Drainage Therapy
What is drainage therapy?
The lymphatic system and the blood circulation form the two most important transport systems in your body. Also, they play an important role for the immune system. An oedema exists where the transport of the lymph is decreased or blocked which causes swelling. Most commonly, it affects one of the arms or legs.
With the therapy, we are stimulating the drainage of lymph fluid. The aim is to reduce the swelling and improve the functionality of the lymphatic system. This results in a decreased infection risk of the affected area and in pain control.
Symptoms of an oedema include :
- Stretched and/or shiny skin
- Pressure feeling in the affected area
- Marks on your skin, like for example impressions left by your socks
- Swollen and painful ankles, feet, arms or legs
- Reduced wound healing
- Difficulties with walking
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual lymphatic drainage will be most often used in combination with Remedial exercises to make the treatment more efficient. Additionally, we will provide you with useful advice and information to stimulate and support the lymphatic system in the best way at home, too.
Manual lymphatic drainage is a specific technique that promotes the circulation of the lymph fluid. During the treatment, we will activate the lymphatic system in the neck area and the belly. Then we will treat the lymph nodes of the specific area, where after we will treat the swollen/affected parts. The movements are slow and rhythmical, and the pressure is gentle which causes normally no pain.
The conditions we treat :
- Drainage as support in the healing process of wounds, e.g. with diabetes patients ;
- Lymphoedema : drainage after surgery when lymph nodes have been removed ;
- Secondary oedema after chemotherapy or radiation therapy ;
- Oedema after surgery, e.g. after hip or knee replacement ;
- Traumatic oedema after an accident.
Remedial exercises
The objective of remedial exercises is to encourage the efficiency of the lymphatic system. With muscular contraction, we want to support the drainage of the lymph fluid out of the affected area.
Exercises, often in combination with manual lymphatic drainage, are focussed on gentle contraction of the muscles in arms and/or legs as well as breathing exercises.