The Reflex Areas for Hands and

Feet

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Module 5 The reflex areas for hands and feet

In this module the learner will discover how to map the areas of the
feet and hands for a reflexology treatment. They will be able to study
the maps to see where the reflex zones are within the hands and the
feet.

The learner will:

 Be able to understand the reflexology zones and areas are on the

foot and the hand

 Have an ability to map the foot and hand to give a reflexology

treatment

If you look at your hands or your feet what do you see? Hands and feet
no doubt.

Now ask a reflexologist what they see, and they will tell you that they
see all the parts and organs of the body. This module is going to teach
you how to read the hands and feet as a reflexologist does and to
understand where the reflex points are.

Beginning with the feet; - there is a right foot and a left foot, a
dorsal view and a plantar view.

Sit on a chair and place your bare feet flat on the ground. Looking at
the feet from this angle you are looking at the dorsal view or the top of
your feet. There are numerous reflex points in this area of the foot and
each one has a name, a position and a reflex point.

The underneath of the foot is called the plantar view. This part of the
foot contains most of the reflex points, however there are points all over

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the feet and the hands.

Each area on the foot or the hand represents its corresponding area
within the body. For instance, the big toe is representing the head.
Within the big toe you will discover a lot of reflex points. Some are
difficult to reach as they are small therefore it is almost impossible to
work on only that point. When this happens, the reflexologist will work
the area around and including the point.

Reflexology is a holistic therapy and holistic means whole. Therefore,

when a client chooses to have a reflexology treatment they are not
receiving just pain relief for a painful knee or treatment which will
help to control an upset stomach, when they have a reflexology
treatment they are receiving so much more.

Imagine a client has persistent backache. The reflexologist looks at this

one problem and devises a plan of how they can help to control the back
pain. Within this plan they know that they have to control other areas
too for instance:

1. The treatment begins by calming and relaxing the client. If the

client is calmer and more relaxed they are going to loosen their
tight muscles and reduce tension.

2. The client discusses their problems or issues with their therapist

which helps to relieve some of the burden of having the

problems. By talking to someone else the problem seems less
severe.

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 3. The therapist works the whole foot to begin with to loosen

muscles and also releases many of the hormones which are

associated with happiness and a good sense of wellbeing.

4. The therapist works on the areas of the foot which correspond to the

problems within the clients back. They also work the adrenal
glands, the head reflex points, the spine reflex area and the neck. All
these areas reduce tension and release some of the pain within the
back.

5. The client leaves feeling relaxed, calm, happier, confident that the

treatment they have received will help and hopefully in less pain.

It isn’t easy to read a reflexology chart but the more you practice it the
easier it will become. You will also see many images of charts on the
internet or in books which will concern you as they differ a lot. Many of
them are the same but you just have to use your training and practice
and you will instantly know where on the foot the points are no matter
what size the foot it.

It is easier to work on a foot where the toes are flatter and the foot is
larger. Toes that are curled under make it difficult for you to work the
sinus reflexes, however, if the toes are straight it is easy to work them.

As you work on many different feet you will notice how they do differ.
Some toes are larger than others, some people have crossed over toes,
bunions, no nails, hard skin, high arches, low arches, flat feet, the list is
endless. This is what makes it interesting, you will never feel that the job
is monotonous!

Take time to study the maps and work out where areas are. Practice on
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your own feet to begin with as you will get used to handling a foot. This
way you can adjust the amount of pressure that you feel is needed
especially in certain areas that are more sensitive than others.

As you work on your feet, use the thumb walking technique to discover
areas of your foot which seem painful, give you discomfort or don’t feel
pleasant. Then look at the maps and find which area it is. Do not be
alarmed! If you feel a tenderness within the kidney for instance, this
doesn’t mean that you have something sinister, it could mean that you
have not drank enough water, are on a period if you are female, had too
much alcohol the night before or that you are just applying a little too
much pressure to a sensitive area.

Also you need to feel for crystals. Different therapists have explained the
feeling that they get when they touch the area that needs attention, some
say that:

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It feels like grains of sand under the skin It feels like rice under the skin

I can feel tiny little bubbles that need to be popped It feels like bubble
wrap Or It feels like the stuffing from a beanbag.

Whatever you think it feels like, you will know when you have found an
area where there is a problem that needs to be worked at.

As you practice your techniques you need to work on as many people as

possible and you will have many volunteers. The more problems a
person has the better it is for you. Ask them what their illness or problem
is and see if you can feel this on their foot or hand. The feet are so much
more sensitive to the treatment and you will discover more areas or that
it is easier to find them by working on the foot.

Take a look at the maps and study them intensively. When you feel
confident enough to progress to working on feet or hands, work each
section at a time as this will not seem too overwhelming.

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 Try not to work the whole
foot or hand in one session
as this will either confuse
you or cause you to lose
confidence. Work on an
area and as soon as you
feel that you have
understood it, go onto
another one. Take it step
by step and when you are
working on others, ask
them to give you feedback
at all times.

You will need to have as

much communication as
possible as this helps you
to understand.

Keep a notebook and pen next to you so that you can record all of your
findings and comments that your volunteers have made. This helps you
to build a picture of the person and also gives you more confidence in
understanding where to work on a person for a specific ailment or
condition.

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This is the right plantar view of the foot.

The right foot has some areas which do not contain the same reflex
points as the left foot and vice versa. Some reflex points join with others
such as the bottom of the colon is the Ileocecal valve. The kidney and
stomach reflexes are close together so don’t put too much pressure
when working on either of these reflex points in case one of them is
extra sensitive.

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This is the left plantar view of the foot

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The right plantar foot contains similar reflex points as the left foot
but some areas are larger, others are smaller.

The dorsal view of both feet

You can work on the top or dorsal side of the feet in the same way
as you do the underneath or plantar view. As you can see, there
are areas on both sides which correspond to areas within the body.
There may be some clients who will not want you to touch the
underneath of their feet as they are extremely ticklish. This does
make the job harder for the therapist but it doesn’t mean that you
cannot give a treatment at all. There will be areas which you are

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 not able to work on and in this case you would be better off
working on the client’s hands instead.

Dorsal view of the hands

This is a view of the reflexology points on the top or dorsal view of

the hands. If you are unable to work on a person’s feet for whatever

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reason you can still give them reflexology on their hands. Some
people say that it is not as beneficial as working on the feet whereas
others say that they receive a better treatment by working on the
hands. If a client only has one foot or some of their toes are missing
from their feet, then you can incorporate both hand and foot
reflexology. Discuss this with your client and work out a plan
which is best suited to both of you.

The palmer view of the hands

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As with foot reflexology, the underneath or palmer side contains a
lot more reflex points than the dorsal side. It is more difficult to
work on a person’s hands than it is their feet as the areas are much
smaller. However, this doesn’t mean that it is impossible to do so.
The larger the client’s hands the easier it is to work on them. Take
small movement when working on the hands and try to include
all the reflex points that are required for the treatment.

Practice this on your own hands many times before you work on a
client. As with the feet, make notes of anything that you feel within
the reflex points and also if you experience any pain or discomfort.
If you do, check the hand map to see which area this is connected
to.

It may look a little overwhelming at the moment seeing all the

different areas on the feet which need to be worked on but as you
practice this will become easy for you.

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