What is better for me; reflexology or a massage? When asking a question like this, we first have to look at the difference between reflexology and therapeutic reflexology as compared to massage and therapeutic massage. Thereafter we should look into the two different professions.
Reflexology versus Massage
A very quick explanation is that reflexology usually works on the feet while massage is performed on the entire body. Presently reflexology is a word used in the beauty industry to basically refer to a foot massage while massage is a word used to refer to a so-called “relaxation” massage treatment. It should be noted that the words reflexology and massage are presently being used mostly in the beauty and spa industry to refer to non-therapeutic services, however, this is presently being relooked in the country as the National Minister of Health has already indicated that reflexology and aromatherapy belongs under the therapeutic categories and he already approved that it should be regulated under the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA), but at present, it is not finalised yet. So, let’s have a look at the therapeutic version of these professions.
Therapeutic Reflexology versus Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic Reflexology and Therapeutic Massage Therapy are professions that are formally regulated by the AHPCSA. This means that no person is legally allowed to offer these treatments and mention that they do “therapeutic” work if they are not registered with the AHPCSA. The AHPCSA is a statutory council and the only council that can provide legal permission to practice; no other organisation in South Africa has that power. Therapeutic Reflexologists and Therapeutic Massage Therapists have the right to be reimbursed by medical schemes if they have valid practice numbers.
With that being said, the AHPCSA provides a scope of practice for each profession and it is not the purpose of this post to go into detail into the difference in the scope of practice between therapeutic reflexology and therapeutic massage therapy, but we are just going to have a quick look at the differences.
Therapeutic Reflexology is a profession that mostly work on a person’s feet by stimulating the reflexes (or nerve endings), but may also work on other body parts like the hands (hand reflexology), the face (face reflexology), the legs and arms (body reflexology), the ears (auricular reflexology). The focus is on working with the reflexes in order to help the body to relax and then to heal itself from the inside out or at least attempt to balance itself from the inside out. This is a non-invasive therapy and the patient does not have to get undressed.
Therapeutic Massage Therapy usually works on the entire body’s muscles by making use of smooth strokes and sometimes a bit more invasive strokes like in the case of sport massage techniques. This is a more invasive treatment where the patient has to get undressed in order for the body to be worked on, usually by making use of oils to make the body smooth and making it possible for the therapist’s hands to slide over the body.
Looking at the professions of therapeutic reflexology versus therapeutic massage therapy, it is evident that it is two different modalities with different approaches, but both professions attempt to be preventative in nature by reducing stress.
Personal Experience
To share a bit of personal experience; I have been doing reflexology since 2003 and massage since 2006. I have done hundreds of hours of massage in the beauty industry, but when it came to deciding on a modality for myself to work with in the healthcare industry, I decided on therapeutic reflexology. It was a personal choice and based on personal experience with the healing results of regular therapeutic reflexology treatments in my own life.
My personal experience taught me that therapeutic massage therapy is great to relax and to deal with muscle related matters, but when I had to deal with personal illness conditions like IBS, chest pains, pain relief and so forth, I found therapeutic reflexology to work best in my own life with long-lasting results. It should be noted that this is a personal experience and not a professional opinion; it is solely based on my own experience with receiving massage and reflexology for conditions affecting my own life and health. Based on this personal experience, I have decided to focus my professional attention on therapeutic reflexology and I practice this modality to the best of my ability as it is not only based on theory, but personal experience and belief in the modality as well.
Other people may have a different opinion and some may feel that they prefer therapeutic massage therapy more than therapeutic reflexology as they want the whole body to be massaged. This is a personal preference that each person should decide on for themselves.
The general public usually perceives that if you have a muscle related problem or just want to relax, then therapeutic massage therapy may be the way to go and if it is a foot related matter or an illness condition that needs to be treated holistically, then therapeutic reflexology is the way to go.
Personally, I enjoy both reflexology and a massage, but I have concluded for myself on when to use which modality. Personally, I visit a therapeutic massage therapist when I want to relax and have my whole body massaged in order for all my muscles to be worked on and I visit a therapeutic reflexologist on a regular basis to relax and to maintain my own personal health due to some conditions I experienced in the past. During business hours I like to see a therapeutic reflexologist due to not feeling oily after the session, but over a weekend I would not mind being a bit oily after a massage as I do not have to wear work clothes and work with people. This also is my own preferences, but what it comes down to is the fact that I make use of both therapeutic reflexologists and therapeutic massage therapists, but my use of the modalities is based on what I have decided to have treated with which modality.
There are benefits in both healthcare modalities.
Conclusion
It is not so much a matter of reflexology versus massage or therapeutic reflexology versus therapeutic massage, but rather a matter of personal preference. Both the reflexology and massage professions offer valuable benefits, but which modality you prefer at certain times of your life or for certain conditions, is more a matter of personal preference rather than one profession being better than the other. Each profession is unique in its own right and will add value to your life if used for the correct reasons.
As a therapeutic reflexologist, I am biased towards the profession of therapeutic reflexology, but do value the benefits that therapeutic massage has to offer and I make use of both in my own life.
If you have only received massages before, but never experienced therapeutic reflexology; maybe this is the time for you to consider therapeutic reflexology and then you have personal experience to compare reflexology with massage.
—
Christo A. Scheepers: Therapeutic Reflexologist
Dip.T.R.(Cum Laude) [IARAMT]
AHPCSA: A11945
Pr. No.: 1080000737453
Tel. 072-800 7243