Reflexology and its effects on The Nervous System/Phantom Pain
The Nervous System
The nervous system could be classed as our electrical system and is most definitely the most complex system within the body. It would not be possible for body organs to function without a nerve supply to them as all bodily functions are a result of messages being sent back and forth along neural pathways. Although the nervous system is split into three parts, reflexology in the main affects the autonomic system the nerve impulses are initiated by pressure on the various foot reflexes.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling the involuntary action of all internal organs, muscles and glands. The two parts to this system namely the parasympathetic and sympathetic have opposing effects on the body. Although they both send out weak impulses to the organs and glands in order to maintain normal activity, this changes when the body becomes 'under attack' from stressful situations and the sympathetic impulses become stronger causing the organs and glands to react to the situation. When the stress has passed, the parasympathetic system takes over normal body functions are resumed.
Reflexology works by stimulating the various reflex areas of the feet which has an effect on internal organs. A reflex is an involuntary response to a stimulus and can only occur as a result of that stimulus. i.e. the pupil of the eye reacting to light. With reflexology the stimulus is provided when pressure is applied to the various foot reflexes and this in turn sends an electrochemical nerve impulse to the CNS via a sensory neuron. A ganglion receives the message and transmits this via a motor neuron which causes a response.
As the neural pathways are living tissue and also act as electrical channels they can be affected by many factors. If the pathways are impaired, then nerve function will be affected and the messages will be delivered slower and will become unreliable which will result in the body not functioning at optimum level. By stimulating the nerve endings in the feet, reflexology aids the opening and clearing of neural pathways.
With a clearer understanding of the process, it starts to become apparent how pain can be controlled by reflexology. As chemical changes take place within the body during a treatment, endorphins are released into the body which act as natural pain killers. Endorphins are so powerful that they can inhibit the transmission of pain signals through the spinal cord. When pain signals travel along the nerve pathways to the spinal cord, they trigger a complicated reflex action. The impulse is relayed from the spinal cord to the thalamus where pain is recognised. This impulse is then forwarded
to the cerebral cortex which locates and recognises the intensity of the pain. The brain then sends signals down the spinal cord to release endorphins. Unfortunately the nervous system is limited to the amount of sensory information it can respond to and this can cause the system to become overloaded causing short circuits and a reduction in the amount of information available for processing. By applying reflexology, the brain is encouraged to produce more endorphins and the constantpressure starts to confuse the body. By experiencing too many sensations the body closes the pain gates which eases the pain and helps the client to relax.
Within my own treatments I have found through working with a below knee amputee phantom limb pain can be significantly reduced and possibly in time, eradicated. Phantom limb pain is a sensation experienced by most amputees. Mostly this is short lived and disappears 18 months to 2 years after the amputation but for many, severe pain becomes a way of life. Sensation can range from just the feeling of still having the limb to tingling, severe sharp stabbing or crushing pain. Medication is usually the most common path but by adopting a more holistic approach, keeping the stump warm, massaging to increase the circulation, meditation and self hypnosis can be comforting.
When I initially started treating an amputee it was my intention to treat the remaining right foot and the left hand. However, upon talking to my client, he informed me that he could still feel the missing limb which made me wonder if with his help I could map out the foot and treat the stump accordingly. Although there are several different reasons for phantom limb pain, I was aware from my client that his pain was most probably associated to damaged nerve endings as he suffered from erroneous nerve regrowth which resulted in a very painful discharge of neurons within the stump. Having researched this, it seemed possible that the amputation had altered the way in which the nerves in the amputated limb connected to the neurons within the spinal
cord. There was also evidence that nervous activity within the brain was altered as a result of the loss of sensory input from the amputated limb.
There have been some trials using reflexology for treating patients with lower limb amputations and associated pain. Although performed on a small scale using only 10 participants, the project was successful in eradicating or at least reducing the intensity and duration of phantom limb pain.
With my own case study, within two treatments, the pain had decreased on a scale of 1-10 from an all over 8 to between 2 and 5 on other areas of the foot. Also my client informed me that some areas were for the first time in over 20 years completely pain free and the foot felt de-sensitised in the toes. He also had no further heel pain, cramps and reduced spasms since the initial treatment. As following treatments myprogressed, he was less able to help me map out his foot as he could no longer feel certain areas of it. All treatments for this case study are available on my website. (Case study 2 Adam*)
As my client had for many years taken strong pain killers which in his opinion only enhanced the problem I am encouraged on the whole by his body’s response to reflexology.
*Clients name has been changed to protect this identity