Whether you’re looking for an easy way to soothe your own sore foot pressure points or are giving someone else a foot massage, it’s important to know where the pressure points are. These spots on the sole of your feet are said to correspond to different parts of the body, and massaging them with a bit of skill can help you reduce pain, improve moods and relieve stress.
Many people have heard of massaging the arch of the foot to ease stress, but there are also numerous spots on both sides of your feet that contain these pressure points. You can find them on foot massage diagrams or in books on reflexology, and once you know where to look, identifying them and massaging them is relatively easy.
Foot reflexology is a type of traditional Chinese medicine that involves applying pressure to specific areas on the feet and hands that are believed to be linked energetically to certain body parts. According to reflexologists, stimulating these pressure points balances the flow of vital energy and maintains health.
One of the most important foot pressure points is located in the depression between your big toe and second toe. Pressing this spot for two or three minutes can help with insomnia, bad memory, anxiety and palpitations.
Another pressure point is located on the exterior side of the foot, about an inch below the adjoining web of the big and second toes, on the upper surface. Using this acupoint can treat eye conditions, muscle cramps, apoplexy and psychoneurosis.