I am a great fan of using a ball to massage the sole of my feet. Luckily enough, I work from home so I can use my foot massage ball while working every morning. It sits nicely on my desk, smiling at me:
I started using a massage ball years back, following my physiotherapist recommendations. I had very tensed feet leading to soreness when walking.
The first few times the foot ball massage did not last long... my feet had so many knots, it felt quite unpleasant and yet so good at the same time. This kind of painful pleasure we often experience when releasing knotted muscles.
After some days using it several times daily, I could enjoy a longer massage and my feet started feeling soft and happy again.
You can start the massage with a tennis ball that is quite soft and then move on to a cork (like the one I am using). Or you can go straight for the cork foot massage ball applying less pressure at the beginning.
The main benefits of foot massages are:
- Gain mobility in the foot: we spend way too much time wearing tight shoes that restrict our feet. It is highly recommended to look for comfortable and anatomical shoes too.
- Find your center, gain balance: our feet are the base of our body and the foundation for movement; it is important to have strong foundations (like any construction). By performing foot massages you activate your feet, let them feel and be alive. It is very important to spend time walking barefoot at home and outside (where possible). Yoga put a lot of emphasis on the feet. When standing in mountain pose, you start by feeling your feet, spreading the sole and toes wide on the floor.
- Remove knots in the foot: it releases knots by massaging and loosening them up.This is usually followed by a deep relaxation feeling.
- Prevent feet problems: massaging your feet allows to loosen up your plantar fibrous tissue. This in turn allows to prevent knots and inflammations of foot.
- Help treat certain foot conditions: GPs or physiotherapists might recommend to use foot massage balls in order to help heal certain conditions or as a rehabilitation tool after an injury.
- Improve blood circulation in the lower extremities.
Quick Foot Massage Instructions:
Please note that you should not be experiencing any pain when performing a foot massage. If you do, please reach out to a doctor for medical advice.
- Roll the ball from heel to toes for a couple of minutes (or less if it is unpleasant at first).
- Arch of foot: roll from side to side for a couple of minutes trying to reach as fas as possible on each side by tilting your foot to the side.
- Ball of foot: roll from side to side for a couple of minutes trying to reach as fas as possible on each side by tilting your foot to the side.
- Then roll the ball freely looking for knots and spend time rolling the ball on these unpleasant points.
You can also use these balls to massage other parts of the body either lying down with the ball between you and the floor or against the wall. The most common uses are: massage ball for back pain, massage ball for sciatica, massage fall for shoulder and massage ball for neck.
View our cork foot massage balls here for more information or to buy one online.
