Self-massages And Therapies To Combat Pain In The Legs And Feet

To stimulate the circulation of the legs before the massage, we can take a shower and direct a jet of cold water, in an upward direction, for one or two minutes

Most people tend to spend too many hours sitting or standing depending on their jobs and routines. So at the end of the day you may feel heaviness or pain in your legs and feet. In this article we explain how you can alleviate these discomforts with some tips and a simple self-massage.

Steps prior to massage

Before performing a massage to relieve pain, we must take into account the following steps:

• The right moment.  It should be at a time when we have enough time and can do it without haste. One of the best moments is at night, just before going to bed.
• The right place.  We will try to perform the massage without distractions. In a room in which we are calm and at ease, and in which we cannot be interrupted.

• We will need a creamy or oily product that takes a while to dry or absorb, to move the fingers with ease. The most suitable are those of almonds, coconut or sesame.

If we add a few drops of arnica and rosemary essential oil to the oil, we will enhance the benefits to eliminate pain more easily. We can also use a moisturizer. Although it will possibly dry more easily and we will have to reapply it after a short time.

We will avoid gels or lotions that contain alcohol and those that evaporate too quickly.

Gentle stimulation

The massage always has to start softly and gradually increase the intensity according to how we feel that the body is asking us.

We will anoint our hands with the oil. We will rub them a little to warm them up and begin by massaging the feet. We will use both thumbs all over the sole of the foot, the upper part, the ankle and the lower part of the calves.

We will make small circles with the fingers, but without exerting too much pressure.

More intense stimulation

The second part of the massage will be in the same area. But in this case we will apply more pressure with the fingers, so that at some points we can feel discomfort or pain.

We will insist more on the entire inner edge of the foot, which corresponds to the back (the closer to the toes, the higher the back).

Leg massage

For the simple self-massage of the legs and calves, we will also start from the bottom and work our way up, since doing it in this direction improves circulation .

If necessary, we will again rub our hands in oil and rub them a little together to make them warm.

We will start at the ankle and work our way up to the groin, making circles with the fingers or knuckles.

Next, we will repeat the tour but we will do it with clenched fists.  Exerting more pressure, and in straight movements towards the groin.

We will do it in all parts of the leg.

Boost the effects with cold water

If our problem is heaviness and fluid retention, we can enhance the effects of this massage if we previously shower with cold water. If it costs us too much we can apply the water only on the legs, in an ascending way.

Right afterwards we will dry ourselves and apply the oils to perform the self-massage.

A weekly exfoliation

Another way to get more out of this massage is to perform an exfoliation once a week to remove dead skin cells. And incidentally  improve circulation and relieve pain more effectively.

While we are in the cold water shower, we will use fine or coarse sea salt, according to our preference, to massage our legs with it.

Next, we will rinse ourselves with water and follow the previous steps.

The inverted posture

If after this massage we lie down with our legs up, vertically, we will help improve circulation and general relaxation. In addition, it is a very suitable posture to facilitate night rest.

The lower part of the back must be resting on the ground, and our body must create a completely right angle. We can stay up to half an hour in this position.

In closing, I hope you find these massages useful. The ideal is to incorporate them into your routine and thus alleviate the disadvantages of spending long hours sitting in the office. So, try them all and stick with the ones that work best for you.