Home foot massage: the best techniques

With the return of sunny days, we will soon be able to replace our boots and socks with sandals or better yet, enjoy barefoot walks. So it’s time to take care of the well-being of your feet. But how do you do it yourself? Thanks to professional tips, we give you the techniques and tools essential for an effective foot massage.

The moment we have all been impatiently waiting for finally arrives: the sun, the heat, the lunches on the terrace and the walks in the fresh air. But the rise in temperatures also comes with some drawbacks, one of which is the swelling of the feet. The solution ? A regenerating and soothing practice that releases nervous tension, relaxes muscles and stimulates circulation. Foot massage has innumerable therapeutic virtues. No need to break the bank by going to a professional masseur, you can very well do it yourself and reap all the benefits as long as you have the right techniques. In order to learn the right gestures, we interviewed Antoine Pluvinage, masseur-physiotherapist based in Reichshoffen, Alsace. It gives you the steps for a good complete foot massage to do at home.

Read also: Why and how to make a homemade foot scrub?

Decryption of the feet

Before starting your self-massage, it is important to understand the anatomy of the foot. In order to simplify the explanation of this complex part of the body, filled with nerves, bones and muscles, Mr. Pluvinage gives you a little diagram by dividing the foot into three parts. To do this, he focuses on the bones that should not be neglected: at the front of the foot, the phalanges (the toes) and the plantar pad (the fatty tissue under the soles of the feet); in the middle, the inner and outer arch of the foot as well as the metatarsus, made up of five vertical bones that each extend one toe and connect it to the third part of the foot containing the tarsus, a group of seven bones that are found in the ankle and in the heel.

Preparation: a comfortable installation

The comfort of your positioning is the basis of the effectiveness of the massage. It is indeed essential to feel very relaxed. To do this, remove anything that could hinder the fluidity of your movements (belt, ring, jewelry, etc.), sit on a sofa or an armchair, place one foot on a raised cushion and the other on the thigh of the leg opposite. Once you are comfortable, the massage can begin.

Foot massage: in stages

Massage the plant. Monsieur Pluvinage invites you to start the massage “By sliding the fist of your hand, a massage roller or a tennis ball slowly along the arch to the heel of the first foot”. If you choose the tennis ball instead of the fist, put the ball on the ground and slide it under the soles of your feet. It indicates that this gesture “Will stimulate the venous sole”, improving blood return and reducing swelling in the foot.

The right tools for a foot massage

Unlock the metatarsal bones. According to Antoine Pluvinage, the mobilization of the metatarsal bones is essential to remove any blockages after a long day standing and to stretch the tissues. The actions are simple but effective: start with the extension of the big toe. With one hand, place your index finger below the pad of the foot and your thumb on the metatarsal bone, with the other hand, do the same for the bone next to it. Mobilize them by putting small pressures in the form of back and forth, pushing one bone in one direction and pulling the other towards you. Then you can mobilize the second relative to the third metatarsal bone, and so on.

Mobilize the arch of the toes. Mr. Pluvinage explains that each foot contains three arches: the arch of the toes which crosses the pad of the forefoot (it is the one most supported on the ground), the external arch which binds the heel bone to the most little toe, and the internal arch that connects the heel bone to the big toe. With a tennis ball or your fist, you have already worked the internal and external arches, all you need to do is mobilize the arch of the toes. How to do ? With your foot on the opposite thigh, you can bend the arch converging, increasing the curvature, and then unfolding it the other way, using both hands with both thumbs on the back of the foot and the other fingers on the outer and inner part of the pad.

Mobilize the tarsal bones. After working the forefoot and the middle, you can move on to the tarsal bones which are located in the ankle and heel. Hold the heel firmly with one hand, and the kick with the other. Then, without moving the heel, make rotational movements of the kick, turning it inward and then outward. Expect movement to be limited. Be sure to tighten your holds, says Mr. Pluvinage, in order to mobilize the joints, and not pull the skin superficially.

The joint between the metatarsals and the toes. This joint is located at the pad of the foot. Here are the steps of the massage: block the metatarsals between the thumb and fingers and mobilize the toes, one after the other, forcing them in flexion and then in extension. Reproduce the same movement, using the whole hand, grasping all the toes at the same time. You can also do short toe stretches, pulling each toe with your thumb and forefinger.

To finish: circular movements

Successively alternate movements of the ankle, flexions and extensions of the toes, then draw small circles.

Stair treads: an easy stretch

Place the foot halfway on the step and then pull the heel down to the floor to stretch the calf and soles of the feet for about 30 seconds on each side.

The bathtub: an essential tool

Do good to your feet by using the Scottish shower technique. In your bathtub, “First water your feet with hot water for 45 seconds and then put in the cold for 30 seconds. Repeat this process for 5 to 10 minutes ”, recommends the physiotherapist.

Walking barefoot on small pebbles: a boon for the feet

Take advantage of sunny days and the beach to stimulate the venous sole and blood circulation in the foot by walking on the small pebbles on the beach.

See also: Techniques that work for an anti-cellulite massage

Video by Loïcia Fouillen

Juliette Barlier

Web editor for AuFeminin since January 2021, Juliette comes directly from California and writes on subjects related to culture, astrology, and plants from an angle …