Reflexology for Headaches: What’s Going on in the Feet?

Headaches can be more than just uncomfortable — they can stop you in your tracks. Whether it’s tension, sinus pressure, migraines, or that persistent dull ache behind your eyes, many of us are all too familiar with the disruption headaches cause.

But did you know your feet might be holding the key to relief?

Reflexology works on the principle that specific points on the feet correspond to different organs, systems, and areas of the body. By gently stimulating these points, reflexology helps restore balance, ease tension, and encourage the body’s natural healing processes — including relief from headaches.

Here are a few of the main areas I work on during a reflexology session to support headache relief:

1. Toes – Head & Brain

The tips of your toes are connected to the head and brain — particularly the big toes, which represent the brain, pituitary, and pineal glands. Working these points can help calm mental overload, reduce pressure, and bring clarity to foggy thinking.

2. Base of the Toes – Sinuses & Eyes

If your headaches are caused by sinus congestion or eye strain, this area is especially helpful. Reflexology here encourages drainage, reduces inflammation, and helps clear pressure in the face.

3. Upper Arch – Neck & Shoulders

Tension-type headaches often start in the neck or upper back. By easing tightness in this zone, reflexology can help melt away the stress that creeps up and settles at the base of the skull.

4. Big Toe Side – Temporal Lobes (Temples)

On the sides of the big toes you’ll find reflex points linked to the temples. These are especially helpful for those classic tension headaches that throb on the sides of the head.

5. Diaphragm Line – Stress Relief

While not directly linked to the head, this area helps regulate breathing and calms the nervous system — crucial when stress is the root cause of the headache.