🇨🇭 Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage accelerates the cicatrization process and at the same time removes the fluid that causes the edema and any pathogenic agents or in any case foreign bodies

The school

Lymphatic drainage is mainly performed according to the dictates of two schools. Both lymphatic drainage schools are based on the same principles: the main difference between the two lies in the type of movement used. Emil Vodder was the first to study its characteristics, but Albert Leduc, professor of motor rehabilitation at the University of Brussels and founder of the European Group of Lymphology, has the merit of having perfected his technique and studied the effect on an experimental basis. with formal limits and on limited samples

Emil Vodder

The lymphatic drainage of Vodder is a sequence that has as a defining characteristic the

"opening" on the neck of some points such as profundus and terminus, corresponding to lymph nodes, thoracic duct and the great lymphatic vein with the consequent emptying. The opening consists of a combination of circular movements - round or oval, performed with a pressure of about 40 gr. therefore superficial that push the skin, without crawling over it. After that, a body district to be massaged is chosen (upper limbs, lower limbs, etc.) since the Vodder method can not be applied to the whole body in the same session. If I go to work on the lower limb, I will continue with the groin discharge and then I will treat the thigh. Furthermore, the softer the fabric, the lighter the massage

Albert Leduc

The Leduc technique is based on a more limited number of maneuvers, and proposes a series of treatment protocols based on the type of disorder. Edematous limb bandage is an integral part of the treatment: it should not be compressive and should be applied from the periphery to the center. Leduc stresses the need to adapt manual drainage to the particular case: the principles must serve only as a guideline. The only rule not to transgress is the delicacy of the maneuver

The effects

Fields in which Manual Lymphatic Drainage is used are both medical and aesthetic. The beneficial effects of the DLM are in fact multiple and to date not all of its potential has been discovered and exploited. The main indications are the antiedematous effect, it favors the lymphatic circulation, increasing the sliding speed, thus allowing the reduction of edema, both lymphatic, and of other origin, as can occur in the premenstrual period, in women in pregnancy, after having undergone the removal of the saphenous vein, after performing sclerosing procedures on varicose veins or following mastectomy. Also useful for eliminating the edemas that are formed after plastic surgery and aesthetics, here it would be ideal to perform the treatments both before and after the operation

Contraindications

There are two types of contraindications in the treatment of manual lymphatic drainage: absolute and relative.

The absolute contraindications are: acute infections, tuberculosis, suspected or suspected malignancies.

Relative contraindications are: renal failure, heart failure, asthma, hyperthyroidism, vagotonia