Arthritis can be a very debilitating, annoying and painful problem. It’s often seen as a sign of aging, but it’s really not as straightforward a condition as that. First of all, it is not exclusive to the elderly and it is not a guaranteed symptom of aging. In fact, it is often a problem caused by your environment and lifestyle.
If you don’t take care of your body and stay fit and healthy, you become more vulnerable to arthritis as you age. You can also suffer from the condition after an injury or incident.
In this article we want to see how reflexology can help with the condition of arthritis and how effective it is as a stand-alone treatment or together with other therapies.
What Causes Arthritis!
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints often caused by wear and tear. This is why it is more common in the elderly, but can be found quite often in athletes and people with sedentary careers.
There are many different types of the condition and many ways you can get it, such as through illness, injury, and illness. The main symptoms are pain in the joints, often in the feet and hands.
Now that we have a clearer understanding of arthritis, we are well positioned to see how effective a reflexology treatment for arthritis can be, first as a standalone option and second as a complementary therapy with other treatments such as aromatherapy.
as standalone therapy
Research from the University of Portsmouth has investigated reflexology as a pain reliever. The research looked at how reflexology decreased pain sensations by causing the body to release pain-relieving chemicals.
In the study, they found that the participants had a higher pain threshold and could endure pain for a longer period of time than without the treatment.
This would indicate that reflexology is an effective “pain reliever” and therefore a useful treatment for a condition such as arthritis. Not only can it help with pain relief, but it is also effective in improving sleep, improving circulation, and reducing stress levels. All of this leads to a happier and healthier well-being that would put you in a good position to deal with arthritis more effectively.
As complementary therapy
We know that reflexology can be an effective option for those who suffer from this condition, but could it be even better in combination with other treatments such as aromatherapy?
Without going into too much detail, we would have to argue that it would make sense to use more than one therapy to treat arthritis. Using aromatherapy as a perfect example, the two therapies would go together very well.
Many essential oils used in aromatherapy have anti-inflammatory properties that would obviously be welcome for those suffering from this condition. The use of essential oils during a treatment would also help create a relaxing environment that would put the patient in a calm state of mind and reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
In conclusion, reflexology can be a very useful and effective form of therapy to help with arthritis.
