Reflex posturology - foot to body

Reflex posturology - foot to body

Walking reflex = Right arm to left leg. Left arm to right leg.

Therefore muscle reflexes involved in walking will be on the opposite foot to the body part. Reflexes of the spine are located along the first metatarsal arch with the reflexes of the head and neck located on the big toe.
To locate corresponding reflexes visualize [not actually] turning the foot so that it lines up with the opposite side of the body. The dorsal surface will correspond to the anterior of the body and the Plantar will correspond to the posterior of the body. The lateral foot will correspond to the lateral body. The little toe will correspond to the arm.

Do a body scan using the feet.

Hold a heel in the palm of each hand [client supine] and palpate with the thumb. The tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal will be the reflex point for the inferior edge of the ribs on the opposite side.

Why? The lateral bend of the spine being held by the abdominal obliques is compensated by the eversion of the foot. [peroneal muscles] You may find a counter tension of the Plantar flexors by palpation with the fingers of the other hand. Why? The correction of the center of gravity being shifted over that foot starts with the Supination of that foot and elevation of the arch.

The correction from the pelvis is mostly with the quadratus lumborum and erectors of the spine. Tenderness along the medial edge of the longitudinal arch will indicate the level of vertebral stress. Most reflexology charts show the spine superimposed on the medial border of the foot.

At this point I like to place the legs on a body ball so that the knees and hips are at right angles. In this position the outer layer of antalgic posture can start to unwind. By rocking from side to side on the ball the muscles from the thighs to the pelvis and pelvis to ribs and spine can be refreshed by contracting and relaxing under a light load. This will reduce the reflex load on the leg and foot for later treatment.

Upper body scan

The upper body is reflexed in the fore foot. As mentioned at the outset the big toe corarsponds to the head, The distal joint corresponds to the upper cervicals and the proximal joint to the lower cervicals. Therefore the position of tenderness and stiffness will give clues as to were cervical work is needed.

The second toe in my experience reflexes with the clavicle. Tension on the dorsal of the foot as reflexes of anterior cervical and pectoral muscles. Tenderness in the planter pads reflexes of the posterior cervicals and shoulder blade muscles. A tender point along the edge of the pad at the base of the toes will usually have a corresponding trigger point in the upper trapezius. With the feet on the ball, as mentioned before, both the tender reflex point and the trigger point can be held just below the pain threshold until they are canceled.

Next the little toe. It will correspond to the arm on the opposite side. The last SRT class I participated in one classmate related how when an advanced therapist worked on her little toe her rotator cuff problem went away. This is important work because many have distorted the reflexes of the little toe by the shoes they have worn which in turn has exaggerated the balance reflexes of the arm.

There is a soft area just lateral to the extensor tendon of the little toe that seems to correspond to the abdominals. I need to explore this more.

There is a lot more to learn about the reflexes of the planter foot muscles and their reflex action with the back muscles. Note correspondences and share them in the comments section.