Lymphedema
Lymphatic Drainage massage has been used for people with lymphedema, which involves swelling, generally in one or more of your legs or arms. The swelling is caused by lymph fluid that's collected in the soft tissues, due to genetic disorders, injury, infection, cancer treatment, or surgery.
Common symptoms of lymphedema can include:
- Pain
- Skin discolouration
- Tissue swelling
- Heaviness in the limbs
- Weakness
- Hardening or thickening of the skin
- Recurring infections
Lymphatic Massage
Talk to your doctor before getting a lymphatic drainage massage to ensure it’s best for your healing process, and make sure you're receiving treatment from a trained professional. The massage therapist will follow a particular sequence, using a series of massage techniques, including stretching, compressing, gliding, and cupping motions. Light rhythmic movements stimulate the lymphatic system without pressing hard on the vessel. They make the lymph fluid move easily through the nodes and tissues, making sure the fluid doesn't get trapped anywhere. This is done without the use of oil or lotion of any kind.
Benefits
Lymphedema can be treated with tight compression bandages or stockings, but a manual lymphatic drainage massage can help enhance the benefits. Studies have found that lymphatic drainage massage may be beneficial for the following conditions:
Mastectomy- which involves the removal of breast tissue to treat or prevent breast cancer, lymph drainage massage can help ease mild to moderate symptoms post-surgery.
Rheumatoid arthritis- If you have RA, you may experience poor lymph flow as the disease progresses. Along with tissue swelling, pain in the joints increases, joints lose their function, and the skin changes colour. Lymph drainage massage can help ease these later-stage RA symptoms.
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)- when the valves or walls of the veins that are in the legs don't work correctly. This makes it hard for the blood to flow back to the heart from the legs. Lymphatic drainage massage can help increase the speed of blood flow in people with CVI.
Fibromyalgia- This condition causes inflammation of the skin nerves, discolouration of the skin, and tissue swelling. The massage has been shown to be better than connective tissue massage in treating depression, stiffness, and improving quality of life for those living with fibromyalgia.