rogerhugheslmt

I have been certified as a Dr. Vodder® Therapist in Manual Lymph Drainage since 1998. This work, the original method developed in the early 1900s by Dr. Emil Vodder has remained the standard of MLD. Much can be said about this work as it pertains to being the number one treatment for Lymphedema. Perhaps not recognized with as much weight is MLD’s immense benefits in post-surgery recovery and healing. It has been widely recognized for years in Europe as a main stream recommendation in the care of post-surgery rehabilitation.MLD is beneficial in post-op recovery for the following reasons:

 

1. Decrease the effects of the inflammatory response

2. Assists in natural exiting of anesthesia from the body’s tissues

3. Decongest edematous tissues

4. Restores optimal lymphatic flow

5. Helps minimize pain by moving chemical irritants away from pain receptors

6. Gives feeling of wellbeing

 

“Innumerable insults (a mosquito bite, a splinter, a virus infection, a broken bone) can trigger an inflammatory response and dispatch cells and chemicals to the site to repair the damage. Inflammation is a key part of the body’s defense system, an indispensable protective response by the body’s system of self-defense. Acute inflammation is short-lived, lasting only a few days. If it lasts longer, it is referred to as chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation may last weeks, months, or beyond. Paradoxically, the inflammatory process itself may cause tissue damage while it is engaged in healing and repair.” – from MEDICINE NET.COM

 

In my experience it is precisely this paradoxical scenario that can spiral out of control and potentially depress the global function of the lymphatic system. In other words, if the protein rich fluids resulting from an inflammatory response are not effectively brought at bay within 3 to 5 days of the trauma from surgery, the body’s lymph system becomes over-burdened with a back log of fluid idling in the tissues. As time goes on, the body’s natural healing wisdom is impaired and is stuck in a reoccurring inflammatory response catch twenty-two.

 

This is where MLD’s gentle intervention can provide an immediate shift of fluids downstream and make room for the back log to move out of the ‘local’ area(s) of chronic congestion. In the vast majority of the cases I have worked with in post-op healing, MLD can flush out the tissues via the superficial pathways that rest right underneath the skin.

 

I have worked with countless post-op liposuction clients that were unaware of the benefits of MLD prior to their surgery. For some it has only been when they found themselves in a state of chronic swelling, edema and stiffness for a week,  weeks even months after surgery.