Long, hot summer days bring out the weekend warrior in many of us with weekends spent playing tennis, golf, volleyball, or surfing, and weekdays spent recovering from an aching back.  Ouch! 

Many people don’t realize the importance of the spine in the well-being of their entire body until something hurts.  Actually, pain in the back is more than just a physical problem. It’s also a manifestation of anxiety and pressure, as emotional distress often surfaces in the body as chronic back pain.

The good news is that reflexology can provide relief from acute and chronic back pain. Using reflexology to loosen your spine will help improve circulation and blood flow to the sensitive nerves of the back. Here’s a simple technique to help you relieve and aching back.  Pay special attention to the lower back, which is where many people hold their tension.

Where to press?

The reflex area to the spine is located on each foot, along the entire inside edge, from the base of the big toenail to the base of the heel. This reflex area corresponds to the spine’s vertebrae.

How to Relax the Back:

1. Take one foot in your hands and place your thumbs on the inside arch of the foot.  Alternating thumbs, press your thumbs up and down the inner soles of your feet, concentrating on the area of your back that needs it the most.

2. For lower back pain, spend more time on the area along the inner sole between the heel and the middle of the foot.

3. For middle back pain, work your thumbs along the middle section of the inner edge.

4. For upper back problems, including neck pain, work the area along the inner edge of the foot from the base of the big toe to the middle of the foot.

5. To stimulate the entire back, begin at the heel and thumb-walk up the inner edge of the foot all the way to the base of the big toe. Do this several times, spending extra time on any area that feels tender or “grainy.”

6. You can then move to another part of the foot, or repeat this on the other foot.

Want more tips? Check out more stress-relief massage techniques in the video below:

How reflexology helps:

The spine is often one of the most stressed areas of the body. Unfortunately, it is not an easy area to reach and people sometimes get more stressed when they try to twist their arms around to touch the exact spot where it hurts.

Reflexology offers a way to affect parts of your spine that you could never reach yourself. By stimulating the corresponding reflex area on the inside of each foot, you can soothe specific areas along your spine and effectively relax your entire body.