Hand Reflexology

Based on the same principles and techniques as foot reflexology, hand reflexology offers a uniquely relaxing and therapeutic experience on an area of the body that is often woefully overlooked during a typical massage. The same reflexes and zones that are present on the feet can also be found on the hands. So, if you’re someone who works extensively with their hands for a living, is experiencing some form of hand related pain, or simply prefers to have their hands worked on as opposed to their feet, hand reflexology might be a great alternative.

Much like the feet, the hands are comprised of many smaller intrinsic muscles, blood vessels, and nerve endings. It’s these hundreds of nerve endings that line the feet and hands which when stimulated, relax the body in a way that only reflexology can. The nerves that innervate that arms and hands originate in the cervical spine. And while traditional foot reflexology has an effect on the entire body, working on the hands tends to have a particular effect on the head, neck and shoulders. So those suffering from issues related to these areas of the body, hand reflexology might offer a better fit.

Each hand consists of 27 bones. There are 14 phalanges (bones found in the fingers), 3 in each finger except for the thumb which only contain 2. There are 5 metacarpal bones which form the middle part of the hand. And there are 8 carpal bones, formed by two rows of 4, which create the wrist. All told, the hands contain about a fourth of all the bones found in the human body. In addition to this, each hand contains 34 muscles, 29 joints, 3 major nerves, and hundreds of ligaments, blood vessels, and individual nerve endings.

The hands are truly a marvel unto themselves. When we think of all the things our hands do for us, it’s quite remarkable how often they’re overlooked in the therapeutic setting. Hand reflexology is a great way of addressing tension and imbalances held within the body through the stimulation of the same reflexes found on the feet.

Reflexology, whether done on the hands or feet, is a safe, non-invasive form of bodywork which uses the application of pressure to reflexes (points found on the feet and hands) that correlate to different areas of the body. In addition, when the autonomic branch of the nervous system is stimulated through the reflexes, it switches from the sympathetic response (the one that regulates fight or flight) to the parasympathetic response (the one that regulates rest & digest), so the body can finally achieve equilibrium and begin to heal.