Manual Lymph Drainage

One of the most frequent questions we get on our help line concerns a relatively recent treatment 
technique for swelling.

Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) has actually been around for quite a long time. It is a therapy first developed in Europe and only fairly recently come to be accepted her in the US.

The treatment combines a special massage like technique (MLD) with compression bandaging, skin care and specially designed exercises.

The goal of the therapy is to very gently move the fluids trapped in the limbs into areas of the body where our system is able to drain it away naturally. The very gentle massage like movements of MLD accomplish this by improving the pumping of the lymph vessels in the skin moving the fluid out of the trapped areas.

After the treatment reduces the size of the limb the patient is usually fitted for an appropriate compression garment and continues the treatment at home.

If you are interested in this therapy contact the National Lymphedema Network (http://www.lymphnet.org/) for further information.

 John Wellum, CPD

*Important: We are smarter than to try to practice medicine without a license! The information presented on this site is for informational purposes only. New medical information is available weekly - so check with your doctor and therapist before making any changes to your treatment!