Whether you call it a muscle spasm, a charley horse or a muscle cramp – it hurts! A muscle spasm can wake you in the middle of the night, interrupt a tennis game, reward you after a long run, or surprise you in the middle of a foot reflexology session.

When a muscle engages, i.e. contracts, it shortens. A spasm is an involuntary static state of contracture in a muscle; ie. a muscle that will not willfully relax.

Muscles spasm when the normal balance of potassium and sodium (electrolytes) in the muscle cells is disturbed for a longer period of time than the muscles can withstand.

There are a number of things that can contribute to an imbalance of these electrolytes:

1. Dehydration, from inadequate fluid intake or excessive sweating.

2. Vigorous exercise, especially when stretching before and afterwards does not occur.

3. Potassium and/or calcium deficiency.

So why does a cramp occur during a foot reflexology session?

Muscles that have been overly taut for a period of time, such as those of the lower leg or sole of the foot, tend to relax during a reflexology session. That sets up a disruption of the electrolyte balance, causing the muscle to cramp.

If this happens when you are giving a session, don’t panic. The solution is simple. To relax any muscle in the body, you actively engage the antagonistic (opposing) muscle, which will increase circulation to the affected muscle and allow it to lengthen and relax.

If someone on my table cramps up, I immediately place the palm of my hand on the dorsal side of their foot and ask them to strongly pull their foot towards their face (dorsi-flex). At the same time my hand resists their motion, attempting to pull their foot towards my face (plantar-flex). This combined action engages the foot flexor muscles and lengthens the extensor and intrinsic foot muscles. The hold is held for a couple of seconds and then both the client and I relax our efforts. We immediately do it again, and continue to repeat the sequence of engagement and relaxation until the cramping stops (usually three to eight repetitions).

An acupressure method can be added to the stretch protocol above. While performing the movements described, ask your client to apply pressure with her index finger between her lip and nose, two-thirds of the way up. She holds that point firmly until the cramp subsides.

Adequate hydration, regular foot reflexology, massage of the muscles prone to cramping, a diet high in potassium and calcium, and daily stretching can prevent the re-occurrence of muscle cramps.

That’s what past students in the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification program named these fun and hugely successful creations of theirs.

Reflexology Rugs are short “run-ways” that bare-footed (or socked) clients walk before a foot reflexology session. Easily constructed with items of varying textures, they provide a stimulating sensory experience to prepare the body for focused reflexology care.

Here’s how they’re made and what they look like when completed:

1. Purchase heavy-duty canvas about 18” wide and as long as you care to make your “run-way”. My students chose 6 feet. (Marine stores cover a wide selection of colors and thicknesses.)

2. Scour the dollar stores, toy stores, craft stores and landscaping nurseries to pick up various appliqués. Use your imagination! Some items you might consider: colored marbles (flat on one side for gluing, rounded on the other for walking), flat river rocks (no sharp points!), packing materials, ropes, pot & pan “scrubbies”, rug scraps. Choose a variety of textures including soft, firm and scratchy. Awaken those senses!

3. Purchase a reliable adhesive. We used Weldbond Universal Adhesive that I purchase from monstermosaics.com. Weldbond is non-toxic, free of fumes and cleans up fast. It’s a wonderful, reasonably priced craft glue that dispenses easily and dries clear and fast. (You can find it in some hardware stores, as well.)

4. Lay out your appliqués in some sort of creative design. Start and end with softer surfaces. Test it out before gluing. Walking the mat should feel invigorating and stimulating, not painful.

My students laid out their reflexology rugs so as to lead their clients directly to their massage table. It was beautiful to see! Clients removed their shoes upon entering the clinic room and walked barefoot to a tub of warm water infused with pure botanical oils in which to enjoy a luxurious soak before their reflexology session. Guests really appreciated and enjoyed their own individual “red carpet” and the clinic looked so special.

Have you ever made a Reflexology Rug? If you have, please share with us what items and textures you used.

I heard from two recent graduates of the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification this month. Both honored the entrance of new family members in a unique way.

