by Karen Ball
Some people claim that of all our body parts, our feet tend to suffer the most. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that there’s nothing worse than sore feet; and sore feet are a guarantee if neglected. Our feet are our trusty servants, providing a foundation upon which we “take a stand” and allowing us to move forward in life.
As a reflexologist, I often hear the statement “My feet are killing me!” Perhaps that painful complaint would be more accurately stated with, “I’m killing my feet”. We stuff them into poorly designed, ill-fitted shoes and then proceed to stand on them hour after hour without rest. We pay little attention to the fact that the feet carry our whole body weight and who we are every day of our lengthy existence here on earth. When you treat your feet well, they tend to return the favor. For that reason I have dedicated my private practice to putting “feet first”.
Because I am a board-certified reflexologist, people often mistake my qualifications for that of a “foot doctor”. With so many queries coming my way, I realized years ago that I needed to know something about the pathologies and irregularities that can cause debilitating foot pain. I saw that I needed to understand the foot as much as I understood how reflexology affects the body’s physiology.
I have to admit that what really spurred me to learn more about what causes foot pain and how to remedy it though was my own unpleasant experience with plantar fasciitis. My initial research indicated that it usually takes a year to recover from this degenerative condition; not willing to accept that, I set out to find a way to shorten that healing time. (I was able to fully recover in three months.)
For a number of years afterwards I shared what I had learned and successfully put into practice in a 2-day training on how to address plantar fasciitis. But once again, I was pushed further. Invariably, in those classes there were always people asking for guidance in helping their clients with other conditions that caused chronic foot pain. I realized that I needed to expand what I was offering to include other maladies.
Now, in the training that I offer, we look at 19 common conditions of foot pain, how the allopathic community treats those conditions, the natural approaches that a practitioner can offer, “homework” clients can take home with them, and of course, reflexology techniques to bring relief.
The manual also includes examination and interview forms that are essential to assessing soft tissue injuries, and an illustrated protocol for treating plantar fasciitis, peripheral neuropathy, bone spurs and tarsal tunnel syndrome.
People don’t have to live with chronic foot pain! Witness what happens when you bring knowledge and hands-on skills to those people in your life living in pain. Join me at the Florida School of Massage on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, for the How to Relieve Chronic Foot Pain workshop.
