Whether you’re a weekend warrior, a semi-pro, or a paid, professional athlete, being sidelined is never positive. Anyone who is passionate about sports understands how important recovery is, and how important and demanding it is to keep your body in great physical condition. Pain and injuries are to an athlete what stress and fatigue are to a commercial pilot; the unfortunate side effects of doing something we love.
When an injury strikes, it’s common for us to head to the doctor, and nowadays, many medical professionals advocate the use of drugs to manage inflammation and deal with pain, however, this solution is synthetic and anything but positive.
Reflexology on the other hand is a natural choice that helps to balance and relax each of the body’s primary systems, from muscular and respiratory, to circulatory and lymphatic. Through the application of thumb and finger pressure on reflex points in your hands and feet, a reflexologist can target individual nerve centers, each corresponding to a particular organ, gland, joint, or muscle.
This manipulation helps bring about a positive effect on your overall well-being, physical health, and in turn, your performance, by encouraging lymphatic drainage, increased blood circulation, reduced pain, and deep relaxation.
Positive Effects of Reflexology on Athletes
Lymphatic Drainage:
During heavy workouts and strenuous routines, your body produces wastes that must be removed from muscle tissues for healing to occur. Reflexology helps enhance the natural effect of the lymphatic system, pushing your system to break up blockages and transfer waste material out to the lymph nodes where it can be destroyed. Once the waste has been eliminated, your system can focus on recovery.
Increased Circulation:
Reflexology helps improve the body’s natural healing ability by improving the flow of blood throughout your body. Increased blood flow means increased levels of oxygen, enzymes, hormones, minerals, and nutrients circulating throughout your body, boosting the immune system and fostering much quicker recovery.
Reduced Pain:
Pain is the number one culprit in downtime complaints. Ailments such as tendonitis, neuroma, and plantar fasciitis can cause discomfort in feet, knees, hands, arms, and shoulders. Typically managed via surgery or drugs, reflexology can bring a patient full circle, naturally.
Deep Relaxation
Your body needs eight hours of sleep every night. It also needs to be in a relaxed state when your eyes are open. People who work too hard or don’t spend enough time focusing on downtime often complain of increased stress, anxiety, and tension, all harbingers of injury and/or burnout. Reflexology stimulates the nerves along the feet, helping to trigger the body’s circulatory system, enhancing the nutrient flow, and refreshing tissues. Secondary effects include reduced blood pressure, decreased cortisol (stress hormone), and improved sleep through increased serotonin.
In summary, you should consult an experienced Reflexologist anytime you’ve injured yourself, or are feeling the effects of a particularly stressful workout. That said, while Reflexology is most commonly applied in post-trauma support, its focus is on whole-body health, and is becoming quite popular in preventative health maintenance. Book an appointment today and come see what all the fuss is about.