Within a couple of hours of her debut, Brian celebrated the arrival of his first grandchild by giving his pride and joy her first reflexology session. “Grandma” came by to show me pictures and report how Brian gave his new granddaughter a blow-by-blow verbal explanation of reflexology as he lovingly touched her precious little feet. (He also promised her a position in his newly-opened clinic should she care to follow in her grandpa’s footsteps!)

Earlier this month I heard from Katy, who had been blessed by the smooth and easy birth of  her sweet healthy daughter five days earlier. Katy discovered she was pregnant when she was in her reflexology training earlier this year; with her belly growing monthly in front of my eyes, I almost feel that I know this little cherub already. How lucky for Raya Luna to have indirectly received reflexology sessions throughout her entire development in her mother’s womb. Within the first days following her entry Raya Luna received two reflexology sessions from her proud and happy mom.

I built my reflexology practice in Canada years ago working with pregnant women. The above stories remind me of the powerful benefits that reflexology can offer pregnant women, babies as they are developing within the womb and newly arrived little ones.

I remember watching little feet and hands kicking against a mother’s abdomen as a reflexology session would begin, and then to see the activity stop as the little one felt the effects of the work calm them. I remember how much easier the pregnancies and deliveries were for the moms and how much more relaxed the babies were once here.

I’ve often read that the process of being born is one of the most traumatic events that humans experience – how fortunate, following a baby’s successful journey into this world, to be able to ease the transition, to smooth out the “edges” with reflexology.

In the September issue of Reflexology World I read how a reflexologist responded to the shocking observation of her right arm involuntarily floating out in front of her body, with no feeling in it whatsoever.

The inspiring story of her level-headed, informed responses to this scary event reminded me of the time when I was faced with a woman falling into adrenal shock right before my eyes.

Three specific actions helped stabilize both these women so that they lived to tell their stories.

The slight tingle in her face, coupled with the “floating” arm, immediately warned the first woman that she might be having a stroke. Her first course of action: take a couple of long deep breaths to move herself away from a sense of panic and fear.  The seconds she stole to do that effectively shifted her traumatized nervous system towards the healing parasympathetic state. In addition, deep breathing sent oxygen to her brain that allowed her to perform the second important action: think.

She quickly assessed that a right-sided stroke indicates left brain damage and immediately began to vigorously work the reflexes to the left side of her brain. She worked the points intermittently until she felt her right arm jerk. She continued to use reflexology, massage and exercise all morning and over the next four days until normalcy returned.

Her doctor confirmed her symptoms to indicate a Transient Ischemic Attack, even though carotid artery and heart scans and a brain MRI showed no sign of a TIA!

Years ago I noticed a usually attentive student turn away and curl up on her massage table as I was giving a demo on another table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this woman shaking and wrapping herself in a blanket. I called over as to how she was. She didn’t respond. I went immediately to her side and saw that she was perspiring, shaking, rolling her eyes back into her head and unresponsive to my queries.

Recognizing immediately that something serious was occurring I first instructed myself to take a few breaths and think. I instructed her also to focus on her breathing. I then asked someone else in the room to call for emergency medical help as I grabbed both her feet and started applying deep pressure alternately between her solar plexus points and pituitary gland reflexes.

Once at the hospital, I continued to work those reflexes without stop while we waited for medical assistance. Slowly, she began to relax, was able to communicate intelligently again and regained normal body temperature. By the time doctors were in attendance her symptoms had almost disappeared. Their examination and interview confirmed what I suspected: adrenal shock.

I share both these stories to underlie the importance of these points:

1. In an emergency, first focus on breathing. Breathing will abort a panic attack and send much-needed oxygen to the brain. You must think quickly and clearly in situations like this. Someone’s life (maybe your own) may depend on it.

2. The power of reflexology when applied immediately in medical emergencies is not to be scoffed at. (There are many more success stories such as these two.) In no way, do I mean that reflexology is a substitute for medical attention. Call for help and then do your best to relax the scared and traumatized individual as you wait for an emergency team to arrive.

Remember: breathe, think and act calmly.

Have you ever used reflexology successfully in an emergency situation?