Your feet is one of the parts of your body that works hard every day. Walking, running and even when you're sitting, your feet are working for you. After a long day, you probably feel the aching muscles. You feet deserves the rubdown and pampering. In fact, it is beneficial to give it a massage. Here are the top 5 benefits of foot massage.
1. Increases Endorphins
Endorphins are the happy hormones. It's responsible for our feelings of happiness and keeping us in a good mood. Therefore, foot massage improves our mood and helps us fight the signs of depression. Massage alleviates the symptoms of anxiety and depression and even the discomfort of pain while replacing it with a sense of deep relaxation.
2. Fights headaches, nausea and vomiting
Morning sickness, upset stomach and hangover can be relieved by foot massage. One of the benefits of foot massage is alleviating these uncomfortable symptoms by hitting the right spot on your feet. A 10-20 minutes foot massage relieves headaches and even migraines.
3. Keeps the heart healthy
Foot massage has a positive effect on the heart rate and blood pressure. If you want to maintain a healthy heart, getting a good foot massage is a great help. Massage improves blood circulation. It improves the lymphatic and circulatory systems which carries the supply of oxygen and nutrients in different parts of the body. Adequate supply of oxygen to the body means less risk of heart disease.
4. Heals Injuries faster
Benefits of foot massage include relieving sore muscles, joint pain and muscle tension. Some people experience chronic pain and stiffness. Foot massage helps relieve these tensions by loosening tight muscles and surrounding tissues in the area. This effectively reduces inflammation and soreness which leads to faster recovery.
5. Reduces effects of Edema caused by pregnancy
Edema is common during pregnancy. It's the fluid retention in the feet and ankle area causing it to swell. Regular foot massage reduces edema as it stimulates the fluid to return to the kidneys to be flushed out properly. Other than fluid retention, walking around while pregnant tires the feet and can be rather painful. A soothing rubdown can alleviate these discomforts and makes carrying the heavy bump bearable.
What makes a good foot massager?
Foot massager is a great home alternative to massage therapy clinics. You can simply plug in, insert your calves and feet and enjoy the soothing massage. But what makes a good massager? What features should you look for?
Features:
Kneading
A popular and useful feature of a foot massager. The kneading effect is achieved by intensed rollers that slide through the calves, ball point, ankle and foot palm. Deep tissue massage soothes tight and tensed muscles.
Vibration
A more relaxed massage technique, it stimulates the feet and sets you to a more relaxed state.
Air compression
Air compression for foot massage offers numerous benefits. It squeezes the legs which stimulates the blood flow and prevents blood clots in the veins of the legs. It also relieves stiff muscles.
Heat
Heat makes any massage experience more relaxing. This simple feature does a lot to your health. Warm therapy stimulates your blood flow by loosening knotted veins. Adequate blood flow improves heart rate, blood pressure, injuries and alleviates other signs of pain.
Timer
An auto-timer is a great feature to safely use the foot massager. It provides the sufficient amount of massaging and turns off on its own minimizing the need for manual use.
Customization
Mix and matching the massage techniques gives more benefits and helps you relax more. Experience kneading, vibration, rolling and warmth therapy in a set period of massage is something you need after a long day's work.
Why do you need a foot massage?
A regular foot massage offers health and overall well-being improvement and relief from daily stress. You'll need a foot massage if:
If you are suffering from joint and muscle pain
Foot massage is great for people with arthritis and other joint pain. It improves muscle movements and flexibility which reduces muscle and joint aches. No painkillers or topical ointments can do that for you.
If you are suffering from poor blood circulation
Poor blood circulation equates to lack of supplements and oxygen to the body. This leads to poor concentration, feeling of fatigue, stress and migraine. A 10-20 minutes foot massage is all it takes to remove these symptoms.
If you are suffering from Edema
Pregnant women suffer from fluid retention caused by Edema. The feet and legs gets swollen and often leads to health risks. It's painful and makes walking around even more difficult during pregnancy. A good foot massage stimulates the nerves and muscles to release the fluid by flushing.
If you are suffering from Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is a chronic pain of the bottom of the feet. It causes muscle inflammation with daily exertion. Foot massage reduces pain and offers relief.
