Back pain affects most people at some point in their lives. Back pain is most commonly felt around the lower back area and the cause is often difficult to pinpoint. There are a whole host of things that can lead to back pain such as injury, muscle strain, spasms, disc problems, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylosis, scoliosis, sciatica, and congenital factors can also play a part.

Back pain can also be due to referred pain caused by problems with the pancreas, kidneys, uterus, or stomach. Back pain is certainly on the increase as many people find themselves working in jobs where they have to sit at computers for extended hours day after day and bad posture and lack of movement can all exacerbate the problem.

In the event of any undiagnosed pain your first port of call should be to see a GP to obtain a diagnosis. However, if conventional medicine is not providing the relief you need, or you would prefer to find a drug free alternative, then reflexology may well be able to help. Of course everyone responds differently to reflexology, and no promises can be made, but reflexology has been shown to be effective for back pain.

So, how can reflexology help ease back pain?

·         Reflexology is renowned for its ability to reduce stress and its ability to increase emotional wellbeing. Chronic back pain undoubtedly causes stress which can exacerbate people’s perception of pain and by reducing stress reflexology can reduce the symptoms of back ache and back pain.

·         Reflexology also boosts the circulation and the immune system, both of which assists the healing process and helps to speed up recovery.

·         Reflexology has also been shown to be effective at helping to reduce inflammation which can help relieve pain.

·         Reflexology stimulates the release of endorphins – the body’s own natural pain killer.

When a client comes to Calma Reflexology suffering with back pain we take a full medical and lifestyle history for the client as it is important to remember that reflexology is a holistic therapy and as such treats the person as a whole rather than focusing on a set of symptoms. Your reflexologist will then work over all the reflexes of both feet to identify any out of balance areas and also pay attention to the direct reflex - in this case the spine - to identify areas requiring particular attention. After the first session a tailored treatment plan would be agreed with the client to meet their individual needs. With a chronic condition Calma Reflexology may recommend a course of treatment, but as every case is different we assess and review the clients’ requirements at each session.

In addition to the reflexology treatment itself Calma Reflexology provides their clients with aftercare advice to help deal with back pain in between reflexology sessions. For example, we will show clients how to use hand reflexology to help boost the effects of reflexology.

If you have back pain, why not make an appointment with Calma Reflexology for a reflexology treatment and find out if reflexology can help ease your back pain and provide some relief for you?

Reflexologists do not claim to diagnose or cure and reflexology is not intended as a substitute for conventional medicine. If you are suffering from undiagnosed pain please refer to your GP before making an appointment with a complementary therapist.