~ Manual Lymph Drainage ~

This modality is a gentle massage intended to encourage and minimize swelling and improving circulation throughout the lymphatic system. Plastic surgeons recommend manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage during the recovery phase following cosmetic liposuction. It helps speed up recovery time and improve results by reducing postsurgical swelling and enhancing your cosmetic results.

Manual lymph drainage can be used as part of a post-sports and post-injury rest-ice-compression-and-elevation (RICE) protocol when clients cannot receive deep tissue or other massage techniques that would be contraindicated.

As an add-on: It can be included as a valuable addition to a massage treatment plan and can be used as a prequel to other techniques, such as myofascial tension technique or deep tissue massage. Using manual lymphatic drainage, we can gently and specifically engage the fascia and fluid, simultaneously releasing the tissues of the lymphatic-extracellular fluid and fascial planes; and in one movement negate many of the negative side effects of purely fascial work, which can lead to bruising and inflammation.

Before or after surgery: It can be used pre-and post-surgery to prepare tissues for an incision. Manual lymphatic drainage also promotes healing and tissue health postsurgery, helping prevent infection and other postsurgical complications.

For pain relief: Manual lymphatic drainage stimulates the vital functions of the skin, tissues and internal organs, and also helps eliminate cellular waste and stimulate the parasympathetic relaxation response, inhibiting muscle tonus and pain, according to Bruno Chikly, M.D., D.O., L.M.T.’s Silent Waves: Theory and Practice of Lymph Drainage Therapy, 1st Edition (2001).

To combat stress: Manual lymphatic drainage can be performed as a preventative technique that bolsters the body’s ability to rejuvenate and resist all types of stress, Chikly’s text also notes. This results in the speeding up of the fluid’s movement throughout the lymphatic system, enabling lymphocyte transportation and production.

More: Massage session room pathologies that may benefit from manual lymphatic drainage include fluid retention, lymphedema, sinusitis, hay fever, irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, golfer’s or tennis elbow, bruising and edema.