Foot abuse, we’re all guilty of it BUT do you know how vital feet are to the whole body’s wellbeing?  Leading UK podiatrist, the London Nail Clinic’s Martine Abrahams explains

What’s the big deal with feet, you might ask? Well, the body is a finely tuned organism with each component joined to the next, all keeping in close communication via the nervous system.

The most vital part of this delivery structure is the connective tissue, which acts as a type of rigging, keeping messages flowing from one part of the body to another.  These tissue groups are known as ‘meridian’ or ‘fascial’ lines. (Wikipedia.  Connective tissue: biological tissue that supports, connects, or separates different types of tissues and organs of the body.)

Interestingly, all groups of meridian lines start or end at the bottom of the foot.  Any imbalance of any of the body’s muscle groups can put the whole line out of sorts e.g., if the hamstring is tight, then symptoms might be felt in the calf, back of knees, back, neck – and, you might not realise it, but also the feet!

Any tension release along a compromised meridian line can help relieve symptoms in other parts – the domino effect. As the bottom of the foot contains a high concentration of nerve endings, it is the most straightforward area to tackle, and you don’t really need a specialist therapist to help.

Gently rolling a golf ball under your feet can go a long way in relieving all sorts of body wide aches and pains.

Make sure you use your own body as a guide – a pain scale from 1 – 10 can be useful, (where a score of 1 is no pain and a score of 10 is the worst pain you could describe).  Do not roll the ball to a pain level of 8 or above as this can have a negative effect on the body.

Let’s put an end to foot abuse, our feet deserve better!