This powerful form of reflexology is based on stimulating the spinal reflexes on the feet. The specific techniques applied during the treatment work to effectively energise each individual vertebra and this will help to identify nerve roots that may be out of balance.
The spinal column contains the spinal cord – part of the central nervous system. Nerve roots exit through the vertebrae to reach specific organs and muscles. Spinal reflexology can be used to help to recognize the organs in the body that are not functioning correctly. Often, clients will feel sensitivity in the spine but have no association with back problems; spinal reflexology can help identify what reflexes are really out of balance. Conversely, back problems can inhibit the proper functioning of the organs. With spinal reflexology the spinal reflexes can be worked and this can help to correct imbalances in parts, organs and systems of the body.
Spinal reflexology promotes not only a healthy spine but a balanced body and mind. Spinal Reflexology has also proven to be very effective with clearing of emotional issues.
Many people come to reflexologists complaining of discomfort or pain in their legs, thinking that they have pulled or strained a muscle and are surprised to learn that it may well be a back problem which is causing referred pain. Most of us have either had sciatica or understand the idea that it is something to do with the back, not a pulled muscle in the buttock. With a herniated disc, for example, this pain can travel right the way down the back of the leg and originates from the bulging disc irritating the sciatic nerve. The same is true of other nerves: there are nerves all over the body and depending on which one is being irritated will depend on the area you will feel this referred pain.
Referred Pain is where pain is felt at some distance from its cause and occurs because some parts of the body are served by the same nerve roots. Nerve impulses that reach the brain from one area may be misinterpreted as coming from another.
Examples of Referred Pain:
Heart Attack – pain is often felt in the neck, shoulders, hand, and back rather than in the chest, the site of the injury.
“Ice-cream headache” or “brain freeze” where pain is felt in the head when the vagus nerve is cooled by cold inside the throat.
Phantom limb pain is the sensation of pain from a limb that has been lost or from which a person no longer receives physical signals. It is an experience almost universally reported by amputees and quadriplegics.
