Reflexology is a manual healing method in which points on the feet, hands, and/or ears are compressed to alleviate pain and treat medical problems. Although the mechanisms for how reflexology works in the body are not well established, this practice has been relieving pain and other stress-related conditions for decades. As with other CAM therapies, many accredited massage schools offer reflexology courses because this healing modality has brought relief to patients across the globe.
Massage therapists who add reflexology to their repertoire may serve spa clients or anyone looking to relax. This approach is less common in massage careers, so those with reflexology training tend to receive client referrals for their unique skill. Let’s take a look at the history of reflexology, and how it works.
Introducing Reflexology
Ancient healers in Egypt, India, and China worked with energy points in feet and hands to improve health. Egyptian hieroglyphics suggest foot treatments were part of Egyptian society as far back as 2330 BC. The idea of treating illness through massaging the hands was widespread in Europe by the late 1300s.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, healers such as William Fitzgerald and Eunice Ingham developed reflexology as we know it. William Fitzgerald encountered reflex therapy while traveling in the early 1900s. (The term “reflexology” was actually coined by Russian neurologist and psychologist Vladimir Bekhterev in the early 1800s.) In 1913, Fitzgerald introduced his zone therapy to the West. He mapped ten vertical zones in the body where pressure could alleviate pain in corresponding areas.
Twenty years later, Eunice Ingham was working with physiotherapist Dr. Joe Shelby Riley, who had mapped zones on the feet and hands. Ingham realized that the feet were highly sensitive. She developed detailed foot charts, and referred to her therapy as “reflexology,” distinguishing it from zone therapy. Her 1938 book, Stories the Feet Can Tell, popularized reflexology to the general public.
Reflexology Massage Therapy: Basic Practices
During a reflexology session, the therapist applies pressure to parts of the feet, hands, and ears with the intention of improving health in referring organs. Reflexology identifies these areas as microcosms for the whole body. Applying pressure to specific points enables communication with any system in the body. (Shirley, 2023). For instance, if a patient is complaining of urinary problems, the reflexology practitioner might refer to his or her foot map, find the bladder point within the foot’s arch, and apply pressure there.
The foot, hand, and ear charts used in reflexology do not directly correspond with the Meridian lines found in other forms of Eastern medicine. Rather, Reflexology is a unique system.
How Reflexology Works: Biological Mechanisms
Research has not established exactly how Reflexology works in the body. However, as Whatley et. al (2022) conclude, the mechanisms for this and other CAM therapies are likely to be complex, and some combination of:
- Therapeutic touch, environmental cues to relax, and the placebo effect;
- Mechanotransduction, or the conversion of mechanical pressure into biochemical changes, potentially via the body’s matrix of connective tissue; and
- Lymphatic flow changes through mechanotransduction.
Benefits of Reflexology
While the mechanisms of Reflexology have yet to be uncovered, clients often report the following advantages:
–Pain relief (Kandemir, 2022)
–Improved Emotional Well-Being (Malone, 2025)
–Improved sleep (Whatley, 2022)
Researchers have found physiological changes following Reflexology sessions in a variety of circumstances, including:
Patients about to receive a stressful situation (a colonoscopy) experienced reduced anxiety and physiological changes including lowered systolic blood pressure and lowered heart rate (Golitaleb et. al, 2025).
Among Leukemia patients, foot reflexology was found to be helpful for “managing procedural pain and anxiety” (Mehri et. al, 2025).
For more complete research into the benefits of reflexology, we recommend ReflexologyResources.com.
If you’re interested in adding Reflexology to your massage offerings, consider learning about it through massage continuing education courses at East West College.
