Today’s post is about all of the different things you may feel when you are giving reflexology. I discuss what is ‘normal’ and what you should call the doctor about. These are the three most common things I feel when providing baby reflexology, toddler reflexology or reflexology on children.
First of all, it is quite common with babies who aren’t walking yet, for us to not feel much in their feet. Babies still have their perfect little feet so you may not feel anything, or may just feel a little ‘crunch’ on a specific area. Once a child is walking, they may get a few more areas of tension that you may feel.
Remember that reflexology isn’t an exact science. How we walk, our posture, how long we have been on our feet may all impact on what you are feeling on a foot. Our feet are made up of fascia, bones, nerves and muscles which you may be feeling too.
The most important thing when you are giving reflexology to a little one is to be super gentle. Reflexology is not meant to hurt anyone.
Even if you can’t feel anything – the reflexology is still beneficial, so please don’t worry.
What you may feel and how to work it
- Crunchiness/Crunching or a little Pop (like bubble wrap)
You may feel like there is a small crunch when you’re massaging your baby’s feet. Some people describe it like feeling grains of sand, or little crystals underneath the skin that crunch when you massage the area.
If you feel crunchiness, make sure you aren’t massaging the area too firmly. Your pressure only needs to be gentle, but even with gentle massage you may feel a crunch.
I interpret ‘crunch’ as two things, and it depends where it is. If you are feeling a crunch along the whole of the arch of the foot it is likely this is tension in the fascia of the foot because it will go over too many reflex points. However, if I feel a crunch in a specific area, such as the shoulder reflex, I interpret this as shoulder tension.
How I work a Crunchy area: Massage it gently. Massage in lots of different directions (such as side to side, circular massage movements, up and down). Sometimes you will feel that the crunch lessens, or disappears. Don’t worry if it doesn’t disappear, just working that area will have benefit in reducing tension in the foot. I would usually work a crunchy area for a minute or so. - Hot or cold area on the foot
If you notice a specific area is a different temperature to the rest of the foot it will be helpful to know if it is a reflex area or not. You can check that out on my footmap. For example – is the top of the toe cold but the rest of the toe warm. Or perhaps you noticed the outside of the heels are hot but the rest of the foot isn’t as warm.
How I work a cold area: gently hold the area for 30 or so seconds. And then in a clockwise motion gently massage the area for another 15 or so seconds.
How I work a hot area: gently hold the area, but for around 15 seconds. And then very, very gently massage the area in an anti-clockwise motion.
If you are worried about your child’s feet temperature, this is worth mentioning to your GP - Clicks
Sometimes their little ankles and joints can be clicky. It is often nothing to worry about, but if you are noticing discomfort please do speak to your GP.
Is it clicky over a whole reflex area, for example when working the spine reflex, or perhaps you are noticing a click on the top of a toe. I sometimes find it’s a bit like turning a lightswitch on where you can almost feel like it’s clicking on or off.
I also find that clicks on the heel areas are a combination of click and crunches and sometimes these will ease up – these usually correspond to the hips, pelvis and lower back areas.
How I work a clicky area: I will usually really, really gently massage the whole area. Sometimes the clicks will go, but more often than not, they won’t because they are structural.
How to get started with reflexology
The great thing about reflexology for our little ones is that it doesn’t need to be complicated for you. You can get started by downloading the footmap (to see where each area is on the foot). Or if you would like more specific guidance for an issue they are facing, you can check out my video guides. For my video guides you only need 2-3 minutes to give them the exact reflexology I would give them if they were in my clinic.
Frequently Asked Questions
It really depends what you feel – if it is not something I have listed in this blog and you are worried please do speak to a medical professional to get it checked out!
Honestly, sometimes not much. Sometimes I may feel a little popping or crunching (and it’s usually in specific areas on the foot – check out my other blog for details about that). You can check out this blog for the other things I may feel too, including different temperatures or clicking. But a crunchy, granular feel is often the most common.
It should really only be gentle. For newborns you should aim for a really gentle stroke. Try and imagine stroking a rose petal or butterfly wing. As a child gets a bit older you can apply a little more pressure but it should never hurt them. It should not bruise them or leave a big red mark for more than 30 seconds after you’ve taken the pressure off. Gentle is best (you don’t need to apply loads of pressure for reflexology to work).
Yes! You can use it for any age, including newborns!
Yes absolutely, toddlers and preschoolers get a lot out of reflexology and you will be surprised that they sit still for long enough for you to give them reflexology!
You can, but it just isn’t the same as someone else giving it to you – also as adults we are often more ‘complex’ than our little ones so I would recommend going to an AOR registered reflexologist.
Crunchy feeling can feel a bit like sand is under the skin or popping bubble wrap. You may feel temperature differences to specific areas. Or clicking. Those are the most common things I feel when I give reflexology. Please check out this post for more details and how I would work with them.