Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD): Your Essential Postoperative Recovery Partner

Have you recently undergone liposuction, cosmetic surgery, or another procedure that has resulted in swelling or bruising? Post-surgical Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a specialized massage technique designed to accelerate healing and optimize your recovery.

What is MLD and How Does it Aid Postoperative Recovery?

MLD is a gentle, non-invasive therapy that stimulates your body's lymphatic system. This vital system plays a crucial role in removing waste, toxins, and excess fluid from your tissues. After surgery, the lymphatic system can become overwhelmed, leading to increased:

• Swelling (Edema): Fluid buildup in the surgical area.
• Bruising: Discoloration due to blood leakage from damaged vessels.
• Pain and Discomfort: Caused by inflammation and pressure from fluid buildup.
• Risk of Infection: Stagnant lymph fluid can increase susceptibility to infection.
• Scar tissue formation: Excessive and hard scar formation.

Using a series of precise, rhythmic hand movements – including stretching, compressing, gliding, and cupping – a certified MLD therapist gently encourages lymphatic flow. This helps to:

• Reduce Swelling and Bruising: MLD efficiently removes excess fluid and cellular debris, minimizing swelling and promoting faster healing of bruises.
• Alleviate Pain and Discomfort: By reducing inflammation and pressure, MLD provides significant pain relief.
• Promote Faster Healing: Improved lymphatic circulation delivers vital nutrients and oxygen to the surgical site, accelerating tissue repair.
• Improve surgical scars' appearance: By stimulating the lymph flow, improving tissue regeneration and reducing inflammation, the surgical scar will look less noticeable.
• Minimize Risk of Complications: MLD helps prevent infection by ensuring efficient removal of waste products and promoting healthy immune function.

MLD: Particularly Beneficial After These Procedures:

• Liposuction: MLD is highly recommended after liposuction to minimize swelling, contour irregularities, and fibrosis (lumps of hardened tissue).
• Cosmetic Surgeries: Facelifts, tummy tucks, breast augmentations/reductions, and other cosmetic procedures all benefit from postoperative MLD.
• Orthopedic Surgeries: Knee or hip replacements, ACL reconstruction, and other orthopedic procedures can cause significant swelling. MLD can aid in reducing this swelling and promoting faster rehabilitation.
• Other Surgeries: MLD is also effective after various surgeries where edema is a common side effect, including cancer-related procedures, such as removal of cancerous lymph nodes.

What to Expect During a Postoperative MLD Session and Beyond:

Each MLD session typically lasts around one hour, and you'll find it to be a very gentle and relaxing experience. Your therapist will tailor the treatment to your specific needs and surgical procedure, ensuring the technique is precisely adapted for optimal results. You should not experience any pain during the session; in fact, it's common to feel a sense of relaxation and relief both during and after. While you might notice an immediate reduction in swelling, multiple sessions are usually recommended to achieve the best outcome.

The Crucial Role of Compression Garments:

Between your MLD sessions, wearing correctly fitted compression garments is absolutely essential to support the healing process. These specialized garments work hand-in-hand with MLD to:

• Maintain Reduced Swelling: Compression garments help to sustain the reduction in swelling achieved during your MLD session, preventing fluid from re-accumulating in the tissues.
• Support Tissue Healing: They provide gentle pressure that helps to stabilize the surgical area, promoting proper tissue healing and minimizing the risk of complications.
• Improve Contour and Shape: After procedures like liposuction, compression garments are vital for achieving the desired aesthetic outcome by helping to shape and contour the treated area.

The Importance of a Perfect Fit:

While compression garments provided by your surgeon can be a good starting point, it's crucial to understand that a perfect fit is paramount. Garments that are too loose won't provide adequate support, while those that are too tight can restrict lymphatic flow, hinder healing, and even cause discomfort or indentations in the skin. An ill-fitting garment, even if it's "medical grade," can potentially:

• Slow Down Healing: By impeding lymphatic drainage and blood circulation.
• Compromise Results: Leading to uneven contours or less-than-ideal aesthetic outcomes.
• Increase Discomfort: Causing pain, pressure sores, or skin irritation.

Recommendation for Expert Fitting:

To ensure you have the perfectly fitted compression garment for optimal healing, we highly recommend The Fitting Service in Maidstone. They are specialists in post-surgical compression garments, offering a wide range of medical-grade options and expert fitting services. The Fitting Service works in partnership with Maidstone Stress Relief, providing a comprehensive approach to post-surgical care. The combined experience of The Fitting Service in fitting and supplying proper compression and Maidstone Stress Relief in providing MLD therapy can contribute to a faster recovery and more satisfying results after your cosmetic surgery. You can learn more about their services on their website: www.thefittingservice.com. 

MLD during pregnancy:

Manual Lymphatic Drainage can be very helpful to pregnant women, who often suffer from tired feet, water retention or other oedemas. Studies show that pregnant women with lymphoedema have worsening of their condition during pregnancy. In particular, during the final months of pregnancy. Some women reported having persistent lymphoedema after delivery. The lymphatic system works as a functional reservoir for the venous system, and oedema occurs when the reserving capacity is exceeded.

Beyond Postoperative Care: Other Benefits of MLD

While particularly beneficial after surgery, MLD can also help with a variety of other conditions, including:

• Lymphedema: A chronic condition characterized by swelling due to lymphatic system dysfunction.
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency: A condition where the veins have difficulty returning blood to the heart, leading to swelling and pain.
• Fibromyalgia: MLD can help reduce pain and improve sleep quality in individuals with fibromyalgia.

Find a Qualified MLD Therapist

It's crucial to seek treatment from a certified MLD therapist who has specialized training in postoperative care. They will have the expertise to safely and effectively apply MLD techniques to promote your optimal recovery.

Ready to Experience the Healing Power of MLD?

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn how postoperative Manual Lymphatic Drainage can help you achieve a smoother, faster, and more comfortable recovery.