve ending but the actual size of the nerve ending itself.
Even a feather-light touch may encourage a healing response, according to followers of light touch styles of Reflexology. Fans of these gentler forms of Reflexology go as far as saying that the gentler sessions may encourage a greater depth of relaxation and thus be more effective.
Asian Reflexology is Evolving
Some of the larger Reflexology clinics throughout Asia are sending spokespeople to Canada, the United States and Europe to learn gentler forms of Reflexology. The interest is two-fold:
- To be able to market themselves to a wider audience and gain more customers that otherwise cannot tolerate the deep pressure techniques.
- And to offer techniques that are not so difficult on the practitioners – thus preventing burn out or injury within the field of Reflexology.
While it may not happen overnight, and there are certainly fans of the painfully deep styles of foot massage, the clinical field of Reflexology is certainly evolving throughout Asia. Clinical trials are demanding more continuity and one cannot expect the very ill to tolerate a painful session in the name of science.
Eastern styles of Reflexology have had an influence on Western practitioners – many are learning to come away from extensive thumb-walking techniques and use their knuckles more. But instead of the painful knuckle-to-the-bone fashion, the Western adaptation is turning into a style that saves the practitioner's hands from over-use of the thumbs.
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